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Ugh! Shank, I need redemption


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I've been shanking the ball lately and could use some advice. Tried standing further away, tried addressing the ball with a slightly open club face, gripping with a more neutral grip, forced late release or tried lagging...nothing seems to be working 100% of the time. Is there a cure for this?

 

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The difference between a good shot and a shank is only about 1 inch on the club face. I had the same problem earlier in the year, I talked to the club pro, he told me it's from swaying into the shot, and getting to far over the ball, he said to sit on my heels through the swing, really feel like you are sitting down on the heels of your feet, and swing, a full swing, This will keep you from swaying forward, it worked for me. Try it and see if that helps.

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Driver - Ping G430 Max 9° | Ventus Blue TR 
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I was just about to post that same thing. Great minds think alike.

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I have that problem occasionally, as some can attest!  There is more than one reason why it happens, so you have to find out what you are doing.  I have two things that I have to look out for, but I have a single plane swing, so it may be different for you.

  1. On my downswing I have a tendency to straighten up at impact, so I lose my spine tilt and I am now closer to the ball than I was at address.
  2. My other problem is when I am sore or stiff and lose flexibility, my tempo gets screwed up, and on the downswing I come over the top a little, which now puts my right shoulder closer to the ball at impact.  

I have walked off the course when I have done both one and two at the same time.  No point in grooving that swing!!  While I know why I do it, I am not able to "fix it" while playing.  I have drills to do that help, but I have to get off the course.  My problem is that as I get older and older, it happens more and more.  I constantly have to do flexibility exercises.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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I've been shanking the ball lately and could use some advice. Tried standing further away

Try the opposite, stand closer to the ball with the ball at the heel of the club at address.

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I've always found that more often than not your ball position isn't the issue. It's something else entirely. Our biggest issue is our brains. If you "try" to hit the ball you will more than likely do one of these, (sway your body, swing too hard, swing too fast, get armsy, lift you feet, fall back, grip too hard, look up, etc..) the list goes on. A shank is a common result of any one of these. Go back to the basics. Keep your head down and turn the heat down. Are you shanking your chips? What are you doing different? The difference between a full shot and turning it down to about 85-90% is usually just better contact and better ball flight and most of all better distance. Keep you head still and swing the golf club, the ball will get in the way.

 

Take two of these and call me in the morning! Good luck.

 

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Do you work with a pro?

 

Now that I asked that question. When you say shank, I assume you mean far right and quick low shots?

Secondly, where are you making contact on the club?

 

I had a problem with this last summer, and though I had a flight similar to a hosel rocket, or el hosel, or what most people think of when they thing shank. I was actually hitting the ball with the club face, just wide open. My swing fault was that I had no release and was coming through to contact with the face plenty open. The drill that I was given and might help you as well regardless of contact, is start with half swing wedge shots. Do this and look at where you are contacting the face. A half a wedge is a great indicator of what you are doing in your full swing- it will also force you to return to proper mechanics with your lower body and arms. 

 

If you have heard of early extension or losing your tilt like kenny mentioned above your arms drop back and come too much from the inside, and swing really inside out, and you can easily hit some nice hosel rockets that way. 

 

Good luck and update us on whats happening.!

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Great advices from great people. Thank you all and I will surely try them all.

 

 

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WITB:

 

Driver:   :taylormade-small: Sim2 Max w/ Fujikura Motore X F3 shaft

FW Wood:   :cobra-small:  F9 wood 14.5* 

Hybrids:  :taylormade-small: Sim2 Max 3 Hybrid & :nike-small: Vapor Flex 4 hybrid  

Irons:  :srixon-small: Z565 - 7 thru PW & ZU85 - 5 thru 6 with Recoil ZT9 F4 shafts                                            

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: RTX4 52*, 56*, 60* 

Putter:  Scotty Cameron M2 Newport

Ball:  :Snell: Black & :titelist-small: Pro V1

Bag: 2018 MyGolfSpy stand Bag & 2021 Greenside Golf stand bag

 

 

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Great advices from great people. Thank you all and I will surely try them all.

 

 

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Whoa there!  Before you start that, I suggest you video your current swing.  That's your starting point.  You didn't say which clubs are worse (or better at it) than others.  It will happen to me first with wedges, but can creep into the other irons.  Video your swing; you'll hit good shots, maybe bad ones, but you should see the difference between good and bad.  When you find the fix, that's the swing you will keep coming back to compare future swings against.  It doesn't take much to fix it; you just need to recognize the flaw and visually seeing it helps to fix it.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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  • 2 weeks later...

A shank by definition is striking the ball with the hosel. Anything else is not a a shank. I know. I had the shanks bad for over 2 years. I saw 2 PGA teachers, yet still nearly quit golf.

 

You need to understand the cause of a shank: The club shaft (hosel) is closer to the ball at impact than it was at address.

 

There can be many faults that lead to this. But the ultimate solution is to prevent the shaft from getting closer at impact.

 

In my case, my fault was I would lean down towards the ball at impact, especially on a critical swing. So i was losing my spine angle, and getting closer to the ball.

 

1. Now, I think more about "staying tall" thru impact.

2. With wedges, backswing is more around, less straight back

3. Left hip turns backwards behind left hip prior to impact.

4. Left leg and ankle is the pivot point on the downswing.

5. Maintain balance, weight over shoelaces.

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I played a lot of golf over the past two weeks; 9 straight 18 hole rounds and over 800 miles traveled.  I've had the shanks for many years, and they would come and go... popping up unexpectedly at the most inopportune moment.  At the end of this last trip I was tired and they came back with a vengeance.  So, I go to the range to try to figure it out.  I hate the range; it's boring to me.  Yesterday I took the day off, but all I could think about was how to fix it.

 

Then I had an epiphany!  I have been studying and working with my coach on the single plane swing now for 10 years.  For those that don't know what that is, search Youtube for Moe Norman.  Basically, my lead arm (right) is straight, inline with the shaft with a forward lean at address, and in about the same position at impact.  However, if you take a club and do that at address, then drop your hands down so they hang more straight down like traditional golfers with a two-plane swing, the club "becomes longer" and the hosel contacts the ball.  Apparently, I have developed a new swing flaw where I am moving my arms in closer to my body on the downswing which makes the club flatter and extends the club.  It happens most with the short clubs, and I think I started doing it more lately because of the bunker shots that I have been practicing.  I might have to rethink how I play sand shots.

 

So, today I played setting up at address with my hands a little lower (not Ryan Moore low, but just not straight arms).  I didn't come close to shanking, but now I am not technically swinging on one-plane.  At least I know why it's happening now, but my fix is not conforming to the Moe Norman model.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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  • 2 months later...

What FT.WORTH said was spot on.

 

The shank occurs when you lose your spine angle and stand up and get closer to the golf ball. A lot of golfers are able to save the shot by dropping the hands underneath, however if you don't the 'shank' will most likely happen.

 

Practice hitting shots with your butt up against a chair from start to finish in the golf swing. It's a challenge at first but it guarantees you keep your posture and will have more room for your hands to come through on the downswing.

 

If you maintain your posture in the golf swing it's nearly impossible to hit a shank.

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What FT.WORTH said was spot on.

 

The shank occurs when you lose your spine angle and stand up and get closer to the golf ball. A lot of golfers are able to save the shot by dropping the hands underneath, however if you don't the 'shank' will most likely happen.

 

Practice hitting shots with your butt up against a chair from start to finish in the golf swing. It's a challenge at first but it guarantees you keep your posture and will have more room for your hands to come through on the downswing.

 

If you maintain your posture in the golf swing it's nearly impossible to hit a shank.

I do this every day, but it is still possible... believe me!  However, this fixes one of the reasons for shanking.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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Not that it sounds like this is any of your problems, but I have experience the following several times. Note that I almost never S***** on the golf course (except occasionally on pitch shots with the ball below my feet). But I sometimes go to this muni range nearby with varying quality mats. If I get one that is somewhat soft and squishy in its base, sometimes I'll start shanking every shot regardless of what I do. After a few episodes of this (none of which carried to the course), I figured out that I was leaning forward a bit in the downswing because of the lack of a solid base, predisposing a shank (as noted above). Concentrating on staying balanced on my heels fixed it. Even better, making sure I'm using one of the good, solid mats totally eliminates it. Just keep that in mind if your episode (episodes) are on the range.

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  • 4 weeks later...

This is killing me at the moment.  Such a frustrating & demoralising shot that makes me completely non-confident when standing over my Pitching Wedge at the moment, and periodically throughout my other wedges.  Makes me not want to play from shots from 50 - 100m (60-120 yards).

I have a few theories regarding why I have the intermittent sh@#ks:

Weight moving over the ball during the swing. 

Hands moving away from address position, towards the ball (and with out to in swing path, leading with the hosel).

Too much hip turn with these shorter clubs, leading to the swing path moving that inch or so towards the ball. 

Trying to hit the ball too hard, instead of letting the ball get in the way of the swing.

 

Often I put a couple of tees in the ground like goalposts, take my setup and stance, and swing through them repeatedly before putting a ball down. 

However I do feel that the underlying cause is no doubt from body movements. Whether that be posture, weight distribution or hands moving away from the ball - I am determined to cure myself of this!!

 

The thought I have to help alleviate this is keep weight in the heels, back straight, stay connected and try to hit the shot from the toe-ish area of the club.

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