Shanks appearing from nowhere

[Jamie23]

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?

 

[garyinderry]

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]

 

[JohnnyDee]

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?

 

[garyinderry]

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.

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

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.

 

[SatchFan]

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.

 

[ScienceBoy]

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

 

[Billysboots]

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.

 

[bobmac]

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.

I agree

 

[kid2]

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.

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..

 

[Jamie23]

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?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

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

 

[USER1999]

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.

 

[delc]

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.

 

[Sats]

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.

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

 

[Green Bay Hacker]

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.

 

[delc]

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

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!

 

[Sats]

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!

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?

 

[delc]

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?

I cured the putting yips by changing to the claw grip. I still hit the occasional shank, but largely cured by lessons and practice.

 

[Green Bay Hacker]

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.