Pitching Truths courtesy of Andrew Rice. *Great pitchers generally take very little divot, flight the ball low and create high spin rates. *Lower trajectory shots are substantially easier to gauge than higher ones. *When struck correctly lower trajectory shots will have more spin than higher lofted ones. *Most golfers perform better when pitching with their second most lofted club (SW vs LW). *There are two controllable ways to stop a golf ball – high spin rate and a steep land angle. *Thin shots have more spin than you might think. *The quality of the clubface to ball interaction (friction) is very important in generating spin. *The quality of the lie plays a big role in determining the clubface to ball interaction. *The optimal lie for amazing pitches is a fairly tight, downgrain lie. *Any moisture that gets between the face and ball will decrease friction and thus increase launch angle and reduce spin. *Sand between the face and the ball will increase friction and thus lower launch angle and increase spin. *When practicing it is important to keep a wet towel handy to clean the face after every few shots – don’t use a tee. *Older clubs with worn down grooves or without a milled face will never spin the ball as much as a fresh wedge with a milled face (all else being equal). *A fresh (new), milled face is more important than fresh grooves or even square grooves. *Premium golf balls flight better and spin more than inexpensive golf balls. *The optimal technique is based almost entirely around managing the angle of attack. *Controlling what the handle does through impact is vital in managing the angle of attack. *A club path that tracks from from in to out will most often lead to better strikes, lower trajectory and more spin. *Where a golfer seeks to add loft – bounce, and thus the grind/shape of the sole, will play a bigger role. *For stock and thus lower flighted shots the bounce plays less of a role than you might imagine.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 03:33:18 +0000