Whenever I jump into my new EZ GO golf cart (which really stands out form the crowd with its EZ GO lift kit conversion) and head out onto the course I feel like someone special as heads turn from those people in their sabby looking old club golf carts. However, this feeling soon evaporates when I start playing and people see the very poor quality of my pitch shot.

The pitch shot is a very good example of the balance demanded in golf as not only a physical but also a mental sport and each pitch shot you make needs to be carefully planned. Before you even start to address your ball you have to look at the ground you are playing over and take note of the conditions in order to decide precisely how you are going to to make your shot.

When deciding upon your plan you will have to ask yourself 5 simple questions:

1. What is the target? In many cases the answer will clearly be the hole, but if the cup has been placed in a difficult location, such as tucked in behind a bunker or cut close to the side of the putting green, you might well decide not to aim for the hole but to have your ball land close to the hole leaving you with a reasonably easy shot to putt out.

2. How flat is the green? While many greens are fairly flat a lot are also far from flat and may have a significant fall from one side to the other or from front to back. The green might also be tiered so that the flag is placed on one of several 'steps' in the green. A slope on the putting surface is obviously going to affect your shot because you do not want your ball to land near the hole and then rolling down the slope away from the cup and perhaps even right off the putting green.

3. How far must the ball fly before it lands? Whether you are aiming straight for the cup or trying to get your ball onto the front of the green and roll it on up to the hole it is critical to know precisely how far you require the ball to fly through the air as this will directly affect you choice of club.

4. Will the wind affect my shot? When you are going to play in windy conditions then you will have to gauge the effect that the wind is going to have on your shot. For instance, you might want to to think about changing your choice in club to accommodate the wind and to keep the flight of your ball as low as possible. Alternatively, you may decide to use the wind to your advantage and aim off, allowing the wind to carry your ball back onto the target line.

5. How fast is the putting surface? The state of the green is extremely important and you need to evaluate this against the holes which you have already played or the conditions on the practice ground. Is the green, for example, dry and hard in which case the ball is going to bounce and may run quite a considerable distance, or is the putting green wet and soft in which case the ball might well stop dead where it lands.

By considering each of these 5 questions carefully you will find that you can select your target, select your club and make your shot with a clear picture of precisely the line you must follow in order to achieve the result you want.