- This is a shot that has no positives! It can break a players heart and make any player lose their confidence. There are many reasons why this shot occurs. The most common reason that I see, is that a player tries to steer their shot.
They commonly push their hands to the target thinking this will help the ball go to the target. Unfortunately, this does not work. If you take this approach, you are leading into the ball with the hosel of the club, which then makes contact with the ball causing the ball to do unimaginable things.
This shot does not discriminate, it can occur with any iron in the bag from a 3 iron to a wedge.
Another reason it can occur, is a poor backswing. The initial move on the way back can also put the club in the wrong position. Too far on the inside can set you up for a poor downswing, which again, makes you lead in with the hosel.
How to prevent this shot from occurring is quite simple. A good backswing and a good rotation on your downswing will cure you of your sh..k shot. You have to make sure you have the club head going towards the target.
Sliding your hips at impact is also another factor to why this can occur. Your hips should rotate as your start your backswing, but it is very common to see that players who hit this shot, slide into the ball and are actually facing where the ball goes. As I keep saying, face the target once you have reached impact. If your hips do not rotate, you will get cramped and this shot can occur.
People may say that the above is all correct when playing a full blooded shot, but what happens when you hit a chip or even a bunker shot. My answer is, the same! Usually with chipping and bunker shots, the player slows down their downswing and then tries to steer their shot, which unfortunately causes this poor shot to occur.
If you are having any problems overcoming this shot, I am more than happy to assist you erase this shot from your game.
On a final note on this shot, the mental game can cause this shot to re-occur. My thought to help you overcome this aspect is, you must take each shot on its own merit. You can not keep thinking of what happened last time. Every shot is a new shot and you need to play each shot as if it is a brand new shot. Do not try to control each shot, you need to trust your swing and allow your swing to flow, rather than try to steer the shot.