Tiger Woods - Pitching Practice (2018 US Open)

Описание: Notice how tight Tiger’s arms are to his body. This is ideal. And since they’re in so close, it’s up to his body to motor the club back and through. You can see how Tiger has allowed his upper body to rotate through the shot. With this “more body, less arms” technique, it’s easy to trace the proper path both back and through on a perfect semicircle. The result: consistent contact in the center of the sweet spot.
Tiger is a master at producing different trajectories and distances by altering the way he both hinges and releases the club from shot to shot. Regardless of how he switches things up, his biceps remain close to his body, giving his swing the same shape time after time.
One of the keys to consistent pitching is using the rounded bottom (bounce) of the wedge to help it glide across the turf rather than digging in and getting stuck. To make this happen, do what Tiger does: Make sure the club is centered at address with the shaft relatively straight up and down. You’ve done it right if, in your release, the grip points near your belly button, just like Tiger’s. No need to aggressively “lean” the shaft toward the target. That eliminates bounce and invites a nasty dig.
Tiger’s ball has popped up nice and high in a relatively short period of time and with seemingly very little effort on Tiger’s part. His secret? Keeping the clubbed low to the ground through the hitting zone for a longer period of time. Pitch shots aren’t chop shots. Think “slide,” not “smash.”