How long will this torture (the sh__ks) continue?

Tenputt · Nov 11, 2019

After another range session, I think I can say that I have figured out the fix for my sideways ball issue. Not saying I will never make such a shot again, but I FINALLY know what is my underlying cause and can fix it. Thanks again for all the input.

D200 · Nov 13, 2019

Shanks are caused by 2 things, which both lead to the same out come. 1) As has been stated, balance during the swing is shifted onto the toes and 2) Swing path gets to far inside on the back swing. Now both of these results in the hands getting to far in front pushing the head to the outside and the hosel becomes the primary hitting area.

GolfLivesMatter · Nov 13, 2019

Tenputt said:
Played a full 18 today without one sh__k. I hit a few heel shots, but nothing that wasn’t manageable. Shot a 75. I think I finally know what I was doing and I am pretty excited to know what to focus on going forward.

You already know that the best player's miss is a shank? Congrats! Hopefully the responses helped....or you figured it out.

Tenputt · Nov 13, 2019

I saw a lot of this today, while playing Crandon in Key Biscayne, Florida, while on vacation. A couple weeks ago, I wouldn’t have gone to the trouble to take my clubs.

GolfLivesMatter · Nov 14, 2019

D200 said:
Shanks are caused by 2 things, which both lead to the same out come. 1) As has been stated, balance during the swing is shifted onto the toes and 2) Swing path gets to far inside on the back swing. Now both of these results in the hands getting to far in front pushing the head to the outside and the hosel becomes the primary hitting area.

Weight moving to toes explains why I have to be ultra-careful of heel-toe weight when the ball is below my feet on a sidehill lies. In general, the check for me is to setup, take a BS, and see if my weight shifts back to a balanced feel between toes and heels at the top of the BS. If so, then I'm too far away from the ball at address. This is why moving away from the ball to avoid a shank doesn't work for me because that will put the weight towards my toes.

WILDTHING · Nov 16, 2019

I had the shanks so bad on a golf trip to France , that I couldn't get closer to the hole from 15 yards. Every shank with wedges took me further away

Destroyed my confidence and my golf holiday.

In the end I bought one of those anti-shank F2 58 degree face-forward wedges for £35 and it actually made me feel confident again . They are actually rubbish for full swings as the head feels so heavy and twisty at the top of the back swing, but they aren't too bad for those 20 yard high chips and pitches (especially over bunkers or out of deep rough).

Sometimes you need a little help if things get desperate.

erock9174 · Nov 21, 2019

Shank bug has hit me for the first time ever. I

I finished this season at my lowest cap ever 8.5.

Since the weather turned I have been going to the range demoing 7 irons and I will start out hitting ok. Then mid bucket the hosel rockets begin. Thought I had them sorted out yesterday (too much weight on my toes). But today when they started I couldn’t fix it.

So helpless feeling

GolfLivesMatter · Nov 21, 2019

erock9174 said:
Shank bug has hit me for the first time ever. I

I finished this season at my lowest cap ever 8.5.

Since the weather turned I have been going to the range demoing 7 irons and I will start out hitting ok. Then mid bucket the hosel rockets begin. Thought I had them sorted out yesterday (too much weight on my toes). But today when they started I couldn’t fix it.

So helpless feeling

Think of this in general terms...you're pushing the club out to the ball about 3/4 of an inch. Trace back as to what would cause that arc. Aside from what I've posted above, one of the very common swing faults is lack of rotation back and through, while keeping the arms connected to the torso. Put a headcover under your right armpit and take 1/2 swings, then full. Make sure the headcover falls in front of where the ball was placed at address after hitting shots. I honestly don't think anyone can shank in that situation unless something else is pushing the club out towards the ball.

McLovin · Nov 21, 2019

erock9174 said:
Shank bug has hit me for the first time ever. I

I finished this season at my lowest cap ever 8.5.

Since the weather turned I have been going to the range demoing 7 irons and I will start out hitting ok. Then mid bucket the hosel rockets begin. Thought I had them sorted out yesterday (too much weight on my toes). But today when they started I couldn’t fix it.

So helpless feeling

they hit me out of nowhere yesterday. it was very frustrating. i somewhat self diagnosed that my ball position had moved too far toward my back foot, and i was fanning the face open on the takeaway. got them sorted out and hit some nice shots later in the round. too little too late to save the round, but at least gave me something to build off.

razaar · Nov 22, 2019

Byron Nelson wrote about his bout of the shanks which was caused through getting anxious and rushing into the downswing. This caused him to lead so emphatically with his legs and the lower parts of his body that his hands and the club were left behind. The cure was to complete the backswing before changing direction.

erock9174 · Nov 22, 2019

GolfLivesMatter said:
Think of this in general terms...you're pushing the club out to the ball about 3/4 of an inch. Trace back as to what would cause that arc. Aside from what I've posted above, one of the very common swing faults is lack of rotation back and through, while keeping the arms connected to the torso. Put a headcover under your right armpit and take 1/2 swings, then full. Make sure the headcover falls in front of where the ball was placed at address after hitting shots. I honestly don't think anyone can shank in that situation unless something else is pushing the club out towards the ball.

I’ll give it a whirl. Probably won’t be able to hit until next week which makes it even more difficult waiting to try and fix it lol

GolfLivesMatter · Nov 22, 2019

erock9174 said:
I’ll give it a whirl. Probably won’t be able to hit until next week which makes it even more difficult waiting to try and fix it lol

Just keep in mind you can do the drill about anywhere. Just have the towel drop on your left in the follow-through. Plus, sometimes it's better to eliminate the ball as a primary focus.

hailoffire · Dec 6, 2019

Mine came back with a vengeance last night at the range. Went to a swing coach today and within an hour I was hitting pure. I have a flat swing that translates to easily being able to sh*** when my hands dont get around quickly enough and I also have been standing way to close to the ball. I feel confident now that I know what I do that leads me to fall apart with this illness.

WLG1952 · Dec 6, 2019

Shanks, yeah pretty sure I have heard of those nasty things. The golfer just needs realize that suicide is not an option.

I get them on occassions. Usually because I am playing the ball too far back in my stance, and I am not getting my normal hip turn through impact. Plus I am taking the club too sharply inside on my back swing.

I spent some time reading about what causes the shanks. There are alot of poor swing scenarios that cause them.

The golfer just needs to learn the cause and effects of poor swing, and imact positions.

Myself, my quick fix when a shank intrudes in
on my wedge game is this.
I take my normal square stance. Both feet facing straight forward, perpendicular to the ball, target line. The ball is just alittle inside of my front heel. I then open my front foot 20-30 degrees to the ball target line. My rear foot stays the same, pointing straight ahead.

My open front front foot allows for mor hip turn through the impact position. My straight forward rear foot keeps me from taking the club head too sharply inside, which for me is the main reason I hit a shank in the first lace.

There's an old joke out there about a golfer who goes to his head pro for guidence. The head pro asked the golfer what his roblem is. The golfer tells hp he needs to get rid of the shanks. The hp stammers around a little, and tells the golfer he won't be able to help him with the shanks. That he will get annother, newby instructor to work with him.

GolfLivesMatter · Dec 6, 2019

WLG1952 said:
Shanks, yeah pretty sure I have heard of those nasty things. The golfer just needs realize that suicide is not an option.

I get them on occassions. Usually because I am playing the ball too far back in my stance, and I am not getting my normal hip turn through impact. Plus I am taking the club too sharply inside on my back swing.

I spent some time reading about what causes the shanks. There are alot of poor swing scenarios that cause them.

The golfer just needs to learn the cause and effects of poor swing, and imact positions.

Myself, my quick fix when a shank intrudes in
on my wedge game is this.
I take my normal square stance. Both feet facing straight forward, perpendicular to the ball, target line. The ball is just alittle inside of my front heel. I then open my front foot 20-30 degrees to the ball target line. My rear foot stays the same, pointing straight ahead.

My open front front foot allows for mor hip turn through the impact position. My straight forward rear foot keeps me from taking the club head too sharply inside, which for me is the main reason I hit a shank in the first lace.

There's an old joke out there about a golfer who goes to his head pro for guidence. The head pro asked the golfer what his roblem is. The golfer tells hp he needs to get rid of the shanks. The hp stammers around a little, and tells the golfer he won't be able to help him with the shanks. That he will get annother, newby instructor to work with him.

My shank reasons are very similar to yours. What I find is my right side is always eager to take-over my swing. If I "pull" my left hip "left and up" all I get are toe shots.

WLG1952 · Dec 6, 2019

After re-reading my post, I forgot to mention that having a good "one piece take away" helps to solve a lot of down swing problems.

GolfLivesMatter · Dec 6, 2019

WLG1952 said:
After re-reading my post, I forgot to mention that having a good "one piece take away" helps to solve a lot of down swing problems.

If that works for you then stick with it.

Tenputt · Dec 14, 2019

I am so thrilled to say that I truly feel, for the first time in my golfing career, that I now know what is at the root of my own struggles with heel shots, that become shanks (See, I can even use the word without feeling cursed.). For me, it is not club path related, It is not early extension. It is that I can come through the ball with the back of my lead hand still pointed up, rather than facing the target line at strike, thereby presenting the heel portion of the clubhead to the ball.

Ironically, a friend who is a very good player suggested this possible cause in a text, when I complained to him about how debilitating it had become. It was such a simple fix.

I think I developed the problem as I was speed training, trying to pick up or maintain my swing speed as I have gotten into the back half of my 50’s. I was trying so hard to come through the ball with speed, I literally ruined my release through the impact zone.

I now seem to be able to swing as hard as I want, with the simple swing thought of having the top of my left hand facing the target as I strike the ball. I was on a launch monitor this week and I am seeing ball speeds with my 7 iron that are as fast as I have ever enjoyed since I began playing golf again 3 and a half years ago. Man, am I looking forward to 2020!

Flipit · Dec 14, 2019

GolfLivesMatter said:
If your left hip turns LEFTUP it actually swallows the shaft and pulls the club from an inside out travel down into the ball, hence compresses the ball. The faster you "fire" the left hip LEFTUP, the faster the clubhead moves. It's easy to practice. Just get a driver and start going back and forth continuously...back / forward...do not stop. Then as you reach the top of the BS, start the LEFTUP move just a little. Listen to the sound of the shaft. Keep going and keep "firing" the left hip faster. You will hear a much louder "whip" sound without trying. This is how the pros generate so much clubhead speed without looking like their trying.

This is what I didn’t do when ever I shank one. Hip rotation is what really helped me. I should spend more time practicing this.

GolfLivesMatter · Dec 14, 2019

ApexFan said:
This is what I didn’t do when ever I shank one. Hip rotation is what really helped me. I should spend more time practicing this.

It's nearly impossible to shank a ball if the left hip moves LEFTUP. You will find toe hits. For me, sometimes my right side says "I've got this" and tries to "push" my left hip left, but that's an OTT move that sends the hosel on a bad path.

I don't know if I posted this above, but you can also do a drill that's kinda fun. Setup in your normal position away from the ball. Next, swing and try to take a divot inside of the ball, completely missing the ball. The only way to accomplish this is with the LEFTUP move. It practically forces one to make that move to take a divot inside the ball. If you try it let me know if it worked. I've already done this and found I needed to move closer to the ball to not hit all toe shots.

Flipit · Dec 14, 2019

GolfLivesMatter said:
It's nearly impossible to shank a ball if the left hip moves LEFTUP. You will find toe hits. For me, sometimes my right side says "I've got this" and tries to "push" my left hip left, but that's an OTT move that sends the hosel on a bad path.

I don't know if I posted this above, but you can also do a drill that's kinda fun. Setup in your normal position away from the ball. Next, swing and try to take a divot inside of the ball, completely missing the ball. The only way to accomplish this is with the LEFTUP move. It practically forces one to make that move to take a divot inside the ball. If you try it let me know if it worked. I've already done this and found I needed to move closer to the ball to not hit all toe shots.

I’ll give that a try and let you know. I bought a new driver today so I’m pretty excited to get out and hit it.

GolfLivesMatter · Dec 14, 2019

ApexFan said:
I’ll give that a try and let you know. I bought a new driver today so I’m pretty excited to get out and hit it.

I love new stuff so much I have to stop myself from buying new stuff. I think new equipment energizes me to get interested in reviewing my swing for improvement.

Flipit · Dec 14, 2019

GolfLivesMatter said:
I love new stuff so much I have to stop myself from buying new stuff. I think new equipment energizes me to get interested in reviewing my swing for improvement.

I have not figured out how to stop myself yet. Nor do I much care to.