How long will this torture (the sh__ks) continue?

[Tenputt]

I literally am becoming so frustrated, I am ready to hang up the clubs for the indefinite future (aside from weather, ha ha). I have been battling this for a year. It comes and goes, but comes more than it goes.

Today, I was swinging a 7 iron in my local retailer. I was just flushing it, swinging as well as I have in memory. I grabbed a 50 degree wedge. I swung it twice and hit such great feeling shots. Then, boom, the sh__nk. Once it started, I couldn’t stop. I pulled the 7 iron out and I was hitting sh__nks. I finally gave up and left.

It always starts with wedges. I have tried everything I can find on the internet. I have taken a couple of lessons. The truth is, if I could have used my wedges as scoring clubs this year, my index would likely be around a 3, but I am always swinging defensively with my wedges. Even when I am playing fine, the contact is towards the heel. I wish I knew where to turn to solve this problem.

 

[Turtlerancher]

 

[WICHITAREJECT]

This is a tip...I am not a professional.....hold the club between your right middle finger and your right index finger (like a claw grip)...take a few swings

 

[WICHITAREJECT]

If that doesn't help can I have your forged tecs?

 

[Tenputt]

If that doesn't help can I have your forged tecs?

I’ll think about it.

 

[OGputtnfool]

I literally am becoming so frustrated, I am ready to hang up the clubs for the indefinite future (aside from weather, ha ha). I have been battling this for a year. It comes and goes, but comes more than it goes.

Today, I was swinging a 7 iron in my local retailer. I was just flushing it, swinging as well as I have in memory. I grabbed a 50 degree wedge. I swung it twice and hit such great feelings shots. Then, boom, the sh__nk. Once it started, I couldn’t stop. I pulled the 7 iron out and I was hitting sh__nks. I finally gave up and left.

It always starts with wedges. I have tried everything I can find on the internet. I have taken a couple of lessons. The truth is, if I could have used my wedges as scoring clubs this year, my index would likely be around a 3, but I am always swinging defensively with my wedges. Even when I am playing fine, the contact is towards the heel. I wish I knew where to turn to solve this problem.

I've been fighting a combination of shanks and toe shots (yep, either all the way to the toe or all the way toward the heel) for a LONG time... maybe 2 years. I will have a round or two with no issues, then bam... a round with 5 or 6 of them.

Good luck.

 

[McLovin]

sorry man. it's the worst feeling. my only recommendations are alignment, ball position, full turn behind the ball, pause at the top, and smooth swing through the ball to a balanced finished.

 

[aknow]

I don't know what your swing, grip, nor stance look like. I still get the -hanks occasionally, and I've been learning for 55+ years. If I'm on the range I place my feet together, and take 1/4, then 1/2, then 3/4 swings, until I make mostly solid contact. Then I resume normal tempo, Always helps.

On the course, I slow my backswing and prevent swinging hard. I am always amazed how I can make great contact and reasonable distance with a 1/2 swing. The factor I often forget is my stance.

"The Inner Game of Golf" suggests swinging with eyes closed, works too.

The other factor is when it gets in your head. My mentor in Applied Kinesiology taught me to do a walking exercise called "Stride Length", where I walk 50 to 100 steps in opposite directions, with right leg slightly longer, (6-8 "). Balances out my shoulders and lumbar spinal muscles, temporarily, through Psoas muscle activity. Then, I forget the -hanks, unless I -hank again.
Good luck!

 

[wubears71]

I put a tee Behind my right ear. That helped.

 

[Tenputt]

I put a tee Behind my right ear. That helped.

Hey, I am willing to try just about anything.

 

[j_sizzle9]

I feel your pain. These crept up on me during the 2018 MC and took about a year to get ride of.

Not seeing your setup/swing/tempo/etc. it's hard to made any recommendations, but this article really helped me and I hope it'll help you.

Kevin Kisner swing changes - PGA TOUR

Kevin Kisner was texting his friend from the fairway of a Web.com Tour event in the summer of 2013, knowing that he’d need help as soon as he arrived home in Aiken, South Carolina.

www.pgatour.com

 

[YukonLiving]

If I'm on the range I place my feet together, and take 1/4, then 1/2, then 3/4 swings, until I make mostly solid contact. Then I resume normal tempo

On the course, I slow my backswing and prevent swinging hard. I am always amazed how I can make great contact and reasonable distance with a 1/2 swing.

This is my process as well... I always find that I’m trying too hard to hit it flush and this seems to reset when I can actually stop and think about it.

 

[hailoffire]

Oh I feel your pain. Last three rounds have been sh*** free though. I found mine start with wedges too because I am trying to finesse too much but then they happen on full shots. The crappy part is the swing I have when I hit one feels so smooth and natural. That is actually the scary part for me.
How I have staved them off: I stopped moving farther away from the ball, I swing fully and fast instead of easy and smooth, I make sure my right elbow brushes my shirt on the downswing, I take my practice swings really close to the ball (if I hit it no penalty now) and once I have the feel I let it go. Good luck brother...they really suck but you can get rid of them

 

[OldandStiff]

I struggle with heel side shanks on occasion. For me it's a timing thing. Comes down to where my lower half is and what it's doing when I load. I've started a theory on three kind of 'check positions' for me at that moment. Any one of them can be off, and I'm fine. 2 out of 3 and everything goes to 'wtf was that?!?! territory. I sense it, overcompensate, slide more than rotate and then throw my right forearm at the ball trying to get back in line. It's horrific in the moment. I try to roll past it (and any comments), but if I think 'swing easy' on the next one, it will happen again. At that point the mental sh*t starts, I'm falling down the hole. So, if I'm at the range I'll just drop the club, take a break, and come back with some 1/4 swing driver shots. Just stiff body punchy stuff until I'm dead square every time. Then I gradually open it up until I'm back in rhythm. On the course is harder. I'll club up a couple and punch the next iron shot with a real small back swing. Unnerving is an understatement, but a youth full of substances and an adult life full of booze has left me with a short memory. Thankful for that.

I've got no solutions for you. Just know you're not alone.

 

[Payton333]

I've managed to fix the shanks using a simple method that worked for me. I place the clubhead above the ball (as though the ball was 2 inches further from me than it actually is) and then take my swing. I guess it forces you to make an out to in swing. Not a professional but it worked for me and continues to whenever the shanks rear their ugly heads!

 

[JDax]

Good luck with getting rid of the s_anks...

 

[Jimmy3864]

My friend went through this but was successful so we know you can do it. His issue was distance standing relative to the ball.

 

[Molten]

Take a video of tour setting and I bet you see something you don’t like. But you will bounce right back - your setting is money. The second you let go of the fear, they well go too

 

[hailoffire]

Take a video of tour setting and I bet you see something you don’t like. But you will bounce right back - your setting is money. The second you let go of the fear, they well go too

Exactly! The fear sucks..such a mental game

 

[Parrot]

If I'm on the range I place my feet together, and take 1/4, then 1/2, then 3/4 swings, until I make mostly solid contact. Then I resume normal tempo, Always helps.

This is my process as well... I always find that I’m trying too hard to hit it flush and this seems to reset when I can actually stop and think about it.

works for me too.

 

[GolfLivesMatter]

On the 2nd hole of a tourney I played in, I watched a guy shank 13 balls in a row from a drop area into the water to a 60 yard-away pin. He quit the tourney. We've all been there. Fixing shanks can actually lead to much better golf because obviously something is off that affects the non-shanked shots too.

Feet-together drills force rotation. So if that works, then there's a lack of rotation, which means swinging more "in front" of the body vs. rotating. Below is my checklist and drills over many years of combating shanking. My "miss" now is on the toe, plus, I stand much closer to the ball to keep from toeing too much. If I shank it's because my right hip or shoulder initiated the DS....see below.

1) Grip. Revisit the grip to see if it's neutral vs. excessively strong or weak. Sometimes grips migrate over time due to short-term corrections for some other issue that isn't an issue anymore.

2) Setup at address and make sure the shoulders and knees are parallel to the target line. Also make sure the knees are not overly bent because that can create a "pumping" action, or "up/down" that throws off the swing plane. I've seen some guys setup with the club perfectly aligned to the target, but their shoulders are 15 degrees left of the target which increases the chance of shanking.

3) Get two alignment sticks or clubs and lay them at 45-degree angles for the takeaway and follow-through to promote rotation like being in a barrel (see diagram). The goal is to rotate back and exit left after hitting the ball. This is why a pro's miss tends to be towards the toe. If taking the club back along the 45-degree line feels odd, you could be taking the club too far outside on the takeaway, getting steep, then OTT on DS with a blazing hosel. It's important to note that many folks tend to get a little "lazy" and start swinging "in front" of themselves vs. around themselves in proper rotation. This drill will tell you which way you've been swinging. Plus, when practicing on a grass range, the divot should be slightly pointed left of the target.

4) Next, during #3 above, set up to the ball at your normal distance away from the ball, then try to take a divot inside the ball by an inch. Keep doing this until you find the series of movements that promote accomplishing this. From what I've found, the only way to accomplish this is by initiating the DS by rotating the left hip left-and-up in one move. LEFTUP. It has to be a LEFTUP PULL, not a "push" with the right hip. You will have to concentrate on the left hip pulling the club because it's possible you've been leading with the right hip, or have minimal hip movement which means the shoulders could be doing the bulk of the work. If so, then the right shoulder may be traveling out towards the ball instead of rotating down and left. .

5) Keep your head "in a box". Pretend there are spikes all around your head. People say "keep your head down" but sometimes folks misunderstand why. Obviously, your head is connected to your shoulders, arms, hands, etc. So if your head moves left, the bottom of your swing moves left towards the target...likely resulting in a thin or low shot. If your head moves right, then that moves the bottom of the arc to the right which promotes a fat / chunk shot. Keeping the head in the same position keeps the bottom of the arc constant, which especially helps in the short game to stop blading and chunking shots. Some will say some pro's move their head to the right or down, but they're pro's and we're just working on the foundation for now.

6) Get a one-foot section of 2x4. Set the 2x4 up so that you have to swing in rotation to miss it (based on #3 above). Keep moving the 2x4 closer and closer. I guarantee the only way to keep missing the 2x4 is to rotate and initiate the DS with the left hip going LEFTUP, pulling the club. Plus, the visual will be remembered on the course. Oh, and use an old club!

7) Make sure your arms and shoulders are not tense. Actually, go the opposite and get as loose as possible. Also, see if you start to tense anywhere during the swing. Also, make sure the grip is not separating from the left hand at the top because then you might be "re-gripping" mid-swing which throws-off club path.

8) Get customized logo balls that have a swing thought on them, like "45 degrees", "rotation", "head in box", whatever works.

 

[Tenputt]

Take a video of tour setting and I bet you see something you don’t like. But you will bounce right back - your setting is money. The second you let go of the fear, they well go too

Part of the allure of the game is how much truly is mental. Although it is frustrating beyond belief, it is also fascinating how, in literally a matter of 5 minutes, I can go from feeling like I have never struck the ball better, that feeling when the ball compresses so well, I feel my extension and follow through and it is all easy, and then almost instantly feeling like I would not be able to play if I were on a course.

 

[Tenputt]

I love this forum. Some of you have made a real effort to write something meaningful. Much appreciated.

 

[Tenputt]

On the 2nd hole of a tourney I played in, I watched a guy shank 13 balls in a row from a drop area into the water to a 60 yard-away pin. He quit the tourney. We've all been there. Fixing shanks can actually lead to much better golf because obviously something is off that affects the non-shanked shots too.

Feet-together drills force rotation. So if that works, then there's a lack of rotation, which means swinging more "in front" of the body vs. rotating. Below is my checklist and drills over many years of combating shanking. My "miss" now is on the toe, plus, I stand much closer to the ball to keep from toeing too much. If I shank it's because my right hip or shoulder initiated the DS....see below.

1) Grip. Revisit the grip to see if it's neutral vs. excessively strong or weak. Sometimes grips migrate over time due to short-term corrections for some other issue that isn't an issue anymore.

2) Setup at address and make sure the shoulders and knees are parallel to the target line. Also make sure the knees are not overly bent because that can create a "pumping" action, or "up/down" that throws off the swing plane. I've seen some guys setup with the club perfectly aligned to the target, but their shoulders are 15 degrees left of the target which increases the chance of shanking.

3) Get two alignment sticks or clubs and lay them at 45-degree angles for the takeaway and follow-through to promote rotation like being in a barrel (see diagram). The goal is to rotate back and exit left after hitting the ball. This is why a pro's miss tends to be towards the toe. If taking the club back along the 45-degree line feels odd, you could be taking the club too far outside on the takeaway, getting steep, then OTT on DS with a blazing hosel. It's important to note that many folks tend to get a little "lazy" and start swinging "in front" of themselves vs. around themselves in proper rotation. This drill will tell you which way you've been swinging. Plus, when practicing on a grass range, the divot should be slightly pointed left of the target.

4) Next, during #3 above, set up to the ball at your normal distance away from the ball, then try to take a divot inside the ball by an inch. Keep doing this until you find the series of movements that promote accomplishing this. From what I've found, the only way to accomplish this is by initiating the DS by rotating the left hip left-and-up in one move. LEFTUP. It has to be a LEFTUP PULL, not a "push" with the right hip. You will have to concentrate on the left hip pulling the club because it's possible you've been leading with the right hip, or have minimal hip movement which means the shoulders could be doing the bulk of the work. If so, then the right shoulder may be traveling out towards the ball instead of rotating down and left. .

5) Keep your head "in a box". Pretend there are spikes all around your head. People say "keep your head down" but sometimes folks misunderstand why. Obviously, your head is connected to your shoulders, arms, hands, etc. So if your head moves left, the bottom of your swing moves left towards the target...likely resulting in a thin or low shot. If your head moves right, then that moves the bottom of the arc to the right which promotes a fat / chunk shot. Keeping the head in the same position keeps the bottom of the arc constant, which especially helps in the short game to stop blading and chunking shots. Some will say some pro's move their head to the right or down, but they're pro's and we're just working on the foundation for now.

6) Get a one-foot section of 2x4. Set the 2x4 up so that you have to swing in rotation to miss it (based on #3 above). Keep moving the 2x4 closer and closer. I guarantee the only way to keep missing the 2x4 is to rotate and initiate the DS with the left hip going LEFTUP, pulling the club. Plus, the visual will be remembered on the course. Oh, and use an old club!

7) Make sure your arms and shoulders are not tense. Actually, go the opposite and get as loose as possible. Also, see if you start to tense anywhere during the swing. Also, make sure the grip is not separating from the left hand at the top because then you might be "re-gripping" mid-swing which throws-off club path.

8) Get customized logo balls that have a swing thought on them, like "45 degrees", "rotation", "head in box", whatever works.

This is really good stuff. I need to focus on the left hip “LEFTUP.” It is something that makes a lot of sense, because I don’t have great flexibility and have had back issues. I may be stuck and throwing my right side out at the ball.

 

[JDax]

I love this forum. Some of you have made a real effort to write something meaningful. Much appreciated.

I’m sure you have watched everything, but this video helped me... When I <redacted> it starts with a poor takeaway.
Good luck my friend...