Problems with chipping please help

[dant]

My chipping game has always been something I could fall back on when everything else was going a little bad. But for the last 3 rounds all I am doing is shanking it to the right. I am not hitting it on the hosel but it seems on the toe and it squirts out to the right. I don't know if it is my grip or the way I am taking the club back. But it is drivng me crazy.
Thanks
Dant

[rogue]

Re: Problems with chipping please help

My chipping game has always been something I could fall back on when everything else was going a little bad. But for the last 3 rounds all I am doing is shanking it to the right. I am not hitting it on the hosel but it seems on the toe and it squirts out to the right. I don't know if it is my grip or the way I am taking the club back. But it is drivng me crazy.
Thanks
Dant

i feel for ya. The answer is probably infuriatingly simple - too simple to seem logical.

the reason why you are shanking/toeing could be anything. Maybe you are standing too close/too far away, maybe your hands are moving further away/closer to you through the swing, maybe your balance is off or it could be a combination of any of these. Most likely you have a case of the old 'mental yips' i.e. think it - do it, there is a more scientific explanation for this but i would fill a dissertation.

The answer if it is technical is do this drill.

• set two balls up wide enough apart that you can fit a clubhead between them with about half an inch leeway either side. imagine this is a gate that you are going to swing your clubhead through (you can make it easier or harder by making the gate smaller)
• place a third ball in between the gate in a place that you would hit the centre of the face if your clubhead were to successfully swing through the gate (this is usually a bit further to the outside ball tahn centre, as the hosel sticks out of the club)
• practice - keep doing it until you can get your club to go through the gate, you dont even need the middle ball in theory, you could just practice your clubhead control. it will give you instant feedback on whether the club is going too far aaway or too close to you through the swing. your subconscious will dothe rest of the work for you with regards your technique.

my last peice of advice is for the mental side. if you find you can do it in practice ok, but you are a bag of nerves on the course then the answer is not technical. do the following

• go through your routine as normal, practice swings, visualisaion etc
• just before you swing take a deep breath in
• now swing and exhale at the same time - focus purely on the smoothness of your breathing out, this will feel strange at first as you will not be thinkng about your swing, but THAT IS THE POINT.
• your subconscuios will take over the act of hitting the ball for you, just as it does when you drive or touch type. If you committ to this for a few rounds not only will you have some great rounds, but you effectively train yourself to quieten your conscious mind, a prerequisite for GREAT GOLF.

any more questions on the above and i would be happy to help

[dagoos]

Re: Problems with chipping please help

Ball at nose, hands at left pocket. use a body pivot to gauge distance, and above all ,,,,,hold your finish. shots like this are simple so keep things simple

[SwingLikeHogan]

Re: Problems with chipping please help

i feel for ya. The answer is probably infuriatingly simple - too simple to seem logical.

the reason why you are shanking/toeing could be anything. Maybe you are standing too close/too far away, maybe your hands are moving further away/closer to you through the swing, maybe your balance is off or it could be a combination of any of these. Most likely you have a case of the old 'mental yips' i.e. think it - do it, there is a more scientific explanation for this but i would fill a dissertation.

The answer if it is technical is do this drill.

• set two balls up wide enough apart that you can fit a clubhead between them with about half an inch leeway either side. imagine this is a gate that you are going to swing your clubhead through (you can make it easier or harder by making the gate smaller)
• place a third ball in between the gate in a place that you would hit the centre of the face if your clubhead were to successfully swing through the gate (this is usually a bit further to the outside ball tahn centre, as the hosel sticks out of the club)
• practice - keep doing it until you can get your club to go through the gate, you dont even need the middle ball in theory, you could just practice your clubhead control. it will give you instant feedback on whether the club is going too far aaway or too close to you through the swing. your subconscious will dothe rest of the work for you with regards your technique.

my last peice of advice is for the mental side. if you find you can do it in practice ok, but you are a bag of nerves on the course then the answer is not technical. do the following

• go through your routine as normal, practice swings, visualisaion etc
• just before you swing take a deep breath in
• now swing and exhale at the same time - focus purely on the smoothness of your breathing out, this will feel strange at first as you will not be thinkng about your swing, but THAT IS THE POINT.
• your subconscuios will take over the act of hitting the ball for you, just as it does when you drive or touch type. If you committ to this for a few rounds not only will you have some great rounds, but you effectively train yourself to quieten your conscious mind, a prerequisite for GREAT GOLF.

any more questions on the above and i would be happy to help

Great post.

This is my problem as well. Out of the blue my chips ,that have been going straight all through the round, will fly off at 45 degrees and usually end up in a bunker or jammed up against a tree.

I am looking forward to putting your ideas into practice.

[davieboy1872]

Re: Problems with chipping please help

i have dealt with this for the last two weeks.

figured it out tonight and i am going to say two words, in scottish, that you need to embed in your brain

EBBIES IN!

this translates to keep your elbows tucked into your sides throughout the pitch or chip swing and rotate as normal.

dont forget you must accelarate through the shot, slow back swing to control your distance and zip through it

hope this helps and my heart goes out to anyone suffering from the S word. i have literally had to hold back tears watching ball after ball disappear off at 45 degrees

[AussieGolfBoy]

not really a drill or anything... more of a mental thought for you to help try and get you back on track.

but i always approached chipping like putting. the only difference is the club face is lofted to get you over what you intent to hit over. the power is the same.

not sure if this will help ya. but hope it does.