# I need help... real issues with the shanks



## Lump (Nov 8, 2012)

For the best part of this season I have really really struggled with the shanks. I have always hit very close to the hosel but this season it's been a nightmare. 
I honestly don't think I've got a shonky swing but I have a real issues keeping my hands close to my body on the downswing. What do the experts think? 
Please be a cruel as possible, I've got a lesson on saturday and I'd like to be prepared for what he may have me doing.

Down the line:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_v36ab-_bQ  (This shot is the reaction to my shank, a big pull draw/hook)

Face on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nxr24I76UOA  (I actually hit a shank in this video)

My shanks still get good height and distance but go wwwaaaayyyy right.


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## macca64 (Nov 8, 2012)

when i was shanking thru having lessons,it was me coming over the top,he said when i did it i was'nt hitting it from the inside,don't know if this helps. Face on ,wish i could see it in slow ,not sure if your hands were turnig over,


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## CMAC (Nov 8, 2012)

http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/showthread.php?47347-Where-does-the-shank-come-from


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## JustOne (Nov 8, 2012)

Lump said:



			This shot is the reaction to my shank, a big pull draw/hook
		
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What is it you 'feel' you are doing differently to hit that shot?


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## Lump (Nov 8, 2012)

JustOne said:



			What is it you 'feel' you are doing differently to hit that shot?
		
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I can hit the high fade without a huge fear of shanking. I think the pull hook comes from subconsciously knowing thats my bail out shot. I feel like I'm leaving the club face well open to achieve the "safe" high fade.


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## Dodger (Nov 8, 2012)

Look just follow this and you'll be cured in seconds.

Address the ball with your club past the ball so the back of the hosel is on the far side of your ball as you look at it at address and simply swing away.

You will not shank,keep working on it by doing this and you'll soon be able to go back to addressing the ball normally instead of looking like a knob.:smirk:


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## SocketRocket (Nov 8, 2012)

Your golf swing looks very good.  The only small issue I can see is a bit of early extension that pushes your right hip forward in the downswing and this will tend to get the club further away from you creating a Sherman.  keeping your tooch line in contact with an imaginary wall behind you may help but I would suggest a drill when at the range.   Place the ball an inch inside the rubber tee in the mat and hit the ball without touching the tee.   Placing one of those green ball baskets a foot behind and a few inches inside the ball line will also help you to swing from the inside.


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## JustOne (Nov 8, 2012)

If I didn't know better I'd say they were 2 different golfers in the same clothes  

..and really I should walk away from this post...  still, here we go....

The DTL strike is a beauty - is that an 8-iron? - a little low inside with the clubhead on the takeaway, good shoulder turn, head stays pretty still, looks like you come into the ball pretty straight but the clubface a touch closed hence the ball starts a little left. Not the best takeaway action, but not the worst.

The guy who shanked it looks like he's lucky to hit the ball at all.... 

Looks like his shoulders are closed (aiming right), the right shoulder is very low and subsequently the shoulders turn quite flat (throwing the club out more?). His weight seems to be very much on the right side, even his eyes appear to be looking behind the ball. The ball looks just forward of center yet his hands are centered, both feet are very square and almost looks a little 'knock knee'd.

Then the head moves around ....quite a bit [click picture to enlarge or right click and 'open in new window']




At impact you can see 2 white posts over his right shoulder and *an entire brown wall*, his head has moved forward by 4 inches, and DOWN by 4 inches  .....hard to hit a ball consistently when you do that. I'd even (possibly) say that if you compress that much then you HAVE TO swing out more else you'll dig the club into the ground. I'd certainly say it would be harder to control the club head precisely especially as you say you're already prone to hitting out of the  heel of the club.

Personally I'd focus on the shoulder turn, if your swinging too flat then the club will swing away (out) from you. 

I'd probably try putting a head cover under your right armpit and keeping it there for the entire swing, or under the left.... or both!! You look very lose and there's a lot of movement in that 'shank' swing.


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## bobmac (Nov 9, 2012)

I see this




Look at  the difference between your left hand and Luke's....yours has rolled which drags the club way back inside.
Luke's left hand is still almost pointing down towards the ball meaning the club goes back much more square with the clubface parallel to his upper body, following his right forearm line.
Try to swing back a bit straighter, keeping the toe of the club down, maintaining the angle Luke has with the yellow line.


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## Foxholer (Nov 9, 2012)

On your shank swing, you stepped forward after the swing. Was that just a reaction to the strike or was it because of a balance issue. Falling forward, onto the toes, on the downswing can certainly generate shanks!

BTW. I suggest you worry less about the 'arms close to the body' - unless that is a symptom of a fault. Bob's example - Luke - actually does a pretty good job  of swinging with his hands quite a long way away from his body!


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## Twire (Nov 9, 2012)

Dodger said:



			Look just follow this and you'll be cured in seconds.

Address the ball with your club past the ball so the back of the hosel is on the far side of your ball as you look at it at address and simply swing away.

You will not shank,keep working on it by doing this and you'll soon be able to go back to addressing the ball normally instead of looking like a knob.:smirk:
		
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^^^^ This will cure them ^^^^

Out on the course I address the ball with the heel of my club (irons only). At the driving range a drill if your brave enough is to put 2 balls down, one about 3 inches outside the other, address the outside ball and then hit the inside one.


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## Dodger (Nov 9, 2012)

Cut the pish and do it the Dodger way.

It will cure you.


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## Lump (Nov 11, 2012)

Dodger said:



			Cut the pish and do it the Dodger way.

It will cure you.
		
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Do you still address the same distance away but stretch the arms or stand closer to adjust for the few inch difference??


I thought bobs tip had sorted me today, I went 17 holes without a shank until I had to nail a wedge to keep a team match going....ended up full on shanking it into the tree's.
Couldn't have the lesson, will have to wait till next weekend.


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## Kellfire (Nov 11, 2012)

I have a very simple drill which focuses what I'm doing so I avoid the dreaded shank.

Set up with your ball sitting just inside one of the plastic tees, just enough that a middled iron strike won't strike the tee. 

It gives me the feeling of staying compact and swinging around myself rather than letting my arms drift out and cause a shank.


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## Lump (Nov 11, 2012)

Kellfire said:



			I have a very simple drill which focuses what I'm doing so I avoid the dreaded shank.

Set up with your ball sitting just inside one of the plastic tees, just enough that a middled iron strike won't strike the tee. 

It gives me the feeling of staying compact and swinging around myself rather than letting my arms drift out and cause a shank.
		
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My problem is I don't feel where my shank comes from and the rounds (or should I say holes) that I don't shank on I hit the ball where I want.
Example being today, after the shank on the 17th. I smashed my drive on the 18th leaving a 135yrd shot to the green. I had to birdie the hole to draw the team comp and win the side bet. With all the guys watching at the side of the 18th and the 3 guys on the fairway I nailed an iron to 2ft. WTF, I had a 75yrd pitch the hole before and gave it the full hosel treatment, yet a pressure 8 iron to a tight front pin gets dispatched as if it was nothing. Thats what annoys me, its not a consistent issue but enough to unnerve me.


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## Dodger (Nov 11, 2012)

Lump said:



			Do you still address the same distance away but stretch the arms or stand closer to adjust for the few inch difference??


I thought bobs tip had sorted me today, I went 17 holes without a shank until I had to nail a wedge to keep a team match going....ended up full on shanking it into the tree's.
Couldn't have the lesson, will have to wait till next weekend.
		
Click to expand...

adjust distance.

Try it,money back guarantee.


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## Kellfire (Nov 12, 2012)

Lump said:



			My problem is I don't feel where my shank comes from and the rounds (or should I say holes) that I don't shank on I hit the ball where I want.
Example being today, after the shank on the 17th. I smashed my drive on the 18th leaving a 135yrd shot to the green. I had to birdie the hole to draw the team comp and win the side bet. With all the guys watching at the side of the 18th and the 3 guys on the fairway I nailed an iron to 2ft. WTF, I had a 75yrd pitch the hole before and gave it the full hosel treatment, yet a pressure 8 iron to a tight front pin gets dispatched as if it was nothing. Thats what annoys me, its not a consistent issue but enough to unnerve me.
		
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To my untrained mind that would suggest that you're always quite close to the hosel so the good shots come off that hot spot on the face very nicely, but a fraction out and you're in shank territory. That's exactly what I was doing. 

My pro put tape on my irons and told me to address out the middle and strike with the toe. Even when actively trying to do that, it was middle or towards the heel. It really showed me how much I was losing the club away from my body. Try that, see where you're really hitting the ball from.


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## SocketRocket (Nov 12, 2012)

Kellfire said:



			To my untrained mind that would suggest that you're always quite close to the hosel so the good shots come off that hot spot on the face very nicely, but a fraction out and you're in shank territory. That's exactly what I was doing. 

My pro put tape on my irons and told me to address out the middle and strike with the toe. Even when actively trying to do that, it was middle or towards the heel. It really showed me how much I was losing the club away from my body. Try that, see where you're really hitting the ball from.
		
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Trying to hit out of the toe is a good swing thought for a Shermanite


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## CMAC (Nov 13, 2012)

Maybe this will help

[video=youtube_share;Tiz0zaysGMw]http://youtu.be/Tiz0zaysGMw[/video]
http://youtu.be/Tiz0zaysGMw


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## deanobillquay (Nov 13, 2012)

Dodger said:



			Look just follow this and you'll be cured in seconds.

Address the ball with your club past the ball so the back of the hosel is on the far side of your ball as you look at it at address and simply swing away.

You will not shank,keep working on it by doing this and you'll soon be able to go back to addressing the ball normally instead of looking like a knob.:smirk:
		
Click to expand...

This is a good tip, it works for me.


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## Lump (Nov 13, 2012)

Firstly I need to say a huge thank you to everyone thats posted on this thread and to those that have PM'd me also. I appreciate the help massively.

I've been to the range tonight, after trying a few of the suggested drills and then shanking more than ever (I hit a good 30 shanks in a row). It seems the Mark crossfield video has really helped explain to me what I expected I was doing (Moving toward the ball on the downswing). The drill of trying to hit the ball off the toe gets the ball sailing off into the distance straight out the middle of the club. Hopefully the second basket wasn't just a fluke but I didn't hit a single shank (plenty of topped ones though)


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## Lump (Nov 17, 2012)

First round today with the new swing thought and wow... it really really works. I middled so many irons today it was unreal, striking was 100% better than I've had lately. Only had one shank which was because I was trying to force the wrong club too hard. Haven't felt as good hitting my irons for a while. 

Thank you so much for everyones help. I just hope it works its way into my swing long term.


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## Kellfire (Nov 17, 2012)

Can't keep a good Lump down.


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## HomerJSimpson (Nov 20, 2012)

Its contagious. Hit the range tonight and got a huge dose of the J Arthurs. Destroyed confidence and timing and no idea where they came from as the new swing changes had been working so well. I even managed to get the same ball around the course on Saturday. Hoping it is just a blip but really nervous for the session tomorrow. Fortunately I've a lesson on Friday which was going to be on the short game but we might have to put that on hold and deal with these


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## JustOne (Nov 20, 2012)

So what do you do to fix your shanks when you get them Homer? or do you just keep swinging and hope they go away?


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## HomerJSimpson (Nov 20, 2012)

Think it was a combination of rushing up to the range = quick swing and tempo, swing changes still bedding in (think Murph) and old habit of the weight rocking onto the toes. Just slowed it down, went back to the drills and tried to stay focused


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## JustOne (Nov 20, 2012)

So they went after a few swings?


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