The dreaded shanks

[gopher99]

Sorry to bring up the dreaded word, over the last 2 months my game has got that bad that I cannot hit anything within 100 yards without shanking it. Everything else is fine, i cannot use a gap wedge, sand wedge or lob wedge without piping it. Has anyone got any suggestions that might help, otherwise it will be the golf clubs retiring I cannot keep chipping a 7 iron 100 yards in to the green.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Had them at the range last week when I went to hit balls after lockdown so there was an element of risk for my nine holes on Sunday, especially as a lot of the socket shots were on 40-50 yard pitches.

This might help

 

[Golfnut1957]

I've suffered from them on occasions in the past particularly with chipping. Anything around 30 yards and in fine, anything from 30 yards to 80, the point at which I hit full shots with my lob wedge, then if I don't chip and run with a 9, 8 or 7 I'm in the danger zone.

If you go online looking for the solution you will find they come from almost anywhere, inside to out, outside to in, there doesn't seem to be a particular swing path which creates the conditions that lead to a shank.

However, I do know what it is that I do that leads to a shank when chipping. If I swing the club back and then swing through without turning the body i.e. with just an arm swing then I will shank it. What I do is focus on just swinging the arms back, completely ignore what my body is doing. I then concentrate on turning the body and arms together, making sure that the arm never get ahead until after I have hit the ball.

I've been working on this for over a year and at first it eliminated the shanks but I had little in the way of distance control, I am now slowly getting on top of that aspect. What I need is more time to practise.

As an aside I actually found this on the internet, It wasn't a tip for battling the chipping shanks, it was a means of generating clubhead speed for creating spin to achieve that one hop and check chip.

Hope that makes sense, perhaps it will help.

 

[Orikoru]

I've had shanks from time to time, one of the things that helped me was a Rick Shiels video - I can't find it from his hundreds of other but it was basically about sticking your bum out behind you to keep your posture and make sure you turn your left hip back as you swing through. If I remember that I generally don't shank it.

 

[Neilds]

I find I have them if I just swing my arms and don’t get any body rotation, usually on the shorter shots

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Sorry to be a bore! You’ll get a million and one genuine offers of help and tips of what works (mainly for them). Except our resident Pro, bobmac.

Save days and weeks of worry by getting a lesson with a Pro as soon as you can, they’ll tell you what you’re doing wrong and what you need to do to fix it.

 

[bobmac]

There are many possible causes for the shanks so it would be impossible to fix you without seeing a video of your swing.
Having said that, the most popular cause of the shanks on the shorter shots that I see is swinging too much on the inside on the backswing.
Try taking the club back straighter with a half swing.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I find I have them if I just swing my arms and don’t get any body rotation, usually on the shorter shots

This is my biggest cause on pitches and chips. Arms work in isolation, usually end up going way inside and disconnected and the ball shoots right. Bob invented a nice little contraption that really helps with this and when the gremlins strike especially on the chips I get it out of the bag. Gets me connected again in no time

 

[Billysboots]

Nobody can offer up a cure without knowing the cause, and there are several.

Get a lesson. It will sort you out in no time.

 

[eddie_1878]

I’m shanking everything post-lockdown...I don’t think I’ve ever been this bad and that includes when I first starting playing. Depressing!

My pro says I’m throwing my right shoulder out on the downswing but I fear the problems go beyond that.

Placing something inside the ball...a tee, a ball marker, an m&m (you get the picture) and making sure you take that with the ball tends to help.

Read something yesterday which suggests addressing the ball with the hosel behind the ball, then hit your shot. The theory being that it forces you to be more inside on the downswing, which makes sense.

I’m at the stage where I fear going the course because shank after shank will result in trudging off in a sulk 3 holes in....and begrudge giving the range £11 more to compound my misery even further.

Even my straight shots have lost 20-30 years carry.

What a game!

 

[SteveW86]

I’m shanking everything post-lockdown...I don’t think I’ve ever been this bad and that includes when I first starting playing. Depressing!

My pro says I’m throwing my right shoulder out on the downswing but I fear the problems go beyond that.

Placing something inside the ball...a tee, a ball marker, an m&m (you get the picture) and making sure you take that with the ball tends to help.

Read something yesterday which suggests addressing the ball with the hosel behind the ball, then hit your shot. The theory being that it forces you to be more inside on the downswing, which makes sense.

I’m at the stage where I fear going the course because shank after shank will result in trudging off in a sulk 3 holes in....and begrudge giving the range £11 more to compound my misery even further.

Even my straight shots have lost 20-30 years carry.

What a game!

How many balls do you get for £11?

 

[MarkT]

People seem to talk about two ways of shanking it in terms of path, I take great personal pride in pulling off the ‘better player’ shank, generally with a 5i.
Reckon a £20 half hour lesson and some straightforward advice would be worth the money. Good luck

 

[BubbaP]

People seem to talk about two ways of shanking it in terms of path, I take great personal pride in pulling off the ‘better player’ shank, generally with a 5i.
Reckon a £20 half hour lesson and some straightforward advice would be worth the money. Good luck

Are they 1980s prices? ??

 

[MarkT]

Are they 1980s prices? ??

I live in Leeds, everything’s 20 quid

 

[eddie_1878]

How many balls do you get for £11?

100- with Toptracer.

 

[BubbaP]

I live in Leeds, everything’s 20 quid

You see, the forum keeps giving... there's an idea for a poll/article ?

To the posters in despair, the ray of light I'd offer is I tend to throw in some shanks just prior to a bit of form. As an am with plenty of adjustments and compromises going on in the swing. As I posted on the played today thread, I had 2 in a row just after I'd played 5 great shots (par, birdie, and was anticipating a birdie putt, then oops). Stay positive and work on drills with or without a lesson.

 

[gopher99]

I did have a golf lesson for the first time in my life, and I was swinging it inside to out. Not one shank in the lesson, after the lesson I had a one way ticket to shank town?. I went to the range yesterday and tried a couple of things, stood closer to the ball and also gripped the club almost upright and made sure the swing was almost vertical. That seemed to work really well, I am thinking about getting cobra one length irons. As havent shanked anything highly than a wedge, and my theory is that a pitching wedge with 7 iron length would be hard to shank.

 

[garyinderry]

Bobmac fixed my shanks on here by watching a video and telling me to stop swaying off the ball.

I'd spent the winter giving it the big one with a new driver at the range. I could get away with it when the ball was on a tee and using the big driver head. Same swing with an iron was instant shank.

All my clubs were heading for ebay until he sorted it out.

Thanks again bob.

 

[bobmac]

Bobmac fixed my shanks on here by watching a video and telling me to stop swaying off the ball.

I'd spent the winter giving it the big one with a new driver at the range. I could get away with it when the ball was on a tee and using the big driver head. Same swing with an iron was instant shank.

All my clubs were heading for ebay until he sorted it out.

Thanks again bob.

You're welcome.
I guess the cheque is still in the post?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I did have a golf lesson for the first time in my life, and I was swinging it inside to out. Not one shank in the lesson, after the lesson I had a one way ticket to shank town?. I went to the range yesterday and tried a couple of things, stood closer to the ball and also gripped the club almost upright and made sure the swing was almost vertical. That seemed to work really well, I am thinking about getting cobra one length irons. As havent shanked anything highly than a wedge, and my theory is that a pitching wedge with 7 iron length would be hard to shank.

Can I ask what drills the pro gave you in the lesson that clearly had you hitting much better. I find when I have a lesson I have to hit a bucket (if not two - not on the same day) and really rehearse the new move, practice the drills and grind the changes in before I feel confident enough to take it to the course. If you shank one and then start making changes I feel you are negating the benefit of the lesson. If you are struggling, I'd either video the swing and send it to the pro you had the lesson with or go and have a chat with him and let him see you hit a few