Australian and fancy-panted Jason Day first burst onto the pro golf scene in 2010 with his victory in the Byron Nelson, eventually ascending to #1 in the world before he hit 30. At that time and even today (37), he was considered to have one of the best short games on the PGA TOUR. If it wasn’t for a debilitating sour back and the duties of having five cute-as-can-be kiddos with his wife, Ellie, he might still be hanging around that top position in the OWGR. Nonetheless, his short game is still world-class. In the Insta video featured below, he shares his keys to hitting spot-on pitch shots—masterclass stuff.
Here are his key points along with a couple of mine sprinkled in:
- Read the ground while taking practice swings – hard ground/turf will engage the bounce (learn from Vokey), and the ball will travel further; soft ground/turf will dig, and the ball will travel shorter. So keep in mind: your lie and the grass conditions will 100% dictate how long your backswing and through-swing should be.
- Accelerate through the shot – to hit consistent pitches NEVER, ever decelerate through contact with the ball.
- Backswing and through-swing should be similar in length.
- Let your upper board turn through the swing.
- in Jason’s video below, pay close attention to the speed of his backswing and through-swing. They are consistent, like a grandfather clock pendulum.
- PRACTICE. PRACTICE. PRACTICE.
Thanks Jason for being so social on socials!