Shanking wedge

[ellissmith]

I'm a 26 handicap golfer, only play about once a week. Someone at my club recently showed me showed me how to do short pitch shots using the bounce of the club. He opened the club face slightly and positioned the ball slightly forwards. I've tried it but with mixed results. Quite often the ball shanks several at a 45 degree angle to the right. Any suggestions how to avoid this would be much appreciated!
Thanks
Rob

 

[Sats]

@bobmac he'd be able to help

 

[bobmac]

Place the ball in the middle of your stance with your heels close together and your weight 60-40 on your front foot.
No need to open the face or to use the bounce.
Then hit down on the ball slightly taking a small tuft/divot and the ball will rise.

 

[IanM]

But can you limbo under that club shaft?

Actually, that is spot on Bob. No major fiddling about with set up.

 

[Orikoru]

I have had this problem when opening the face of the club as well. Used to kill me in bunkers before I bought the Sure Out. Obviously opening the face exposes the hosel a little bit, but I feel like my problem is subconsciously moving the club in to out on the way through, as that's the sort of path in line with the face if it was square. (I haven't really explained that very well, hopefully someone will pick up what I meant and explain it better!) So I guess the trick is to try ignore the fact you've opened the face, make sure you regrip the club after opening it, and keep the path straight on the way through.

 

[ellissmith]

Thanks very much for the replies. The reason I was wanting to learn to use the bounce was for playing pitches / chips off tight lies. What would you suggest for those types of lies?

 

[Barking_Mad]

Thanks very much for the replies. The reason I was wanting to learn to use the bounce was for playing pitches / chips off tight lies. What would you suggest for those types of lies?

Get a lesson... But since you asked! ?

Bounce isn't really suited to firm, tight lies as it does just that, it bounces up off the surface and leads to thin shots, especially if you aren't delofting the club face to reduce the amount of bounce. Your strike control needs to be very good. It's more suited to softer grassier lies where it glides through the surface.

You can get lower bounce wedges which will help, but I'm no expert as to numbers, so someone else might chime in...

Off tight lies my preference is to use a less lofted club and play it more like a putt, but with a slight descending strike. I use a 7 iron. Not much use for elevated shots though.

If I'm on a tight firm lie and have to go over something then I generally play a wedge with my hands forwards and the face open, with a slight out to in path.

One possible way to practise is not to look at the back of the ball when chipping, but the front of it. In my experience this helps me shift the strike and low point a balls length forward and make me more likely to get a good strike,rather than a fat or thin strike.

Chipping in my view is a lot about feel and having soft hands. Don't grip the club tight or hit at it. Above all practise....

 

[Barking_Mad]

Just to add..

As for sh@nks...as poster above mentioned, I'd agree that if the face is open and your swinging in to out on a chip then you're going to struggle because the hosel will be presented to the ball.

Maybe try opening the clubface, opening your stance, getting your hands forward and taking the club out and away from you and cutting across the ball. Soft wrists and hands are important.

 

[Barking_Mad]

 

[Tashyboy]

Me long game is rammel however me short game is a lot lot better. I play percentage shots focusing on hitting the ball clean.
When I had my chipping lessons it was all about hitting a target short of the pin and the ball running out to the pin.
EG a 7 iron will run further than a 52 degree wedge. When it comes to clubs it is usually a full swing. When it comes to pitching/ chipping it is “ touch”. On my chipping lesson I was taught the closer you are to the hole the more practice swings/ strokes you do.
Me I would deffo have a lesson.

 

[ellissmith]

Me long game is rammel however me short game is a lot lot better. I play percentage shots focusing on hitting the ball clean.
When I had my chipping lessons it was all about hitting a target short of the pin and the ball running out to the pin.
EG a 7 iron will run further than a 52 degree wedge. When it comes to clubs it is usually a full swing. When it comes to pitching/ chipping it is “ touch”. On my chipping lesson I was taught the closer you are to the hole the more practice swings/ strokes you do.
Me I would deffo have a lesson.

 

[ellissmith]

All the different ideas are great food for thought. I've just tried out the Phil Mickelson method and it works really well playing off the front and back foot for different trajectories. I noticed he uses a 60 degree wedge for chipping. Just wondering what clubs other people use?

 

[Deleted member 29109]

All the different ideas are great food for thought. I've just tried out the Phil Mickelson method and it works really well playing off the front and back foot for different trajectories. I noticed he uses a 60 degree wedge for chipping. Just wondering what clubs other people use?

You'd more than likely be better off with a 8 ir 9 iron than a 60*. Most of my chipping is done with a 50* wedge. But I'll go to an 8 iron if I need to run one a decent distance.

People tend to get the ball too far back in their stance with their hands too far forward. Then proceed to hit it fat because the leading edge digs in.

Using the bounce gives you a bit of margin for error. You can hit it a bit fat without duffing it.

This may help.

Also another from Phil that I've found useful, particularly since joining a course with some tight lies around the greens.

 

[Tashyboy]

All the different ideas are great food for thought. I've just tried out the Phil Mickelson method and it works really well playing off the front and back foot for different trajectories. I noticed he uses a 60 degree wedge for chipping. Just wondering what clubs other people use?

In all honesty I would be surprised if people have not used every club in the bag including the driver. Chipping is not just used in and around the green. Eg if your in trees you may have to chip out sideways with a five iron to knock it out.
I played with a guy who is a member at Worksop, he regularly “ chips” out from trees with his driver to keep it down and get distance

 

[Ethan]

I played once with a guy who used a 70-degree wedge, even from 3 feet off the green on a level tightly cut fairway. If I had any mercy in me, I should have taken it off him and thrown it into the lake at the 5th after he had ballsed up 3 of the previous holes with it. It would have stopped him, or at elast make him find a diferent way of, ballsing up another load of holes.

 

[Sats]

All the different ideas are great food for thought. I've just tried out the Phil Mickelson method and it works really well playing off the front and back foot for different trajectories. I noticed he uses a 60 degree wedge for chipping. Just wondering what clubs other people use?

Phil's short game is ridiculous so he's as comfortable with his 60 as we are with a putter. He did a video that's about 10 or so years old - you can easily find it on YT and it's good and I do use his front foot/back foot ball position to great success, I just don't always use my lob wedge like he does though!
I chip with pretty much most of my clubs but it's very situationally based. So my 58* if I need to go high and over or my 7 for that bump and run shot