# Shanks appearing from nowhere



## Jamie23 (May 14, 2016)

Had a horrendous time a few years back shanking the ball and was close to giving up the game due to it. 

Managed to get rid of them and have been playing fine ever since. Was up playing on Thursday night and out of nowhere hit two shanks of the 5th tee

Was up for a game again this morning and all of a sudden I can't hit a ball again, literally can't get the ball of the ground or make any sort of solid contact 

Totally soul destroying stuff.

Anyone been through anything similar and any advice on what to do now?


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## garyinderry (May 14, 2016)

Yeah me last year.   80 in a row at the range. 



Posted a video here, Mr Bob and the coach soon sorted it. 

You are in shank stage 1, despair.  Stage 2 is the mania stage. This is coupled with hysterical laughter after each shot.   this is not a good look at the range. 


Here is my shank, taken in 1 take. Have a giggle and hope it makes you feel a bit better and get it sorted soon.

[video=youtube;3KnUoqqr7kg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KnUoqqr7kg[/video]


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## JohnnyDee (May 14, 2016)

Brother, I feel your pain. Been there and nearly gave up. Trust me so much of it is in the head. Pretty free of them now but still the odd one in there pops up just to remind me.

Soul destroying.

Gary, what was the fix?


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## garyinderry (May 14, 2016)

For me I was shifting way off the ball on the backswing then sliding back into the shot.  

I had spent a couple of months previous to this with a new driver leaning back then throwing myself at the ball trying to hit the back fence. 

Was told to turn, not move off the ball on the backswing. Stay centred so to speak. 

Was back hitting the club face almost instantly.   Huge relief.


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## ArnoldArmChewer (May 14, 2016)

Like you I have always been prone to the J Arthurs, so much so that the last bout prompted me to stop playing for six months after one morning I had shanked about 10 shots in the first two holes, I have never walked out of a comp before but for my sanity and my PP's safety I walked off.  After a six month break I got the urge to play again and my wife had got fed up with me being under her feet at the weekends so I decided to play again, watched a great video which really helped my shanking issues and whilst I am not cured I am a recovering shanker and after reassessing my priorities I now just laugh if one comes out of nowhere.

I hope you find your balance and they become a thing of the past.


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## SatchFan (May 14, 2016)

Had the same disease two years ago. Lasted three long months. Analysed my swing a bit and tried various tips but the one that swung it for me was to play shots with my feet together. Instant relief and only lost about 10 yards in length. I kept practicing like this and even reverted to it on the course if I slipped back into the bad habit. Very rare for me to shank one these days and if anything I hit the ball more towards the toe.


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## ScienceBoy (May 14, 2016)

Had one today out of nowhere, played the next 10 holes including that one in 4 over par round the par 3 course inc 6 straigh pars


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## Billysboots (May 14, 2016)

Best advice I can give is not to take advice regarding a cure from a forum unless a qualified pro has at least seen a video of your swing.

There's more than one cause of a J Arthur, and unless that cause is identified you can't be given the definitive cure.


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## bobmac (May 14, 2016)

Billysboots said:



			Best advice I can give is not to take advice regarding a cure from a forum unless a qualified pro has at least seen a video of your swing.

There's more than one cause of a J Arthur, and unless that cause is identified you can't be given the definitive cure.
		
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I agree


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## kid2 (May 14, 2016)

Billysboots said:



			Best advice I can give is not to take advice regarding a cure from a forum unless a qualified pro has at least seen a video of your swing.

There's more than one cause of a J Arthur, and unless that cause is identified you can't be given the definitive cure.
		
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While I agree with the above to an extent the harsh reality is that the club is moving towards the ball at impact... A few things can cause it and also they can be hit with varying swingpaths as well.. 
The way I got rid of them was to put 10" length of 4x2 just in front of my ball while practicing and hit balls with it there... 
There's numerous drills you can try but this one I found the best..And take it from me.. I suffered through a lot of rounds with them showing up.... if your worried about your clubs use a big sponge instead... 

Also try and make sure all your setup points are sound..


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## Jamie23 (May 14, 2016)

Thanks for all responses. Will give the box drill a go when you place the box just outside the ball giving you no option but to miss it to actually hit the ball

Anyone got any other drills to make sure you hit the toe totally eliminating the heel?


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## HomerJSimpson (May 14, 2016)

Been prone to them over the years. My cause tends to stem invariably from the weight moving forward onto the toes during the swing and so it's usually a case of improving posture for me. Horrid affliction and I hope the OP and anyone else suffering finds a way out of it soon


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## USER1999 (May 14, 2016)

Shanks always come out of the blue,  that's the nature of the beast.

Even my good strikes are frighteningly near the hozel!

Key to me is not lurching at the ball. I still have a few in the bag though. 

Turn and hit, you can't go wrong. 

Or, go see Bob.


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## delc (May 14, 2016)

The two worst things that can happen to you in golf are the yips and the shanks. I've had both!  To avoid the shanks, be careful about your set up, stay in balance, don't rush your swing, stay centred, don't lift your head or take your eye off the ball until you have actually hit it, and above all turn through the shot.


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## Sats (May 14, 2016)

delc said:



			The two worst things that can happen to you in golf are the yips and the shanks. I've had both!  To avoid the shanks, be careful about your set up, stay in balance, don't rush your swing, stay centred, don't lift your head or take your eye off the ball until you have actually hit it, and above all turn through the shot.  

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Could you imagine getting both the yips and the shanks at the same time!


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## Green Bay Hacker (May 14, 2016)

One of my regular playing partners suffers terribly from them. He plays off 11 but if he could cure the shermans he would very quickly drop two or three shots. Every round they hit him on a couple of holes and one is usually quickly followed by another. At the moment he is averaging between four and five a round and it is really getting him down. He went for a lesson last year but they still persist.


Tomorrow he is my 4BBB partner in a club match and I'm just hoping he doesn't pass on his bad habit to me as I already have enough of my own.


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## delc (May 14, 2016)

Sats said:



			Could you imagine getting both the yips and the shanks at the same time!
		
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On my bad days I couldn't break 100 on a par 68 course. Handicap went from 13 to 19 over a four year period!


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## Sats (May 14, 2016)

delc said:



			On my bad days I couldn't break 100 on a par 68 course. Handicap went from 13 to 19 over a four year period!  

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I bet it was hard not to snap your clubs! How did you cure it? Was it just a phase or did you get lessons etc?


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## delc (May 14, 2016)

Sats said:



			I bet it was hard not to snap your clubs! How did you cure it? Was it just a phase or did you get lessons etc?
		
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I cured the putting yips by changing to the claw grip. I still hit the occasional shank, but largely cured by lessons and practice.


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## Green Bay Hacker (May 14, 2016)

And there we have Russell Knox's second tee shot on 17, a big fat Sherman. The third tee shot was no better, ending with a 9.


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (May 15, 2016)

garyinderry said:



			For me I was shifting way off the ball on the backswing then sliding back into the shot.  

I had spent a couple of months previous to this with a new driver leaning back then throwing myself at the ball trying to hit the back fence. 

Was told *to turn, not move off the ball on the backswing. Stay centred so to speak. 
*
Was back hitting the club face almost instantly.   Huge relief.
		
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This is exactly what I am focussing on at the moment. Gets me taking the club away from the ball properly - well at least not s**nkily.  

Hit 60 balls on range on Friday evening with that focus.  Maybe 50 were good - by that I mean were not duck hooked; chugged, or sh**ked.  In fact I only did two of the latter. About 40balls in - completely out of the blue - one after the other.  Love it.  Will have another go today.

And just watched Russell Knox on Sawgrass 17th.  Eeek.  It's the sound...


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## kevster84 (Jul 24, 2016)

Had a great (for me) front nine today and a terrible back nine due to the sudden appearance of shanks! Think I'm swaying rather than roaring around the spine and pushing my hands out rather than keeping them turning through the shot. Will go to the range and video, if anyone would be willing to comment/advise it would be appreciated.


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## Jensen (Jul 24, 2016)

I've been struggling with my game for last 8 weeks or so and the shanks have also crept in within that time. However the last 2 rounds the ball striking has improved ( hope I'm not speaking too soon).
It all stemmed from me trying to get my hands higher in the swing, but this caused various issues from then on.
After referring back to my Golf Bible ( Plane Truth) I've realised that my shoulder turn has been too flat, in particular on the downswing. Rather than turning my shoulders at 45 degrees to my spine, I was lifting up on the downswing meaning the shoulders were coming back on too flat a plane. Result shank.
I'm now focusing on turning the left shoulder down in the backswing, and as important bringing the right shoulder back down on the downswing. The feel is more of a rounded swing where after impact and to the finish I can really feel that I'm leaning to the left. This has stopped the early extension


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## Jensen (Jul 24, 2016)

Sorry meant leaning to the right, as I'm right handed


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## delc (Jul 24, 2016)

Jamie23 said:



			Had a horrendous time a few years back shanking the ball and was close to giving up the game due to it. 

Managed to get rid of them and have been playing fine ever since. Was up playing on Thursday night and out of nowhere hit two shanks of the 5th tee

Was up for a game again this morning and all of a sudden I can't hit a ball again, literally can't get the ball of the ground or make any sort of solid contact 

Totally soul destroying stuff.

Anyone been through anything similar and any advice on what to do now?
		
Click to expand...

Having suffered from a prolonged bout of the shanks myself, you have my absolute sympathy! Over a four year period my handicap went up from 13 to 19, mainly because of them, but I am now back down to 11, so they can be beaten. Main things for me are to stay centred and to turn confidently through the shot. Once you start swinging half-heartedly through the ball trying to avoid the shank you are doomed!


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Jul 25, 2016)

JohnnyDee said:



			Brother, I feel your pain. Been there and nearly gave up. Trust me so much of it is in the head. Pretty free of them now but still the odd one in there pops up just to remind me.

Soul destroying.

Gary, what was the fix?
		
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This was me.  Got it sorted unless in a moment of madness I try something clever with a short iron - then I can get close to doing it - so I try not to try - certainly not when it matters.  For me it was due to very minimal hip turn and as a result I was taking club away 'outside of the line'


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## kevster84 (Jul 25, 2016)

I just watched a video by Herman Williams. Placed a box on the floor to see my club path. I think the garden test showed that sliding (rather than turning) and trying to create lag is causing the shank. Just hit a few chip shots and seems better although won't know till hit a few full irons at the range. If I can clear the hips each time will hopefully solve the problem.


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