Golf Pitching: 8 Iron

Video Transcript

"Okay, here we are right near the green but we've got a big sand trap in our way. So I'm about forty five to fifty yards from the edge of the green, but it's a large green so I'm going to, I'm going to use my eight iron here because it's going to keep the ball relatively low because I'm going to, I'm going to aim for the back of the green. And let's imagine there's a little bit of wind, so that's another reason you want to keep the ball low. So I'm just going to line up to my target, which is the pin way at the back, and I'm going to have a relatively close stance, and I'm going to bend the knees, and I'm going to choke down a little bit because I want maximum control. I don't want, I don't need to hit the ball big or hard. Okay, and that wasn't a good shot. So I'm exactly where I don't want to be. So that's why even us coaches need a lot of practice on these shots. So we're going to try that again. And that puts it way back where I want it. So the beauty of the shot of using this eight iron, even though there's sand and other obstacles in our way, if it's a lower shot generally it's a less risky shot because it's an easy, there's less loft, so it's easier to hit. One of the reasons I wouldn't want to use an eight iron for a shot close to the lip of that sand trap, is I don't get enough loft to get over it. So this is a great club to use whether it's windy, if it's windy or you've got a deep green that you have some green to work with. So use all these clubs and select wisely which one to use under the right circumstance."