Shanking my wedges

[turkish]

I've always wondered when people said they have a dose of the shanks as never thought it would happen to me but in practice it's happened the last 2 times.

The other night I even went away and left the wedges started hitting driver then putting but even when I went back they haven't left me. It's as if my brain has remembered what to do to shank and I've forgotten how to chip :-(

I've seen the gate drill on me and my golf but are there any other drills?

 

[delc]

I've always wondered when people said they have a dose of the shanks as never thought it would happen to me but in practice it's happened the last 2 times.

The other night I even went away and left the wedges started hitting driver then putting but even when I went back they haven't left me. It's as if my brain has remembered what to do to shank and I've forgotten how to chip :-(

I've seen the gate drill on me and my golf but are there any other drills?

I've been there, and once you start doing it, it seems to become almost self perpetuating! I think that anxiety is part of the problem, as you start hurrying the shot and looking up to see the result before actually hitting the ball. Then you lose your angles and a shank becomes more likely. Slow down, keep the swing smooth and rhythmical, stay in balance, and don't look up until the ball is on its way. Rather like putting really.

 

[m10johnson]

I too had that for around a month, but was more pitch shots than chipping.

It's normally a case of the hands moving away from the body as you come into impact. Or, the body moves towards the ball rather than turning away. For me it was the second. Try getting someone to record you to see if it is either of these. Once you find the cause, a little bit of research and some drills will get you back on track.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Going through a bad dose of these and have resorted to the linear method (which isn't working great but getting it forward). Definitely feels disconnected and not turning back and through properly. Back to work through it tomorrow. I know what I should be doing but can't get the brain and body to talk to each other and fear seeps in and it becomes a self perpetuating circle of hosels. I'm just not very clever or very good right now!

 

[delc]

Going through a bad dose of these and have resorted to the linear method (which isn't working great but getting it forward). Definitely feels disconnected and not turning back and through properly. Back to work through it tomorrow. I know what I should be doing but can't get the brain and body to talk to each other and fear seeps in and it becomes a self perpetuating circle of hosels. I'm just not very clever or very good right now!

My club pro suggested entirely the opposite technique, that is to establish a connection between between your body and your arms, and then just turn your body back and through with little independent arm movement. It sort of works as long as you keep most of your weight on your left leg. Might be worth giving it a try?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

My club pro suggested entirely the opposite technique, that is to establish a connection between between your body and your arms, and then just turn your body back and through with little independent arm movement. It sort of works as long as you keep most of your weight on your left leg. Might be worth giving it a try?

No offence Del but given the woes you've had I'll work through it myself. Linear is functional if not spectacular. Think it's my preferred method and I need to simply adopt it and not chop and change to a more conventional method. I'll work it through again tomorrow. In my head I think (not for the first time)

 

[the_coach]

I've always wondered when people said they have a dose of the shanks as never thought it would happen to me but in practice it's happened the last 2 times.

The other night I even went away and left the wedges started hitting driver then putting but even when I went back they haven't left me. It's as if my brain has remembered what to do to shank and I've forgotten how to chip :-(

I've seen the gate drill on me and my golf but are there any other drills?

if you manged to get the face on to the ball with the wedge were a bunch going very high & right & short?

there's a bunch to pipe it off of the hosel but often times it can start by too active wrists hands rolling the face open in the first couple of feet of takeaway so face its ways open at the top arms then throw the club out of connection with the upper body - club coming from outside the line with a real open face the only part of the club being presented to the ball is the hosel
(more unusual but club could be coming from too much inside - the following would still help out)

put a rolled towel or head cover an 1" outside the ball & a small coin 8" on a line directly behind the ball

on the takeback keep the face of the club looking at the ball as it travels over the coin - but the arms stay connected to the upper body so centered turn to the top - so the backswing to the top stays infront of the sternum the lead wrist sets upwards thumb points upwards not back behind you
head 'feels' still throughout

pace of backswing matches the downswing/throughswing don't try to accelerate the club with the arms/hands
'feel' as if the tempo/speed of the whole swing motion is governed by the chest center not the arms