#325 The Short Game: Pitch & Roll System

by Henrik Jentsch, Director, Golf Academy 360°, powered by AI Golf Chat

Mastering the short game is essential for scoring. The Pitch & Roll System, developed by Henrik Jentsch, provides golfers with a structured method to make short shots predictable, repeatable, and accurate—consistently leaving the ball within a meter of the hole.

Foundational Principles

The system is built on two key ideas:

• Distance control in putting to avoid three-putts.
• Simple chips or pitches close to the flag, ideally followed by a single putt.

Instead of guessing, the short game is treated like a math problem: identify where the ball lies, define a 1.8 m landing spot onto the green, and select the right club to achieve the calculated roll.

Calibration Methods

Before play, golfers must calibrate for the green speed. Without it, distance control is guesswork. Two drills establish the day’s speed:

1. Core Putt Drill (for putting):

• On a flat surface, hit three identical putts, eyes down on the ball.
• Once the third ball stops, turn your head and compare results.
• The repeated motion plus neck stretch activates the cerebellum, giving the brain a precise sense of that day’s green speed.

2. 5-Meter Pitch & Roll Test (for shots around the green):

• Stand 5 m outside the green and target a landing point about 1.8 m onto the surface.
• With a Pitching Wedge, hit 3–5 low, flat shots.
• Example baseline: PW carries 5 m and rolls out to 10 m.
• This provides the reference roll-distance for every club.

Roll Mapping System

From the 5-meter baseline, rollout increases in 2-meter steps by changing clubs:

• PW = 10 m total
• 9i = 12 m
• 8i = 14 m
• 7i = 16 m
• 6i = 18 m

The swing remains identical—hands forward, body rotation dominant, wrists passive.

If the ball lies farther back (e.g., 11 m behind the green), players move one club up in loft for every extra 2 m to keep the landing point constant. Thus, rollout distances remain consistent regardless of starting position.

Grip, Ball Position & Lie Adjustment

Consistency also comes from standardizing effective club length:

• 6-iron: grip choked down near the shaft end.
• With each more-lofted club, grip moves ½ inch farther back.
• Pitching Wedge: held at full butt length.

This method ensures the same effective length, with loft alone dictating trajectory.

Ball Position:

• Normally played in the center.
• Poor lie → move ball to the inside of the right foot and use one more lofted club.
• Very poor lie → play from the outside of the right foot and club up again.

Because the farther back the ball, the more shaft tilt reduces loft, a 9-iron back in the stance delivers the same effective loft as a 7-iron from center.

Conclusion

The Pitch & Roll System transforms the short game into a precise calculation rather than guesswork. By calibrating daily conditions, mapping rollout per club, and adjusting grip and ball position, golfers create a repeatable process with reliable outcomes.

Ultimately, success comes from one clear mindset:

Decide where to land the ball—always 1.8 m onto the green—then let the pre-calculated system determine which club delivers the correct roll.

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