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WEDGE PLAY · CARD 11
Let Your Chest Turn Guide the Pitch
Your drill at a glance
The towel pitch body turn drill helps your arms and chest move together for cleaner contact on short pitches.
This drill is from the Golf Practice Made Fun App.
A towel held lightly beneath your upper arms gives you a simple reference for a connected pitching motion. Choose a target about 25 yards away and let your chest turn carry your arms through a small shot. Play nine pitches with the towel, then nine without to see whether you can keep the same feeling.
Watch the towel pitching demonstration
This is the video linked to Wedge Play card 11. Watch the towel placement and the small body turn, then follow the App’s nine-with, nine-without practice round below.
Step 1. Set Up with the Towel
What to do
| Action | What to do |
|---|---|
| Choose the target | Pick a short pitch target about 25 yards away. Use a wedge and a suitable practice area with a clear landing point. |
| Place the towel | Tuck a small towel lightly beneath both armpits, between your upper arms and your chest. Let the ends hang freely. Keep your forearms and hands free to hold the club. |
| Settle into address | Take your comfortable pitching setup with a narrow stance. Keep just enough contact to hold the towel; avoid squeezing your upper arms tightly against your body. |
The towel is a light reference for your upper arms. It should support a small, comfortable motion rather than make the shoulders and elbows feel rigid.
Step 2. Turn Through Nine Small Pitches
What to do
| Action | What to do |
|---|---|
| Make a small backswing | Turn your chest into a short backswing, allowing your arms and club to move with it. Keep the towel lightly in place. |
| Turn through the shot | Let your chest continue turning towards the target as the club swings through. Let your arms travel with the turn rather than stopping the body and flicking the club at the ball. |
| Play nine pitches | Keep the swing small enough to hold the towel comfortably. Reset before each ball and watch the contact. Count one point for a clean strike, then move on to the next shot. |
Your cue: “Light towel. Small swing. Turn through.”
Quick practice checks
| Action | What to do |
|---|---|
| You squeeze the towel tightly | Ease the pressure beneath your upper arms and use a smaller swing. Keep the movement comfortable. |
| Your chest stops at the ball | Rehearse a gentle turn into the short follow-through before the next pitch. |
| The towel drops on every attempt | Check that it sits beneath both armpits, then reduce the swing size. Reset the towel between shots. |
Step 3. Remove the Towel for Nine More
What to do
| Action | What to do |
|---|---|
| Take the towel away | Set the towel aside after the first nine shots. Keep the same wedge, starting point and target. |
| Keep the connected feeling | Play nine more small pitches with your arms moving with your chest. Allow the club to swing freely through the ball. |
| Compare the two sets | Notice whether the same body-turn feeling remains without the towel. Add the clean strikes from both sets for one total out of eighteen. |
Keep the scoring simple
Play nine pitches with the towel and nine without. Judge the strike rather than how close the ball finishes to the target.
| Score | When to award it |
|---|---|
| 1 point | You make a clean strike, rather than catching the ground heavily before the ball or thinning it. |
| 0 points | You do not make a clean strike. |
Record one total out of 18 and one short note about the feeling you want to keep.
George’s Conclusion
The towel gives you a clear way to explore a chest-led pitch. Hold it lightly, keep the shot small and turn through. Then take it away and see whether your arms and chest still feel as though they are working together.
Keep the clean-contact score simple and use your note to choose the next practice focus. For another connected pitching exercise, try the One Arm Wedge Drill.
