'One isn’t higher or worse': Professional breaks down variations between the steep and shallow pitch shot

When you’re not following Michael Kim on social media but, you’re lacking out.

The veteran PGA Tour professional has built a rather loyal following on Twitter by way of his takes on golf present occasions, recaps of every event and behind-the-scenes info on being a Tour professional. He additionally hasn’t been shy to share his takes on golf instruction or provide tips for amateurs.

His newest submit falls underneath the latter two classes as Kim is providing his tackle one of many hottest debates in golf instruction proper now: To be shallow or steep along with your pitch pictures?

Keeping the club on a shallow plane is essential for amateurs based on GOLF Prime 100 Instructor to Watch and Tour quick sport coach Parker McLachlin, who’s also referred to as the Short Game Chef on social media.

However, fellow PGA Tour coach Joe Mayo helped reinvent Viktor Hovland’s short game by preaching for a steeper angle of assault across the greens.

On Saturday, Kim provided some ideas and movies explaining the right way to hit each pictures and the place he would possibly use one or the opposite. He was cautious to not take a aspect on which one is the perfect.

“I’d wish to make the purpose that one isn’t higher or worse. It’s far more WHEN to do it,” he wrote on Twitter. “Every has properties that’s higher in sure conditions than others. Consider it extra like draw vs fade not an both/or. The shallow is healthier for if you need to hit a softer med-med excessive trajectory with a bit of little bit of spin and it lands good and mushy. Steep is significantly better if you need one thing a bit of decrease, a bit of extra skip then spin, ball first strong contact. It’s prob a greater movement for many bump and runs. I don’t assume shallow is required on bump and runs. Additionally significantly better means movement out of the tough. Sure lies do higher with shallow, some do higher with steep.

“It’s as much as you to try to discover what works for you.”

The shallow shot

Kim likens the shallow shot to an underhand toss, explaining it should come out with a medium to a medium-high trajectory that lands softly with a bit of little bit of spin. He says he makes use of this shot from tight lies within the fairway when he might not have a ton of inexperienced to work with.

Setup: Barely open stance. Weight 50/50 on every foot. Clubface open. Shaft vertical (Ie. palms above the clubhead at tackle). Ball place center.

Swing: Energy supply from flip, little arms and wrist motion. Hold huge arc.

Kim says the good thing about the shallow swing is that it’s very forgiving.

“Perhaps 30 % of the time, I really hit a bit of behind the ball,” he stated. “However that’s OK as a result of the membership is coming in so shallow, it hits the bottom and utilizing the bounce a bit of bit, it simply pushes the ball up a bit of greater. And it’s actually forgiving that means and one of many causes I discover it so helpful on the golf course.”

Kim then defined that amateurs wrestle with the shallow shot as a result of they’re used to utilizing their wrists and arms. So Kim provided a video on the “robotic drill” to assist observe and reinforce the method. Primarily, you hit a pitch shot along with your arms and wrists locked out so as to really feel the place the swing path ought to be.

The steep shot

For the steep shot, Kim stated this shot is mainly “a low checker.” He makes use of this shot out of the golf green when he desires the ball to hit right into a slope after which have spin as soon as it will get on prime and on the placing floor.

Setup: Open stance. Higher physique turned open to match toes. Weight 70/30 on entrance foot. Clubface open. Shaft leans ahead with palms forward at tackle. Ball place center or barely again.

Swing: Wrist and arm hinge is OK, however not wanted. Transfer head up on downswing to keep away from digging. Swing in a “V” form versus a “U.”

He stated the profit is that the contact is healthier with extra spin due to the steeper angle of assault.

“I get a a lot crisper contact, a pleasant thud to it,” Kim stated.

Whereas he doesn’t add any wrist or arm hinge, Kim says it’s OK to take action as a result of it could actually assist you improve the angle of assault. Kim says he prefers to maintain his arms and wrists out of it to make distance management simpler.

So the following time you’re at a observe inexperienced, attempt each the steep and the shallow swings and see which one you want and what conditions you need to use each.

Jack Hirsh

Golf.com Editor

Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State College, incomes levels in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his highschool golf workforce and just lately returned to this system to function head coach. Jack additionally nonetheless *tries* to stay aggressive in native amateurs. Earlier than becoming a member of GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but additionally producing, anchoring and even presenting the climate. He will be reached at [email protected].