It is my firm belief that a forward leaning, downward strike is preferable when pitching to any sort of “using the bounce” technique. Here we look at a pitch over a bunker from a tight lie. With the tight pin it is obvious that extra height is needed to have the ball stop close to the pin. If you asked a group of teaching pros most would advocate a “flop” shot, wherein the clubhead would pass the hands as the club was making contact with the ball, creating more loft and the sense of “scooping” or sliding the club under the ball. The key word there is “under”, and the main difference in the technique I am describing here is that I don’t want to get “under” the ball. Rather, I am still going to try to hit the ball before the ground with the leading edge forward, not using the bounce. To do so I will make a few key adjustments: I will move the ball an inch or so forward in my stance, I will slightly widen my stance, I will move my weight more toward 50/50, I will open the clubface more, and I will open my stance a bit more. All these changes will allow impact to lean forward less with the club more open, giving you a high trajectory even while trying to lean the club forward at impact.
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