Reader Lesson - Hit More Consistent Pitch Shots

Watch this video to see Golf Monthly Top 25 Coach Paul Foston teach reader Craig Davis that less is often more when it comes to hitting consistent pitch shots

Is there any worse feeling on the golf course that seeing your ball rocket straight right off the hosel, having played the previous holes beautifully?

Once a shank gets inside your head it can often be impossible to shift it for the remainder of your round and Golf Monthly readers like 18-handicapper Craig Davis from Kent are not immune.

Thankfully, in our Top 25 Coaches, we have some of the finest golf instructors in the world at our disposal, including Paul Foston, who has taken five players to European Tour victories.

We asked Paul to step in and help Craig, who was the selected via a call-out on the Golf Monthly forum, with his pitching woes.

Below are the highlights, for the full story on how Craig fared, read the June issue of Golf Monthly magazine.

Paul’s assessment of Craig Golf Monthly reader Craig was struggling with his distance control and felt like he was always fighting a possible shank. All his problems were coming from a long swing and trying to hit the ball too hard and too far.He also had a few minor issues from a flat swing where we wrapped the club around his body, leading to around 20 yards of draw. To accommodate for all this he was also aiming way right.

Paul’s remedy The best fix for Craig was also a simple one. Club up with his wedges and swing shorter with a smoother tempo. This gave Craig more control. It also kept his swing more compact so it couldn’t get as flat when his wrists hinged near the top. I could also tell his occasional shanks would come from a downswing too much from the inside, so we worked together to get him swinging steeper and across the ball from out-to-in.

Hit More Consistent Pitch Shots with Paul's Tips Always - Use a club that will comfortably reach your target, especially with wedges, where hitting shots harder will often make the ball spin more and go higher, not any further.

Never - Aim away from your target to compensate for a swing fault, as this will only lead you further and further away from having a consistent technique.