Hitting those short shots over sand can be very intimidating to most golfers.  It is easy to get into your head about the consequences of a missed shot and the fear of ending up in the sand. As a result, we tend to chunk the shot or blade it.  

The closer to the green, the more nervous we get.

Some of the common problems are not accelerating into the ball, not committing to the shot and becoming too quick when we get nervous. This is what makes the shot get hit fat, thin, bladed, etc.

What should you do instead?

-Let the club create the speed and stay constant through impact

-Let the loft of the club do all the work

-Commit to hit down on the shot and the loft will bring it up

-If you are taking a divot with this shot, you have come in too steep

-You want to feel like the bounce on the club just bruises the ground