You want to know the "reference swing" for all your wedges.

That is, how far the ball flies when the backswing stops here ...

...and the finish is to here, with the club perpendicular to the ground.

Just because you make a good pitching swing doesn't guarantee that you will hit a good pitch shot. To snuggle the ball up close to the hole requires not only the proper motion, but a good read of the green as well. You can strike the ball perfectly, even land it on the spot you were aiming for, but if it's the wrong spot or you didn't factor in the conditions, you'll be looking at a two-putt rather than a tap-in.

Let's start with a review of pitch-shot execution, which is very simple. To engrain this motion, I recommend you learn what I call my "reference swing" (shown here). Using my lofted (L) wedge, I stop my backswing when the shaft is parallel to the ground, then swing through until the shaft is perpendicular. This length swing, with this club and my normal pitch-swing rhythm, flies the ball 15 yards in the air. With my pitching wedge, this swing motion flies my shots 22 yards, while my sand (S) wedge and extra-lofted (X) wedge shots fly about 18 and 12 yards respectively, from the same reference swing motion. These are my "reference" pitching distances, and form the basis from which I adjust my swing and club selection to produce different flight distances as I need them on the course.

You should learn your reference-swing distances for all of your wedges. Don't try to make them fly particular distances by hitting them harder or swinging faster. Just learn how far your reference swing flies shots with each club, when swung from parallel to vertical, with your smooth, natural rhythm. This will give you a set of known flight distances so you have control of a variety of distances with just slight modifications of that swing. You can learn your distances by hitting to a pitching green or into laundry baskets in your backyard. When establishing distances, what happens on the ground isn't important; you simply want to know how far the ball flies from that swing with each club.

Once you can consistently fly the ball specific yardages, it's time to learn how to read the rest of the shot. The best way to do this is by laying a circle of ribbon or string, about three feet in diameter, on your practice green (bottom right). Place it where you think it has to be so a ball landing inside it will roll into the hole. Then try pitching the ball into that circle, using your reference swing with one of your wedges.

If a well-struck shot lands in the circle but doesn't finish near the hole, then you've made a bad read: You didn't factor in the undulations, the green speed or firmness, or something else. Also note that if you miss the circle but the ball does finish near the hole, it still was a bad read. The idea is to learn where the ball must land to get to the hole. That probably will mean moving the circle a few times until you get it right.

SAM GREENWOOD Use a three-foot circle of string to help you learn where the ball has to hit on the green so it rolls close to the hole.

Keep practicing, holding your finish and watching until each shot stops rolling. Some will be good, some bad, but each one will teach you something about judging pitches. Your ability to read these shots will improve with practice.

Start your sessions from good fairway lies. After a while, find a tight fairway lie, then a fluffy lie in the rough, and start over. While your swing won't change much, the results will, often drastically. Notice what happens to the trajectory of the shot and the resulting roll from different conditions. Ultimately, what you're trying to learn is where the circle -- your landing spot -- should be for every shot. You will learn how the surface firmness affects your bounce and roll, and how much break you should play for your pitches to finish by the cup. And as you practice, don't be lazy: If your shot is well struck but lands short of the circle and still rolls to the pin, move the circle.

Remember, to be good at pitching, you must be able to fly the ball the proper distance and know where to land it. With practice, you will be able to stand over your ball and, in your mind's eye, see the perfect landing spot on the green. As you begin landing them there, you'll see your shots rolling up to, and sometimes into, the hole. The more you practice, the sooner it will happen.

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