The dreaded Shank

[Loz1607]

I managed to have my best round of driving the ball yesterday for a long time, finding most fairways and striking my driver well. However, a usual strength on my game is from 130 yards and less, I found myself striking short irons very poorly and shanked the ball 5 times.

I know a recent lesson has got me thinking about different things within my swing, but I try not to worry about that on the course and try and in grain it on the range. I have been practicing changes with just a 5 iron lately and started to strike the ball really well. Has anyone else experienced this or got any thoughts why this my be happening?

 

[jp5]

It happens to the best of them!

One just this weekend from Webb Simpson who's still in the running today...



Also possibly my favourite of all time from Hunter Mahan... (also from ~130yards - interesting!)

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

 

[CMAC]

[video=youtube_share;AibC83y4vmU]http://youtu.be/AibC83y4vmU?list=PL051F750C65B71FF4[/video]

 

[JustOne]

Has anyone else experienced this or got any thoughts why this my be happening?

Often your hands creep too close to your thighs when you set-up with a short iron, they then have not enough room as you make your downswing so you hit it off the hosel (hands further away at impact than at address).

 

[DAVEYBOY]

It happens to the best of them!

One just this weekend from Webb Simpson who's still in the running today...

View attachment 12114

Also possibly my favourite of all time from Hunter Mahan... (also from ~130yards - interesting!)

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

I love the way after a dreadful shot like that he still lands with a perfect lie on a tee box surrounded by crap with a perfect line back to his target... The pros get all the breaks.

 

[the_coach]

golfers pretty inventive folks so without seeing what you actually doing so just speaking generally often usually to do with address & posture, so the either the arms hands swing out independently to be further away from the body at impact then they were at address, so then clubface which had the ball center comes back at the hosel.

can happen if you stand up a ways out of posture, you lose the pelvic angle, hips move forwards towards the ball which in turn move the arms hands & clubhead away from you so same result as above.

first make sure when you take your address position your arms hang vertically from the shoulders not in towards you, then with a good posture to get that vertical hang arm so you're not a ways too upright hips to spine angle with your left hand on the handle in your set-up position make sure you can get your right fist + thumb (in hitch a ride position) between thighs & left hand.

once you've got this done good 2 drills you can do set up in this good position ball in center of clubhead, what your going to do is make some 70% swings swinging back down but missing the ball entirely to the inside of the ball, not trying to hit it anyways at all, just clip a scrape of ground on the inside of that ball, do that a bunch of times & just continue to miss it, then just set up & swing through the ball, you should then have a real deal smile on your face as you stripe it from the middle.

(just don't be tempted to cheat by putting the ball further away to start with, get that hands to thighs gap in better shape & the swing to miss to start real easy keeping your posture not letting hips move forwards any, but try to swing at normal speed & you'll keep toeing the ball you want to miss)

other drill place 2 balls an inch apart, address the one furthest away from you (this ball would be in the normal ball position distance from you) make your backswing but come back to strike the ball that's nearest to you. again start off smooth at 70% effort max.

{golf instructor Zach Allen just put out an ebook on the shank, no idea if it's any good or what's exactly in it.)

 

[Loz1607]

Thanks for that tip. I shall try that next time I practice!

Had the same issue at the range tonight, I think I must have shanked 30% of the balls I hit. Trying to work on engaging hips first and rotating thorough the ball at the moment so don't know if that's got anything to do with it! I'm sure it will come good in the end, just so frustrating as used to be a clean solid ball striker

 

[Loz1607]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VJv8FgiHdR8

Here is a video of my swing, unfortunately or fortunately didn't shank these, and these were good strikes but feel I do the same each time


thoughs welcome

 

[the_coach]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VJv8FgiHdR8

Here is a video of my swing, unfortunately or fortunately didn't shank these, and these were good strikes but feel I do the same each time thoughs welcome

address posture giving you a bit of an issue here, upper body a little ways too upright, hands to thighs then pretty close weight favoring heels some. time you hit the hosel down to swinging out from the position you started at arms further away puts hosel to ball.

just a drill to help with posture.

if you stand straight upright say with a 6i (doesn't really matter what club) upper arms just more or less vertical touching your sides so the forearms are out from the chest hands then will be around waist navel high, do this to form a right angle between the club shaft & your spine.
now you want to lean forwards from the hip sockets not the waist so you maintain this more or less 90º angle between your chest & the club shaft.
then just let your arms hang vertical from the shoulders then finally just put a little flex in the knees (not bend) club head should now be able to sit on the ground behind ball.

you will feel a deal more forwards leaning quite considerable to what you've been used to, but you won't really be. it'll just feel that ways compared to how you've been, weight should feel under the tie of your laces at top, so not heels not toes.

should feel more at address you present your chest more to the ball & not to someone opposite you looking on. this also should mean the space should be there so that measure of the right fist & thumb will fit between your left hand & thighs.

get this down, do either or both drills, you should be good to go.

 

[the_coach]

good positive swing up & through, which is good. thing that's originally giving you an issue is set-up posture angles.

in the vid he's exaggerating the posture here, not suggesting this is your swing motion problem either.

but at the end is a visual of the drill in the previous post. might not seem it to you maybes, but will help you both with eliminating the hosel hit.

also put you in a better position at the top of the backswing to feel you can then swing down & through the ball rather than duck down some with real bent right leg real duck down the right side as you reach down & lean back some to get to impact (freeze vid at 16secs) you can see the position here, which is a reaction to being a ways too vertical upright with the upper body at address.

{something to look at if you've a mind to just to improve the motion. if you can feel at first move away you don't immediately break your wrists moves the hands away from the body sends the shaft back rather than when the shaft is first horizontal to the ground the shaft should be parallel to the toe line, ball/target line.}

but just the better body angle at address to put you in a position where you will feel your chest is more over the ball so you can swing down & through a good deal better without leaning backwards.

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

 

[lex!]

Thanks for that tip. I shall try that next time I practice!

Had the same issue at the range tonight, I think I must have shanked 30% of the balls I hit. Trying to work on engaging hips first and rotating thorough the ball at the moment so don't know if that's got anything to do with it! I'm sure it will come good in the end, just so frustrating as used to be a clean solid ball striker

I have suffered with this and been working with pro. We have seen too much tension in my arms, and an armsy swing that takes the clubface outside intended swing path. Given the towel drill to do, the_coach has recently mentioned this in the Experts forum, so that arms and body stay connected with body turn. Also told to keep arms very quiet and relaxed.

 

[bobmac]

Try and keep your thumbs on top of the grip for the first part of the backswing, dont let them roll to the right

 

[Loz1607]

Much more successful evening on the range tonight, only a few shanks in 200 balls and plenty of very good strikes. Seems the change of upper body position helped lots and helped me to rotate through the ball as well

cheers for the tips, will try and get a new video of the updated swing after my lesson next week

 

[Loz1607]

Thanks for all the useful tips this week. Went to range and worked on upper body angle - the result. A 73 gross 1 over par round today. 26 putts helped. 15 pars 2 bogeys 1 birdie. And no sixes! Very pleased with the progress. Unfortunately it wasn't at the club I am hoping to be a member of from Tuesday. But it was a good ball striking round and my best for 2 years

 

[Green Bay Hacker]

Suffered from them on the eighth today. Was one under my handicap after seven holes and in the middle of the fairway, 120 yards to middle of the green and then shank straight out of bounds. Next shot was hooked into the rough and ended up with an 8. Confidence was shot and was then 5 off the tee on 9 and finished that hole with 10. Game over.