Getting to know the pitcher

GulfWeekly Editor Stan Szecowka and his wife Kathryn have signed up for a six-week beginners' course because they want to play together ... Lesson Four (pitch and run for your life)

Having sampled the fun of putting - or at least getting the ball as near to the hole as possible - our next class aimed at helping us reach the green in the first place.

We were introduced to the pitcher and it's a golf club I am sure I will become very well acquainted to for the rest of my golf playing years.

You see, the pitcher is a player's best friend if you've failed to reach the green and end up in the uncut part of the course a slice away from the place you really want to end up at.

Swing it too hard and you'll end up missing the green completely but manoeuvre it with a putting-style stroke and out the ball will float sweetly into the air and roll casually towards its target.

The pitcher needs to be dealt with like a good looking lady on a first date. Easy does it, handle with care and don't get too excited.

And, if you get the timing right, boy does it feel good!

In days gone by, pitch and putting courses were all the rage and you might still spot the occasional one at a seaside resort back in the UK.

According to top coach and golfing columnist Chris Kelby too many players fail to practice enough in this area of the game and as a result open up the chance for newcomers to compete on the course.

Kathryn and I will be taking our children with us again on Friday (Imogen, nine, and Stan, five, have already started lessons at school!) for another practice session at Bahrain Golf Club so that we can put some of our new-found skills to the test.

Although we've only had four lessons so far, I feel like we've taken giant strides forward.

Pitch and run baby, pitch and run ...