Shanking Chips is doing my nut in!

[nokmond]

Hi all, i haven't got a video of my chipping action unfortunately, but could someone tell me the main causes of shanking chips?

I've started and i can't stop doing it now! I'm even shanking chips when i'm coming out of trees sideways!

Any ideas of things to look at? I've got a lesson with my pro booked but its not til next week.

[OnePutt]

Are you following through the ball? I sometimes find myself trying to feel my way around the green, sliding the wedge under the ball and finishing with the club moving horizontally. This almost always ends in shanks.

[Zeph]

Trying to lift the ball by coming under and opening the clubface is my first guess.

Put your weight forward, make a small wrist turn then lock them and turn through with chest and hips, making sure you hit the ball on the way down .

Finish the swing by extending the club out against the target to prevent slowing down and making a bad hit.

[peoplesgolfer]

Stand closer to the ball ,club should be tilted away from body,toe down and heel up,weight forward 60/40 and make puttin stroke. You will never shank chip again. Shanks are caused by an inside to outside stroke with the hosel hitting the ball instead of club face.Keep weight on balls of feet, leaning forward on the downswing is a major cause of shanks

[nokmond]

Are you following through the ball? I sometimes find myself trying to feel my way around the green, sliding the wedge under the ball and finishing with the club moving horizontally. This almost always ends in shanks.

I feel like i'm following the ball thru but i'll have to video it.

Thanks guys, any more suggestions? I'll print them off and work thru them and see if i can nail the cause.

[Trav]

Try slowing down your swing a bit. Your body and hands may be too far in front of your clubhead. Focus on getting the clubhead - but not your hands -to come through quicker.

Once you get the feeling back of synchronization, you can swing a bit faster if necessary.

[PingGKEN]

I'm having trouble visualizing shanking a chip shot. IMO, its basically a putting stroke but using a wedge club. Do you shank putts? Or, are you talking about pitch shots / half swings?

[mtsalmela80]

I shank chips like crazy, so much that I began chipping with 6-7 irons exclusively just because it gives me more clubface to make contact with.

My technique with chipping is all wrong (hopefully lessons will help this) and more often than not I will slide the clubface under the ball, and it will end up going a yard or two instead of where I want it to.

[Herms]

There was a segment to this exact question on the Golf Channel today... the program was "the Golf Fix". I can't find the exact video but it should be on there.

Here is another good vid that is similar:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.a...&select2;=12066

[taylor_made809]

Try standing further away from the ball so there is no way to hit the hosel. Also you may also want to choke down on the club so you better control over the club. Make sure when you address the ball, you have your hands leading the clubface as well. And above all try to take the club straight back and straight down through impact. Hope this helps.

[HSip]

Another thing you can try is to really roll your wrists through the chip. End your follow through with the shaft pointing at the target and the toe of the club pointing straight up. Try to imagine hitting (chipping) a mini snap hook. Sometimes this can stop you from coming into the ball hosel first. Good luck

[nokmond]

Thanks again guys. I've been working on some of the points but its still rearing its ugly head now and again.

Do be honest i'm wondering how the hell i'm shanking a chip myself! I don't shank my putter and yet with the same stroke i'll shank an 8i trying to come 20yards sideways out of the trees!

I've got a lesson booked in for next week so hopefully my pro will spot the problem. Its strange how you can play the game for a couple of years with no problem then something like the shanks pops up out of nowhere!

[Zeph]

Are you really shanking it by hitting it on the hosel or just coming in with a way open clubface? I've experienced both.

[nokmond]

Are you really shanking it by hitting it on the hosel or just coming in with a way open clubface? I've experienced both.

Definately shanking i'm afraid, i've got the marks on my brand new CG14 wedge to prove it!

[Smarf]

I'm confused by the terminology because I've seen chip and pitch used interchangeably in several threads.

I thought a pitch shot was a high lofted shot done with a wedge that doesn't roll much after landing. It's used to get over obstacles like a bunker or water.

A chip is what I think of as a iron shot with a short putter stroke (like 6 inches or so) designed to hop over a foot or two of fringe then land on the putting surface and start rolling.

[cirem22]

http://www.blackmagicwedge.com/

they claim this wedge gets rid of the shank

[mtsalmela80]

Those are interesting, but why not just get one of those chippers that looks like a putter but has a 37 degree (or so) face.

[umpiremark]

Those are interesting, but why not just get one of those chippers that looks like a putter but has a 37 degree (or so) face.

That's called an 8-iron. Why waste the money or one of your 14 clubs in the bag with two identical clubs?

And to the post that said "roll your wrists like a mini-hook" I say, "Never." On any pitch shot near the green, the club face should always be pointing to the sky. IMHO.