Chunking pitch shots

[Kevlar10]

I started the year off badly, my whole game was failing me. I have fixed my long game, I think, but now the strongest part of my game in the past, chipping and pitching has fallen apart. I’m even putting lights out, but from 80 yards in, I’m suffering from the “chunks”. I’m down the fairway clean off the tee but my last two rounds, it takes two or three shots to get on the green. I try to adjust and I hit my shots thin or skull it. These are never full swings and that maybe my problem. Any suggestions on how to maintain my swing when taking 1/2 or 3/4 swings?

[ratdg1]

Have you checked ball position? I'd start there.

[Swisstrader98]

A chunk, especially w wedges from 100 and under is usually the result of a decel. You must “strike the match”, meaning pitbsome speed into those shorter shots.

[Other Barry]

what has worked for me is I pick a spot just passed the ball and focus on hitting that spot with my wedge. Focus on using your "big" muscles and "close the gate" with rotation. This has turned my weakness into a strength. Hope it helps you.

 

Jon

[cardoustie]

I have two thoughts that work for me

Rotate thru the shot

Wider and shallower

[hacker49]

My suggestion is what my instructor had me work on for specifically chip shots but works well for pitch shots as well. Put the ball slightly farther back in your stance and shorten your backswing. With a shorter backswing it will force you to accelerate through the ball. When I don't accelerate and rotate through the ball I tend to hit it fat. Also less wrist hinge and hitting shallower seems to work for me... when I do it.

[SixtySomePing]

These two vids might be helpful:

[Kevlar10]

> @"Other Barry" said:

> what has worked for me is I pick a spot just passed the ball and focus on hitting that spot with my wedge. Focus on using your "big" muscles and "close the gate" with rotation. This has turned my weakness into a strength. Hope it helps you.

>

> Jon

I have been trying the focus on a spot in front of the ball, except the big muscle part. I guess that’s next

 

[Kevlar10]

> @cardoustie said:

> I have two thoughts that work for me

> Rotate thru the shot

> Wider and shallower

Shallower, yes, thanks

 

[Kevlar10]

> @hacker49 said:

> My suggestion is what my instructor had me work on for specifically chip shots but works well for pitch shots as well. Put the ball slightly farther back in your stance and shorten your backswing. With a shorter backswing it will force you to accelerate through the ball. When I don't accelerate and rotate through the ball I tend to hit it fat. Also less wrist hinge and hitting shallower seems to work for me... when I do it.

 

Thank you, shorter back swing and accelerate through the shot.

[Kevlar10]

All great suggestions. I think I lost some of the basics when I was focusing on fixing my full shots.

1. Ball back in the stance, which I have been doing

2. Shorter backswing, which I stopped doing

3. Shallower swing, which I’ve been trying

4. Accelerate through the shot and follow through; counterintuitive but that’s where most golfers fail

5. Focus on the large muscles during the swing; wristy swings are always bad swings

Now all I have to do is remember these

[Joelsim]

I have a slightly open stance when I pitch, as per a chip, stand closer to the ball and sweep using the torso, no wrist action.

I also use my 54* SW or my UW, nothing more lofted unless absolutely necessary.

Seems to work well.

[hacker49]

> @Kevlar10 said:

> 4. Accelerate through the shot and follow through; counterintuitive but that’s where most golfers fail

> 5. Focus on the large muscles during the swing; wristy swings are always bad swings

These are the two that really made a difference for me. If you eliminate the wrists that naturally flattens out your swing so that takes care of two problems by fixing one. If I swing big and stop I chunk it. If I flip I either chunk or skull it. I saw one instruction video suggesting using a putting motion for chipping and when I do that it works, for me. I try to have that same thought when pitching to help eliminate the wrists and it seems to have helped, when I do it.

 

 

[Zitlow]

The club head should lead your right side into the ball.

[GungHoGolf]

Nobody has mentioned stance width - keeping your feet closer together helps eliminate sway and slide, and makes your low point more consistent.

[Jackal66]

I was hitting fat shots.

It came out of nowhere .

I started hovering the wedge slightly behind the ball, and now rarely ever hit one fat.

All the above advice is true. Check for other flaws.

[JAMH03]

#This isn't a good pitch shot it's nearly divine.

 

 

[A.Princey]

Hold the grip more lightly, forearm tension and other issues can cause mis-strikes.

[BiggErn]

Weight on lead foot.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

> @hacker49 said:

> My suggestion is what my instructor had me work on for specifically chip shots but works well for pitch shots as well. Put the ball slightly farther back in your stance and shorten your backswing. With a shorter backswing it will force you to accelerate through the ball. When I don't accelerate and rotate through the ball I tend to hit it fat. Also less wrist hinge and hitting shallower seems to work for me... when I do it.

 

My wedge play has always been inconsistent, with my "miss" being a chunk (at least I'm consistently chunking it).

I read your post and tried the shorter backswing...and the results were amazing! By taking a much shorter backswing, I'm forced to accelerate more, and I do that by turning through the ball. Better contact, and better accuracy.

As other posters have said, rotating through the ball is important, but for me, the first step to rotating through the ball was shortening the backswing.

Interestingly, it is working for my full shots as well. So, thanks!

[A.Princey]

I think weight forward and ball back some is really good advice too. I think part of the problem is the fact that we tend to lose lower body rhythm and/or motion at all and we get arms and hands too much into the shot, especially when we take smaller swings. In partial shots, we know we've got to get the hands moving to move the club, but the swing is so small it's hard to trick the lower body into moving as much or more compared to a full swing. Lower body rotation is what shallows out the clubhead, where all upper body motion can get you too steep and on your back foot = chunk.

 

The thing that has really made me more consistent all around lately is the towel under each armpit drill, but applied to the course. In takeaway, maintain that elbow connection with the midsection to ensure a torso-rotation takeaway and keep that connection through impact, keeping the handle in. Disconnect of the arms from lower body rotation and lack of proper weight transfer is my partial shot nemesis, and this thought process seems to help a lot. "Keep the elbows in and rotate lower body for speed."

[Zitlow]

Weight forward, free up your right foot so it can release. Put some energy in the club head and let it pull your right side starting with your right foot and knee. Your right side starting from the ground up will follow the club head into the ball.

 

Float to the finish by allowing the momentum in the club head to do the work.

 

[Tim Schoch]

Chips. Don't dip back shoulder down on downswing. Think "level" for the shoulders. Feet 4 inches apart. Ball center, pick a spot 2 inches in front of ball and get your hands there before the clubhead. Read Stan Utley. Also, read Stan Utley.

[Shipwreck]

I’d personally be careful about playing the ball back in your stance for chips and pitches. Ball back promotes a steep AOA which, if not hit perfectly, can lead to chunks.

[wkuo3]

Just put more weight forward, 60% or whatever you feel good in the forward side without tipping over.

[MonteScheinblum]

Would have to see it to know why, but long backswing and/or excess lower body action is usually the culprit in this scenario.

[Golfah]

FWIW - speaking as a non-instructor but incessant golf experimenter: I recently explored why I was struggling with my chipping and pitching while having good success with my irons. Here is what I finally worked out myself and after the fact heard the explanation from an instructor I trust: I realized that I needed to add a touch more forearm rotation (during takeaway) on my chips and pitches vs. a full iron swing. Because my body is quieter on a short pitch, the club needs more arm rotation action than on a full swing. I think this is evident in that Tom Kite video posted above. On full irons, the active body coil/rotation does the majority of the work in rotating the club into position. I was letting my more quiet arms on takeaway from my long game bleed into my short game.