Wreaking havoc with a simple pitch shot is total frustration to any player. It can even make you lose your cool. Or worse yet, watching in utter disbelief as the ball flies sideways – turning into the dreaded shank! To help you with the problems playing effective pitch shots, check out these two potential problems.
The Club Face Is Aimed Toward the Left or the Right
This is a very common mistake, which in its simplest form can result in pushed or pulled shots, and in its most exaggerated form can result in the bad boy shank. The best advice here is to select your target and take aim with the club first. As long as you are not in a hazard or bunker, ground the club behind the ball and let the top of the shaft lean against your forward control hand, directed towards your intended target, while you aim the rest of your body in parallel. More often than not, problems with shot direction stem from the set up.
You May Be Overlooking Ball Position
If you are the type of golfer that tends to play the ball too far back in your stance, the odds are likely that you’re hitting the ground with the club first before striking the ball. By playing the ball that far back, you’ll need to swing flatter in order to trap the ball early in the swing. If you play the ball too far forward then you’ll catch the ball thin, sending it out low like it’s running from the police.
So, whenever you get a case of the fat shots or the thin shots, the very first thing you need to do is check the position of the ball in relation to your body, follow the advice laid out in this article, and watch your shots improve next time out on the golf course.
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