Golf is an incredibly hard sport to master. In fact, nobody has ever perfected our wonderful game.
However, the game comes easier to some than others. Collin Morikawa is one of those people and while the vast majority of us will never be able to match the 28-year-old’s ability, we can all learn from the things that he does extraordinarily well.
The two-time major champion recently offered a golf tip for amateurs regarding the best way to improve their long-range pitching from around 50 yards.
Morikawa has provided plenty of golf tips in the past, including how to drive the ball more consistently.
This time, though, we’re going to delve into his advice regarding how amateurs can improve from 50 yards out.
Collin Morikawa’s tip for amateurs to fix common mistake from 50 yards
While Morikawa is far from the best chipper on the PGA Tour, he is definitely one of the best from the 50-100 yard range.
Morikawa filmed a video for TaylorMade Golf, and shared his main tip for amateur golfers regarding how they can fix their problems from 50 yards out.
He said: “I think for the most part people think about the clock system, about how far do I take it back, how hard do I hit it. I always see amateurs from this distance take way too big of a swing. They think they need to take a practice swing which is a full swing, but in reality it is a very short shot.
“If you think of a 50 yard shot almost as a big pitch shot, but with a little bit more follow through, that is kind of what you want to do.
“I am going to keep the ball fairly in the middle of my stance. And I am going to continue going forward. I am not going to try and hit the ball up, because I have the ball on an upslope, so that is going to make the ball go up already.
“Even though it’s a front pin, being able to hit down on a wedge shot is very important to create spin. Spin is going to be created through speed.“
Collin Morikawa explains ‘feel vs real’ clock system
Morikawa’s advice above is sound, but if amateurs are to put it into play, they will need to work tirelessly on the range to perfect the method.
He has offered another potential method concerning how to tackle 50-yard shots.
The 28-year-old described his way of approaching long-range pitch shots, and how he uses the ‘feel’ clock system.
He said: “I’ve created a feel system, right. So I feel like my hands are here (half swing) when really my hands actually might be right here (three quarter swing), but that’s where my 50 yards is about.“
Amateur golfers may have a ‘feel’ system of their own, but if you’re looking to improve your consistency from 50 yards out, it’s recommended that you stick to more of a robotic approach.
Lower handicap players and professionals can trust their feel much more than mid-high handicappers can.
If you work on Morikawa’s original tip – a pitch shot motion on the back swing before accelerating through – you will become much more consistent from that awkward 50-yard distance.
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