Barking_Mad
Well-known member
Try to hit them off the toe instead.
Shanking at The Range
- Thread starter Lukeyash
- Start date
4LEX
Well-known member
This is so true.
When at the range take your allignment stick and put it square to the target, keep it simple. I still maintain bad allignment is the worst thing you can do in golf at amateur level. Get the basics right. Why practice when you're not aiming straight? Target line, feet square and shoulders square. Even a dodgy swing will still hit it fairly well if the first three are correct. And these are things that are easy and free to sort out.
At the range it's easy to get into bad habits and hit ball after ball, after ball without evening thinking. Hit 5 balls max with ech club and keep working through.
bwstokie
Member
I sometimes suffer with this at the range as well. For me personally my issues are more to do with how square, straight and regimented driving range bays are. I’m more of a feel player and have never done the alignment stick line up stuff as it seems to make shanks sneak in. I never aim straight down the range to a target, I always pick targets left and right and constantly change my target to try and keep the head worms away. No one hits the ball laser straight and you very rarely need to hit a straight shot on the course so why chase it in the range, embrace your shape. I also don’t like tee boxes with straight mown lines for the same reason ?
Orikoru
Tour Winner
I still don't really get why people suggest this. Short term it may work, but if you practise aligning with the toe to hit it out of the middle too much, surely you're just training the same motion that causes shanks in the first place? The opposite method I've heard makes more sense - address the ball at the hosel, which then forces you to swing more on the inside to hit the ball out of the centre.
clubchamp98
Journeyman Pro
Normally though shanks are with the lofted irons and they are very hard to shape with range balls.
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
This happened to me yesterday after reading this thread!
maybe it's best to skip some topics on here
maybe it's best to skip some topics on here
4LEX
Well-known member
If it's with lofted irons, easy fix is dropping your hands. A lot of people are way too upright with wedges.
Maninblack4612
Tour Winner
I was at the range yesterday, as usual hitting shots with my feet parallel to the mat. They were going really well so I thought I'd aim at one of the targets, around 30° right of centre. I hit a selection of shanks & tops, around 5 in a row, with not a single decent shot. I changed back to my original target & immediately started hitting good shots again. This has to have something to do with lining up when everything in the range booth is pointing you in a particular direction. Similar to, but worse than, the problem you have lining up when the tee doesn't point in the direction of the hole.
HomerJSimpson
Hall of Famer
The range I was using yesterday had top trace so to aim at different distance you had to change the aim away from the parallel of the range mat. I didn't find any problems but then I don't really see the edges of the mat in my vision when I hit straight down the range. I found aiming left and right to targets more realistic about how I normally come into the greens when I play and often come in from either side of the fairway/rough
AAC
Well-known member
This happened to me yesterday after reading this thread!
maybe it's best to skip some topics on here
Ditto !!!!
Bdill93
Undisputed King of FOMO
My mate caught the driving range shanks last night... couldnt hit anything at all.
Never happened to him before, I felt the pain with him - I've been there too.
Just advised him to quit after a while, it all mounts up in your head and youre better off walking away!
Never happened to him before, I felt the pain with him - I've been there too.
Just advised him to quit after a while, it all mounts up in your head and youre better off walking away!
Orikoru
Tour Winner
If I do bother going to the range I always make sure I have a hybrid or fairway wood with me. Can't shank them. If the irons aren't working I'll just turn to those. Either that or have a wedge with me and try some pitching instead. I don't think what you've said is bad advice at all, but for me personally if I just walk off and the last thing I did was hit 5 shanks, that'll absolutely still be in my head the next time I go and tee off a round, so I have to change it and finish with something else.
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Bdill93
Undisputed King of FOMO
I did suggest the wood or a driver to be fair but he'd had enough by this point
Nothing worse than the pain of the never ending shanks. It hurts your soul.
ClicketyClick
New member
Not solely related to the range, but I have noticed the unmentionables creeping in again of late... surely the most ruinous shot in golf, and the one we all fear the most. I found this video quite helpful in getting to the root of the problem - not claiming to have never shanked since I watched it - but it did give me a good insight & better understanding as to how the shank occurs.
I think it's a common problem, I'm not a shermaner on the course that often, but a net or a range... sherman City. I got myself a proper net and mat at the start of lockdown. Had to get rid of it. As someone else said its down to swinging too hard and too quick. My problem is early extension.
BiMGuy
LIV Bot, (But Not As Big As Mel) ?
Look up differential practice. Learn to move the strike towards the toe and if you shank one, you will know what to do to correct it.
https://www.adamyounggolf.com/differential-practice-for-golf-bitesize-motor-learning/
Barking_Mad
Well-known member
Bit late on this but... I wasn't suggesting he does this long term, it worked as a drill for for me as it just got me to shift the path of the club a little. Whatever works though, nobody deserves the shanks. ?
Leftitshort
Well-known member
was hitting some beauties on Sunday. Only on chips. Too much shaft lean, to inside imo.
HomerJSimpson
Hall of Famer
Sure Bob will have a v-easy in the garage he could flog you
Lukeyash
New member
Update:
For some strange reason, I decided to make another visit to the range this evening. It's been over a month since my shanking problems and I thought/hoped I'd be fine this time. How wrong was I. If anything I was even worse than last time: I'm not even really shanking it anymore, there just stone cold duffs and weird tops along the floor. Clearly something is happening to my swing that only manifests itself at the range. So, I decided to take the advice given on this forum and put the irons/wedges away and just hit my driver & woods. After all, you can't shank them.
First swing with driver - it was a bit of a squirty one to the left but at least I got it away. Second swing - I took the head clean off my Cobra driver. Lol. Wtf is going on?? I'm a 9 handicap and my swing is so bad at the range I'm now breaking clubs and unable to get the ball airborne. It's safe to say that I'm never going to a driving range EVER again. The worst thing is my confidence is now completely shot and I'm starting to doubt if I can still play the game. My next round back on the course is going to be very interesting.
For some strange reason, I decided to make another visit to the range this evening. It's been over a month since my shanking problems and I thought/hoped I'd be fine this time. How wrong was I. If anything I was even worse than last time: I'm not even really shanking it anymore, there just stone cold duffs and weird tops along the floor. Clearly something is happening to my swing that only manifests itself at the range. So, I decided to take the advice given on this forum and put the irons/wedges away and just hit my driver & woods. After all, you can't shank them.
First swing with driver - it was a bit of a squirty one to the left but at least I got it away. Second swing - I took the head clean off my Cobra driver. Lol. Wtf is going on?? I'm a 9 handicap and my swing is so bad at the range I'm now breaking clubs and unable to get the ball airborne. It's safe to say that I'm never going to a driving range EVER again. The worst thing is my confidence is now completely shot and I'm starting to doubt if I can still play the game. My next round back on the course is going to be very interesting.
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