Instruction - Lesson #38 -Fit The Swing To The Shot

July 4, 2009

Part III: The Short Game
Lesson #38: Fit The Swing To The Shot

One of the trickiest parts of the short game is the matter of adjusting the distance of your pitch shots. Let's say you face a 70-metre pitch on one hole and a 60-metre pitch on the next. How do you take those 10 metres off the shot?

Some instructors advocate varying the force of the swing. I'm dead against that. Except on special shots such as the lob and the punch, I'm a strong believer in keeping the pace and tempo of the swing absolutely consistent.

Instead, I prefer to vary the length of the swing. Contrary to my method in the long game, where I play all full shots with the same length of swing, I shorten my backswing as the length of my pitch shot decreases. Furthermore, as I get closer to the green, I also grip down on the club, right down to the metal on pitches of only a few metres. This enables me to make a firm, aggressive, accelerating swing, which maintains a firm and confident attack on the ball.

Inside 30 metres or so, I simplify things even more by switching from a pitching wedge to a sand wedge while maintaining the same technique I use for longer pitches. If you carry a third wedge, you can take this system a step further. After all, why grip way, way down and make a tiny swing when there's a club in your bag that will do the work for you?

- Greg Norman

Illustration by Jim McQueen

Greg Norman's 100 Instant Golf Lessons Archive
100.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Shake It Off
99.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Have A Post-Round Agenda
98.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	My Practice Practices
97.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Read Greens From Afar
96.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Don't Be A Sucker6
95.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Gauging The Greens
94.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Between Clubs, Go with Your Tendency
93.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Yardage Is Only the Beginning
92.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	3-Way Yardage
91.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Walk Smartly
90.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	On A Tight Tee Shot, Get Loose
89.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Play The Hole Backward
88.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Look For 'Bad' Lies
87.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	The Secret Weapon
86.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Suit Your Shot To A Tee
85.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Why I See The Apex
84.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Go To The Movies
83.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Pep Talks
82.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Be Bold with Your Strengths
81.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Get The Stiffest Shaft You Can Handle
80.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Pace Yourself
79.	Managing Yourself And Your Game	Know Thyself
78.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	Don't Fight Crosswinds
77.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	Into A Hard Wind, Take A Light Grip
76.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	Tips For Playing In Rain
75.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	Lean Against The Slope
74.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	Go Ahead, Have A Blast
73.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	Living With Divots - Posted August 10, 2005
72.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	The Lazy Lob
71.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	How's It Growing?
70.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	Debunking Flyers
69.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	Grass Knowledge
68.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	Slash Your Way Out of Jail
67.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	The Best Two Hours You Can Spend
66.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	How to Play the Hardest Shot
65.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	Slice An 8-lron
64.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	Seve's Softee
63.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	Take a Stab at Short Shots
62.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	How To Make It Sit
61.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	The Long Distance Runner
60.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	Double the Distance in Sand
59.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	Play Detective
58.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	It's Just A Splash
57.	Bunkers And Trouble Play	Four 'Musts' In Bunkers
56.	The Short Game	The Ultimate Nerve Test
55.	The Short Game	Know The Breaks
54.	The Short Game	Hold the Hold in Putting
53.	The Short Game	Keep Your Eye on the Back
52.	The Short Game	Trust Your Technique
51.	The Short Game	I'm An Apex Putter
50.	The Short Game	Why You Should Putt Aggressively
49.	The Short Game	Putters Aren't Just For Putting
48.	The Short Game	The Sand Wedge Putt
47.	The Short Game	The Seven-Fingered Shot
46.	The Short Game	The Knockdown Punch
45.	The Short Game	How To Miss It Close
44.	The Short Game	Deaden Impact With A Putter Grip
43.	The Short Game	Blast from Bermuda, Putt the Rest
42.	The Short Game	Chipmaking
41.	The Short Game	Master The Method Vary The Clubs
40.	The Short Game	One of the Few Laws
39.	The Short Game	Hit Your Short Shots Hard
38.	The Short Game	Fit The Swing To The Shot
37.	The Short Game	They're Just Shorter Swings
36.	The Short Game	Throw Yourself Into the Short Game
35.	The Long Game	Shotmaking Made Easy
34.	The Long Game	The Spinless Shot
33.	The Long Game	How To Make It Suck Back
32.	The Long Game	The HIgh Shot
31.	The Long Game	For Battles In Britain
30.	The Long Game	On Long Irons, Don't Try
29.	The Long Game	How To Hit It Off The Deck
28.	The Long Game	Tempo And Rhythm
27.	The Long Game	Hit The Second Ball
26.	The Long Game	It's A Horse Race
25.	The Long Game	Read Your Wrists
24.	The Long Game	Three Wrongs And A Right
23.	The Long Game	My Swing Doesn't Change
22.	The Long Game	R.P.B. For Long Drives
21.	The Long Game	The Extension Bench
20.	The Long Game	The Left Elbow Lead
19.	The Long Game	Pulling The Trigger
18.	Before You Swing	Step All The Way Back
17.	Before You Swing	Get A Countdown
16.	Before You Swing	A Game Of Centrimetres
15.	Before You Swing	Why Jack And I Hover The Club
14.	Before You Swing	The Right Height
13.	Before You Swing	Open Up On Short Irons
12.	Before You Swing	Consider A Bit Of Flare
11.	Before You Swing	Get The Picture
10.	Before You Swing	Suit Yourself
9.	Before You Swing	One Spot For Every Shot
8.	Before You Swing	The Root Of Many Evils
7.	Before You Swing	Posture Is Natural
6.	Before You Swing	Don't Toe The Line
5.	Before You Swing	Your Feet Can Fool You
4.	Before You Swing	Aim The Clubface First
3.	Before You Swing	Look High, Look Low
2.	Before You Swing	The Short Thumb
Instant Lesson #1	Before You Swing	Clap Hands For The Grip

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