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Pitching can become a very problematic shot with a lot of mechanical flaws happening in a short space of time, and in particular, the 50 yard pitch shot which is frequently used from round to round and is a shot just as important as a nice high drawing drive one can only dream of or that final putt on the 18th to break the handicap.

This is possibly the first distance after chipping in which you will really think about breaking your wrists during the swing, most distances short of this will not require much of a wrist hinge. As the swing passes parallel to the ground, the wrists should start to hinge creating an L shaped back swing which then can unwind through the ball using the body and release of the hands creating a steep angle of attack and generate spin on the ball. From this simplistic swing you can practice with three to four different clubs and learn an array distances with one swing which can be consistently repeated.

To practice this position, start with a pitching wedge and work on the L position but be sure to still rotate from your shoulders and hips as the swing still requires the movements of the big muscles. Just using the arms and wrists will cause inconsistent strikes and distance control.

Once you are comfortable with the technique and happy with the distance the club is going, you must then find your most consistent and repeatable rhythm as this swing needs to stand up to the pressure of the 18th whether you are competing against friends for breakfast or in regional/national events.

It is certainly possible to chip the ball 50 yards which would require no wrist hinge but the ball would need to be hit with a straighter faced club such as 7 or 8 iron and due to the shallower angle of attack, the ball would come out with little height and spin. If the 50 yard pitch shot required height to get over a bunker or to hit into an elevated green, the 7 or 8 iron chip and run would not suffice.

Dont be afraid to add the 50 yard pitch shot with your wrists into your arsenal of shots because it can save a lot of shots, get you closer to flags and lower your scores.

Using the wrists as soon as the club is taken away from the ball can cause a player all sorts of inconsistencies of strike, spin and distance control. When a player gets this technique right it can look fantastic because the height produced is outstanding, along with an aggressively spinning golf ball, but even at the highest level you will not see many players try this technique because it is too unpredictable. The pitch shot swing should be one of width, control and finesse with a nice solid L shaped created on the back swing rotating through and releasing the club with gradual speed into a mirrored L follow through position.

Stopping the body rotation during the swing will cause an extremely negative effect on all your shots whether you are holding a driver, iron and looking to pitch a ball on to the green. More often than not the weight will shift to the right foot during the back swing which will cause heavy contact into the ground before impact on the ball.

Most important of all, the swing that uses wrists only will be extremely inconsistent with distance control because the wrist angles into the ball will vary therefore changing the angle of attack each time which will affect the height on the ball and the distance as a result.

Make sure the wrists and body rotation work together each time to give you consistent strikes and yardages.