Just mentioning the dreaded “s” word intimates golfers. A shank occurs when a ball is caught in the angle between the clubface and the hosel, spinning the ball sideways almost at right angles to your stance. It results either from a severe in-to-out swing path, with a closed clubface, or an equally exaggerated out-to-in swing path.
The problem is that at impact the player’s hands–and therefore the clubhead– are farther away from his body than at address. The cause: either standing too close to the ball, preventing the hands from swinging freely past the body, or shifting one’s weight forward on one’s toes, throwing the hands and clubface too far from the body.
Here are 5 keys to avoiding the shanks:
If weight shift is the problem, curling your toes inside your golf shoes, and maintaining them throughout the swing, cures it. If it doesn’t, place a golf ball under the front of each foot, pushing your weight back on your heels. Then hit some balls. Maintaining too tight a grip also contributes to the shanks. Gripping the club tightly prevents it from swinging freely past the body through impact.
To improve your swing path, try this drill:
Place a ball about a half-inch outside your ball. Then, try hitting the inner ball cleanly. Try to sense that your hands are closer to your body through impact and that you’re going to hit the ball on the club’s toe. If you hit both balls, your hands and the clubface are still too close to the ball. Try exaggerating the feeling until the shanks disappear. This drill really works. Try it.
Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book How To Break 80…And Shoot Like The Pros!. He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that was able to figure out the secrets of shooting in the 70’s on a consistent basis without quitting your day job. Jack has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately.