Shank Around the Green
The ball squirts sharply right off the hosel on a chip or short pitch shot.
Why it happens
A shank around the green happens when the ball contacts the hosel instead of the clubface, made more likely by the narrower, more upright stance that chipping requires, which leaves less room for error in how close the club sits to your body.
Possible causes in your swing, and how to fix each one
Tap any cause to see its fix. Work through them one at a time, usually one or two are the real culprit.
01
Standing too close to the ball
At setup, standing too close to the ball brings the hosel into play instead of the face.
Recheck your setup distance so your arms hang naturally. On the range, place a spare ball or headcover just outside your ball and practice swinging without hitting it.
02
Weight or hands drifting toward the ball
A lateral sway toward the ball during the swing has the same effect as standing too close.
Keep the lower body still and rehearse the stroke in front of a mirror or against an alignment rod to check for drift.
03
Overactive hands pushing the toe outward
Excess tension in the grip restricts your wrists from releasing naturally, pushing your hands (and the hosel) away from your body through impact instead of the face meeting the ball.
Recommended video
Chipping: Your 90-second Shank Fix | Fix Finder #85
Golf.com
How do you compare to the pros?
Scrambling (up-and-down rate after missing the green)
A Shank Around the Green is exactly the kind of miss that turns a routine up-and-down into a bogey or worse.
Sources: PGA Tour scrambling stats, 2022-23 season (about 59%); amateur short-game data aggregates, mid-handicap band (about 38 to 40%).
When to stop self-diagnosing
If you've genuinely worked through two or three of these causes over several range sessions and the miss keeps showing up, that's not a failure since it usually means the real cause is something you can't feel or see in your own swing. A single 30-minute lesson with a certified instructor, who can watch you hit balls, will find it faster than any website. Bring this page along and tell them what you've already ruled out; it'll save you both time.