Many pro's carry three wedges in their bag, and have what is called a wedge system to cover anything from 50 - 110 yards.
A lot of players may have started playing pitch and putt before playing golf, but then may neglect pitching or pitching practice when playing golf.
The ability to pitch well, know and control your distances and to do this consistently takes practice. You can potentially take two shots to hole out where you once hit four shots.
It is good idea to have a practice plan in place first in order to achieve the best results. When your next playing take a small notebook with you, for each hole make a quick note of each hole, for example:
Hole 1 - Par 5, drive left, 5 iron short, pitch 100, chip 10, 2 putts.
This can be shortened for example: DL, 5i sht, ptch100, cp 10, 2 pts.
Now at the end of your round how many times did you pitch? How many times did you chip, one, two or even three putt after your pitch shot.
Did you notice any patterns in your pitching distances? Do you pitch from 70 - 80 yards on more than one occasion and if so how many occasions did you play this shot?
Once you have worked out what pitching shots you make you need to work out which wedges you need, a simple wedge system can consist of 48, 54 and 60 wedges. Do you know the lofts of the wedges in your bag and how far you can hit each wedge?
Once you have worked out what pitching shots you play in your typical round, the average length you hit your wedges and the wedges you need in your bag you are ready to start pitching practice with your goals already pre determined.
"I want to hit my 60 wedge consistently 40 yards." Now the acid test is can you do this 10 times without much shot distance variations?
Develop two swing lengths, a full swing and a partial swing. Now two swing lengths x three wedges gives us six distances. If we already know from our course notes what the length of your typical pitch is you simply pick the wedge and the swing to match the distance.
Don't be tempted to change the swing length for distance, shot consistency is what we are looking for. If your in between a shot selection swing harder or softer. Practice rythem and repetition. Don't rely on "feel" alone to pitch.
Know the pitches you play, pick your wedges and stick to two swings (six shots) for lower scores.