Peter Uihlein Short Game Lessons: 40-Yard Pitch

In this exclusive Peter Uihlein Short Game Lessons series, the American explains how he plays the tricky 40-yard pitch shot from a bare lie

More Short Game Lessons from Peter Uihlein How to hit:

Flop shot Splash shot Chip and run Long splash shot

A shot like this is really mostly about your ball flight and spin control. When you have this much green to work with (and there is quite a lot green in front of the flag), you don’t really want to come in with that much spin. You want to have something that runs and releases a little bit more to the target. By controlling the ball flight that should allow you to create the proper amount of spin, which should allow you to get the right distance. For that there are a few technical keys to that shot that you need to master.

So a shot like this – I like to take a little bit less loft – I have my 52-degree wedge – and here I’m just trying to pick out a target in the green where I think the ball should land and then have the proper amount of release. Having a picture in your mind for what you are doing is crucial. When setting up to it, one of the things I like to do is move the ball a little bit further back to keep the ball flight down. That allows you to make a little more solid contact. Set your weight a little more on your left side - about 60-40. Again, this gives you a little more of a steep, descending angle of attack where you can strike the ball a lot more solid.

As I take the club back, I like to feel like the clubface is rotating a little more open, and then coming through having it release a bit more with the toe of the wedge feeling like its rotating over. This rotational action allows the flight to stay down and it creates a little bit less spin so  the ball can release and run-out towards the hole.

Hopefully that’ll help you improve your pitching.