To become a complete golfer, you have to master the short game. Knowing how to play when you are within 150 yards of the green will have more of an impact on your ability to put a good score on the card then busting 300-yard drives down the middle. Pitching and chipping are two of the main aspects of the short game.
Standard Pitching Wedge
Use your pitching wedge when you are 130 yards or less from the green. The pitching wedge will allow you to send the ball high in the air and clear water hazards and bunkers and land the ball softly on the green. When you strike the pitching wedge correctly, the ball will stop shortly after it hits on the green and may roll back toward the hole after it lands.
Chip Shot
The chip shot can be used to bounce or roll the ball toward the green. Instead of hitting the ball high and having it land softly, you will strike the ball hard enough so that it will roll within a few feet of the hole before it does. The chip shot will help your game on hard, sun-baked courses that are relatively flat. You can use a club like your 7-iron to chip the ball 60 yards or more and have it roll up to the green. It's hard to pitch on hard-pan courses because you can't get the blade of your wedge under the ball.
Hazardous Courses
When you face a course with a lot of water, sand and trees, you will have to pitch the ball more than you can chip it. The high pitch shot -- which can be accomplished with the standard wedge, gap wedge or lob wedge -- gives a golfer more control over the ball. You can also hit the wedges with backspin. This enables you to stop the ball and have it roll back toward the hole.
Windy Conditions
On a windy day, you have a much better chance of scoring well if you have a confident and dependable chipping stroke. Trying to pitch the ball in windy conditions is usually disastrous. You may strike the ball perfectly, but the wind will take the ball when it is high in the air and blow it off course. The wind will have far less of an impact on a low, bouncing shot than it will on one that is hit higher in the air.
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