What Justin Thomas says amateurs ‘instinctively’ do when playing pitch shots which is a big mistake

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Amateur golfers often struggle to find clarity when playing 50 to 35-yard pitch shots onto the green.

A pitch doesn’t entirely fall into the chipping family, and it’s certainly not part of the long game, either. As a result, amateurs are often left confused when faced with the yardage.

Should I play a full shot? How do I control the spin? Will I chunk the ball? These are some of the questions which emerge for higher-handicap players.

Here, two-time major winner Justin Thomas has explained where some amateur golfers are going wrong when playing a shot from around 35 yards.

Justin Thomas’ pitching advice

In a video with Titleist last year, Thomas explained how amateur golfers often try to force the ball up in the air rather than letting the club act as it was designed.

‘There’s definitely two ways to look at this,” Thomas said.

“Obviously, I am treating this shot a little bit differently than your regular amateur. I think when amateurs see a bunker or like this they need to go over and something where it needs to be high and soft.

“They instinctively go like this and try to scoop it, and that’s not what generates backspin or really anything good. The more you hit down on it, the more you generate backspin.”

Thomas has previously offered long-game advice for amateur players looking to add yardage off the tee.

• READ MORE: What Jack Nicklaus said amateur players need to do in their set-up to make golf ‘as simple as possible’

PGA Tour up-and-down statistics

Unsurprisingly, PGA Tour professionals are dialled inside 30 yards. In 2025, the Tour average scramble rate from 20-30 yards is 57%.

Ludvig Aberg has a 100% success rate, as does Daniel Berger, who has got up-and-down four times from the distance already in 2024.

For amateurs, getting down in three from 30 yards represents a reasonable effort. Most are just looking to avoid a double bogey rather than make par.

Clearly, for those in the professional scene, looking to hole their chip rather than worrying about bogey or double bogey is the mentality. Think small; miss small. It’s a mindset many golfers could utilise.