McDowell 80 yard pitch

In this Graeme McDowell master the 80 yard pitch shot lesson, the Northern Irishman explains how to hit tricky distances with two different ball flights

People often don't realise that 60% of a professional golfer's practice time is spent hitting shots from inside 130 yards. That's certainly the case for me and having a short game is massive, especially when you are under pressure.

I grew up playig a lot of links golf. With the ground hard and fast, you need to take bounce off your wedges to find a good strike. Nipping the leading edge in tight behind the ball was something I became comfortable with early on, but travelling around the world I have had to learn how to on different courses, like at Lake nona, where you are playing off Bermuda grass and pitching into the grain. I've started to learn that I need to get the bounce interacting with the turf a little better.

Here I'll show you how to play the 80 yard pitch in two different ways - one with a high flight and one with a lower trajectory.

Read more tips from the Tour

Graeme McDowell Master the 80 yard pitch

I want two ways of hitting this distance: with my 58° wedge I can still spin quite a bit from 80 yards with a chest high swing, which is great for tight or front pins. For a back pin, that 58° shot might spin too much so for that I'll use my 52° wedge.

For the 80-yard back pin, my 52° will do the job, but this is where it becomes a real feel shot. I'm using my eyes to see the distance and to feel the shot. My arm swing probably isn't going to go much past my stomach.

Read Graeme's 100 yard pitch shot lesson

Read Graeme's 120 yard pitch shot lesson

You need to try and keep the rhythm for this shot the same as with all your other pitch shots. This one might take a little more practice, but it is worth getting right to give yourself two ways to hit this yardage.

Neil Tappin
Editor

In July 2023, Neil became just the 9th editor in Golf Monthly's 112-year history. Originally working with the best coaches in the UK to produce instruction content, he has also presented many Golf Monthly videos looking at all areas of the game from Tour player interviews to the rules of golf. 

Throughout his time with the brand he has also covered equipment launches that date back well over a decade. He clearly remembers the launch of the Callaway and Nike square drivers as well as the white TaylorMade driver families, such as the RocketBallz! If you take a look at the Golf Monthly YouTube channel, you'll see his equipment videos dating back over a decade! He has also conducted 'What's In The Bag' interviews with many of the game's best players like Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm. Over the years, Neil has tested a vast array of products in each category and at drastically different price-points. 


Neil is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus Fairway Wood: Titleist TSR2 Hybrid: Titleist TS3 Irons: PING Blueprint S (4&5), PING Blueprint T (6-PW) Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 50˚, 54˚, 60˚ Putter: Odyssey Triple Track Ten Ball: Titleist Pro V1X