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We will first look at the setup, stance, alignment, ball position and weight used for the shot.

You should start with a similar position to the chip shot. The ball is off the back of your feet, your weight is 
a little bit forward, your hands are out in front of the ball and the stance is open to the target at about a 30 degree angle.

The main difference between a chip shot and a pitch shot is motion of the club. While the chip shot has a short horizontal motion, the pitch shot requires the club to move back at a steeper angle. You will also use your wrist in the pitch shot, where the chip shot relies on the pendulum motion of your upper body.

The pitch shot swing is all with the arms without a lot of shoulder or body turn. As you strike the ball, you want to drop the club under the ball. As you follow through, you want to maintain the position as much as possible without turning the club. You should also make sure that you accelerate through the swing.

To control the distance, you should concentrate on how the ball reacts to the steep angles created during the swing. We know that the speed that the club head hits the golf ball controls the distance; therefore, the higher that you take the club back during the swing will affect how far the shot travels.

The ball flight is controlled by the the angle of the club head as it strikes the ball. The more that you open the club face to the ball, the higher it will go.

When you are setup in thicker or wetter rough you may want to use a tighter grip and focus on getting the club head through the ball.

The keys to a pitch shot is to have good control of the club, use a steep angle in the back of the swing, and then hold the position as you finish. You should get a nice high result -- and depending on the distance that you take the club back -- you should be able to place the ball on the green where you aim.