Blog · Tips

How to Hit a Pitch Shot

3 October 2026 · 5 min read

A pitch shot is a short, high shot with a wedge that flies most of the way to the target and stops fairly quickly. To hit one, set up with the ball in the middle of your stance, hinge your wrists on the way back, and turn your body through to a balanced finish.

Pitches are the shots you use from roughly 20 to 80 yards, or whenever you need to carry something like a bunker or rough. They sit between a chip and a full swing, and getting good at them makes every hole easier.

When to hit a pitch

• You're too far from the green to chip.
• There's a bunker, water or long grass between you and the flag.
• The pin is close to your edge of the green, so you need the ball to stop quickly.

If you're close and the way is clear, a chip or putt is usually safer. Our guide to the chip vs pitch difference helps you choose.

The pitching setup

1. Club: a pitching wedge, gap wedge, sand wedge or lob wedge, depending on the height and distance you want.
2. Stance: a little narrower than your full swing, with your front foot slightly open towards the target.
3. Ball position: in the middle of your stance.
4. Weight: slightly favouring your front foot, around 55-60%.
5. Hands: level with the ball or just ahead, with the shaft fairly upright.
6. Grip: go down the grip an inch or so for control.

The pitching swing

• Turn, don't just lift. Your chest turns away from the target on the backswing and through towards it on the follow-through. Arms alone give an inconsistent strike.
• Hinge your wrists. Unlike a chip, a pitch uses a natural wrist hinge on the way back. This creates the height and spin.
• Strike down. Hit the ball first, then the grass. The loft of the club lifts the ball, so don't try to help it up.
• Keep accelerating. Slowing down into the ball is the number one cause of fat and thin pitches.
• Hold your finish. Finish facing the target with your weight on your front foot.

Control distance with the clock face

The simplest way to control pitch distance is to change the length of your backswing, not how hard you swing. Picture yourself standing in the middle of a clock face, with your lead arm as the hour hand.

Keep the same tempo for every length. Go to a practice ground with two or three wedges and write down how far each backswing sends each club. That gives you a personal chart of a dozen distances, which is far more useful than guessing. See what is a pitching wedge for how it compares with the other wedges.

Common pitching mistakes

• Scooping: flicking the wrists at the ball to lift it. Trust the loft and keep your hands moving forward.
• Decelerating: a long backswing followed by a gentle hit. Choose a shorter backswing and accelerate.
• Swaying: sliding your hips away from the target. Turn around your body instead.
• Ball too far forward: it causes thin, skulled shots. Keep it in the middle.
• Picking the wrong landing spot: pick a spot to land on, not the flag, and allow for some roll.

Try it in Mashy

Mashy is a pitch & putt, so pitches are a big part of every round. The wedges carry about 112 yards (pitching wedge), 88 yards (sand wedge) and 66 yards (lob wedge) at full power, and setting less power on the three-tap meter gives a shorter shot. A dotted notch on the meter shows the power you need to reach your aim spot, which works a lot like the clock-face system. For more practice ideas, try our short game practice drills.