Pitch Shot

A pitch shot is a short, high-flying golf shot played with a lofted wedge that lands softly on the green with little roll. It is most often played from about 20 to 50 yards out, though pitch shots can stretch up to 100 yards in skilled hands.

What is a pitch shot?

A pitch shot is a short-game shot designed to fly high through the air and stop quickly when it lands. The ball spends most of its journey in the air and rolls only a little once it hits the green. That is the defining feature: a pitch flies more than it rolls.

Golfers reach for a pitch when they are too far from the green to chip but too close for a full swing. According to The DIY Golfer, the shot is generally played from 20 to 50 yards out, though there is no exact yardage that decides where pitching begins or ends. It sometimes gets called a “mini full swing” because the motion looks like a scaled-down version of a normal iron shot.

The name itself goes back a long way in golf. The word “pitch” refers to lobbing the ball high and short, the same sense used when a baseball is pitched through the air. A pitch shot is one of the core tools of the short game, alongside the chip, the lob, and the putt, and the term has been used since the earliest days of the sport.

How a pitch shot works

The lofted club face does most of the work to send the ball high. Wedges, ranging from about 44 to 64 degrees of loft, launch the ball on a steep ascent and bring it down on a steep descent. That angle of descent is what makes the ball stop quickly instead of running across the green.

Compared to a chip, a pitch uses more of the body. Dr. Alison Curdt, a PGA Master Professional, describes the chip as a one-lever move that mostly uses the shoulders, while a pitch shot is a two-lever movement that includes the trunk and the wrist. The added wrist hinge creates a wider swing arc, which generates the extra power needed to carry the ball farther through the air.

A well-struck pitch usually has noticeable backspin. That spin, combined with the steep descent, is why the ball checks up shortly after landing rather than releasing toward the back of the green.

Pitch shot vs chip shot

The pitch and the chip are the two most commonly confused shots in the short game. Both are short approaches to the green, but they behave differently once the ball is in flight.

Feature	Pitch shot	Chip shot
Trajectory	High	Low
Air time vs roll	Flies more than it rolls	Rolls more than it flies
Typical distance	20 to 50 yards (up to 100)	Within a few yards of the green
Wrist action	Wrist hinge on the backswing	Quiet wrists, putting-style motion
Ball position	Centered in the stance	Slightly back of center
Club used	Wedges (sand, gap, lob, pitching)	Any club from a wedge to a 7-iron
Landing	Soft, with little roll	Lands and rolls toward the hole

The simplest way to think about it: a chip is meant to spend most of its time on the ground, and a pitch is meant to spend most of its time in the air. If a clean rolling shot can reach the hole, golfers chip. If the ball needs to fly over rough, a bunker, or any other trouble before reaching the green, they pitch.

Pitch shot vs lob shot

A lob shot is essentially an extreme version of a pitch shot. Both shots fly high and stop quickly, but a lob takes it further: more loft, more wrist hinge, an open clubface, and an even higher trajectory. Lobs are typically reserved for the highest-risk situations, such as a short-sided shot over a bunker to a tight pin.

A pitch is the everyday short-game tool. A lob is the specialty version a golfer pulls out when nothing else will land the ball softly enough.

Clubs used for a pitch shot

A pitch shot can be played with any of the wedges in a golfer’s bag. Distance is the main factor in club choice, with the lie and the desired flight height also playing into the decision.

Wedge	Typical loft	Best for
Pitching wedge	44–48°	Longer pitches around 40 to 80 yards
Gap wedge	50–54°	Mid-range pitches around 30 to 50 yards
Sand wedge	54–58°	Shorter pitches with a softer landing
Lob wedge	58–64°	The shortest, highest pitches

Loft ranges are drawn from Wikipedia’s entries on the pitching wedge and the gap wedge. According to Wikipedia, the pitching wedge produces high-trajectory shots that carry between 80 and 130 yards on a full swing, and shorter approach shots when used with an abbreviated swing.

The higher the loft, the higher the ball flies and the quicker it stops. A pitching wedge tends to release more after landing, while a lob wedge produces something close to a parachute landing.

When golfers use a pitch shot

Pitch shots come into play in a few common situations on the course:

The ball needs to clear an obstacle. Bunkers, rough patches, or a slope between the ball and the green call for height that a chip cannot provide.
The green is firm, and a chip would run too far. A higher landing angle holds the green better.
The distance falls in an awkward zone. Anything from about 20 yards out to roughly 70 yards is usually too short for a full swing but too far for a chip.
The lie is poor. Thick rough or a tight lie that prevents clean ball-first contact often pushes a golfer toward a higher, softer shot.

A pitch is also the standard shot on the short-format courses known as pitch and putt, where holes are typically up to 90 metres long.

Related Golf Terms

Pin high — A shot that finishes level with the hole but off to one side.
Pin — Another term for the flagstick marking the hole location.
Pin placement — The daily position of the hole on the green, set by the course superintendent.
Pin position — The specific location of the hole on the putting green on a given day.
PGA championship — One of golf’s four major championships organized by the PGA of America.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far is a typical pitch shot?

Most pitch shots fall between 20 and 50 yards, though they can stretch up to about 100 yards depending on the golfer and the club. There is no fixed yardage that defines a pitch.

Is a pitch shot a full swing?

No. A pitch shot uses a partial swing, often described as a half or three-quarter swing, with wrist hinge on the backswing. It is shorter and more controlled than a full iron swing.

What is the difference between a pitch shot and a chip shot?

A pitch flies high and lands soft with little roll. A chip flies low and rolls most of the way to the hole. Pitches use more wrist action; chips use almost none.

Can a pitch shot be played with any club?

In practice, pitch shots are almost always played with wedges because the high loft is what creates the flight pattern. Lower-lofted clubs cannot produce the same height and spin.

What is pitch and putt?

Pitch and putt is a short-format version of golf where holes are typically up to 90 metres long, and golfers use just two or three clubs. According to Wikipedia, the game was organised in Ireland in the early 20th century and is now played in dozens of countries.

Sources

PGA of America. “The Difference Between a Chip Shot and Pitch Shot.” Featuring Dr. Alison Curdt, PGA Master Professional. Accessed May 2026.
The DIY Golfer. “Golf Shot Types: Pitch Shot.” Accessed May 2026.
Wikipedia. “Pitching Wedge.” Accessed May 2026.
Wikipedia. “Gap Wedge.” Accessed May 2026.
Wikipedia. “Pitch and Putt.” Accessed May 2026.
HackMotion. “Chipping vs Pitching in Golf: Key Differences & When to Use Each Shot.” By Britt Olizarowicz. Accessed May 2026.
GolfTEC Scramble. “Chipping vs. Pitching.” Accessed May 2026.
PGA Tour Superstore. “Golf Wedge Degrees Explained: Loft & Distance.” Accessed May 2026.