The "S" Word

I hate to post about my stupid golf struggles but I have had enough :biting:. Yes...I have the dreaded shanks. I have had them before but never anything this bad (and long lasting).

Monday at the range and hitting it well and then all of the sudden...shank...ok that was weird...shank...shank...like 10 in a row (at the kanata golf course range and almost put one the freakin' road!) I then tried playing 9 holes and they seemed to have subsided but on the 6th hole my second shot was a huge hosel rocket. I proceeded to hit a few more shanks and then walked off the course.

Tuesday...it's a new day...not. Same range, same shanks. After 15 minutes I head home and decide to take a few days off.

Took wednesday and thursday off and tried playing 9 tonight. I played 2-3 balls per hole and overall it was a little better but even on "well" struck shots I am at least a club shorter than I was last week.

At first it was probably 95% mental but now I think there must be a significant swing flaw that is creeping it's way into my swing. I honestly feel like I have forgotten how to swing the club and have zero confidence standing over the ball.

So any ideas what it could be? I have read it could be from coming too much from the outside but also that it could be from coming too much from the inside...I'm confused. Also, have noticed my divots are pointed a substantial ways to the left of my target...not sure what that means because I tend to draw the ball a bit with my irons.

Here is a quick clip of one of my shanks at the range earlier this week. I have quite a short backswing to begin with but I may be getting even a little quicker which could be causing some of my problems. Anything that stands out that could be causing my shanks?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzw2IQ795oU

No, don't say that dreaded word! And this coming after you've been playing so well, eh? You need a better video than that though, I'll take some on Monday :P
Did your divots ever point to the left that much before or were they straight?

Hmmm, think happy thoughts? :P

Nothing like getting a high quality video of someone shanking the ball:laughing:

I think my divots were always a little left of target....but when I was hitting it well I didn't really care. But tonight I noticed they were pointed a good 5-10 yards left of the green.

Trying the happy thoughts thing...it's wearing thin:grumpy:

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Originally Posted by DenisO

No, don't say that dreaded word! And this coming after you've been playing so well, eh? You need a better video than that though, I'll take some on Monday :P
Did your divots ever point to the left that much before or were they straight?

Hmmm, think happy thoughts? :P

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you have to look often and quickly but it looks like your all arms, your belt buckle as no rotation and your not loading to your right side, looks like your left shoulder is dipping down onto the ball as opposed to rotating, and your head could stay down on the ball longer. just be confident and trust your abilities. Just look at picture perfect Odorcic's swing for 10minutes should cure you.

I saw the same thing as habsfan, you're all arms with very little shoulder turn.

I had a terrible range session last week where I shanked about 25% of my irons. I was rushing my swing and not turning my body. Fixed that and everything was golden.

my big problem when I shank it is crowding the ball. not sure if that's your problem or not but take a look.

Getting uncomfortable over the ball, don't even say this, I'd rather hear the "S" word. Get back to basics, you may have drifted off of your normal setup.

Had the shanks years ago and could'n get rate of it and it lasted a good 2 years. Have seen almost all the pros around.......name one and i had a lesson from him;)
No one could fix my problem. I changed my grip.....standed closer, further , even went for a view test.....i was ready to try anything.lol!
It killed my game. Lost all my confidence........ put my clubs for sale....slamed the trunk of my car swearing that I was quitting ...etc... but after a while , just like that i was able to hit the ball again.
Today i'm still playing but with all the struggles I went through i don't know why but it feels as if i can't relax my nerves and tension cause me to lose at least 1 club in distance if not 2 ...very frustrating. Now i rely on my short game to score and it work but.................................

Had them in July. Played a great round went to the range the next morning to work on the short game and there it was. 400 balls later I managed to get back to my usual swing. A quick lesson also really helped. In my case my basic address was OK, (grip was fine, posture over the ball, etc) What the the lesson helped me focus on my shoulder turn (in my case too much turn actually) and the position of my elbows in the backswing. I also focused on keeping my elbows closer to my body on the downswing. The result was a little shorter backswing although not as short as yours, and a more even paced tempo througout my swing, which when I am hitting well and long is key for me.

Thanks for the insight guys. I spent a lot of time at the range at the end of last week trying to figure out what was going on (with the help of some of your advice) but don't think I have really gotten any closer to an answer. Probably going to take some time off and give it another go in september sometime. I'll probably try having a Pro look at my swing as well. Got my handicap down to an all-time low and then this...how quickly the game can leave you :laughing::hissyfit:.

I'm not entirely convinced a pro will help you as much with the shanks if they haven't seen your swing before (when playing well). I'd suggest you stop "working at it" and try playing a relaxed "who cares" round or two. Probably hit some good shots and some bad shots but won't be thinking about swing mechanics and might get your swing back to a more natural place.

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Originally Posted by adam781

I'm not entirely convinced a pro will help you as much with the shanks if they haven't seen your swing before (when playing well). I'd suggest you stop "working at it" and try playing a relaxed "who cares" round or two. Probably hit some good shots and some bad shots but won't be thinking about swing mechanics and might get your swing back to a more natural place.

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That was my initial thought as well but there is obviously a flaw in my swing that is probably stemming all of this. I would assume this flaw has always been present in my swing but I was able to mask it for the longest time because of natural athletic ability. Now that I have lost all confidence (and have become a mental wreck :redface) I can no longer cover up these flaws with physical talent. I have a voucher for a free lesson (through clublink) that expires in October anyways so might as well make use of it. The "care free" round is only going to happen after I notice a more significant improvement on the range...the frustration would be unbearable for me in a course setting...range is easier just to pack up and leave.

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I would assume this flaw has always been present in my swing but I was able to mask it for the longest time because of natural athletic ability. Now that I have lost all confidence (and have become a mental wreck )

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I suggest a name change from northern33 to "SiberianTiger". :-)

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Originally Posted by jvincent

I suggest a name change from northern33 to "SiberianTiger". :-)

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Is that a shot at me? I don't get it:scratchch...sorry I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes:lmfao.

No, shot at Tiger.

You have the same problem he has right now, i.e. fault in the swing that can't be masked by talent any more. Also lost all confidence and a mental wreck. All you're missing is a boatload of cash and a string of hookups.

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Originally Posted by jvincent

No, shot at Tiger.

You have the same problem he has right now, i.e. fault in the swing that can't be masked by talent any more. Also lost all confidence and a mental wreck. All you're missing is a boatload of cash and a string of hookups.

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Ah...I figured it had something to do with that Tiger. Sorry to ruin your joke by asking you to explain it:lmfao. One thing this string of horrible golf has allowed me to do is laugh...at how mentally weak I really am :-).

You are reaching down to the ball at address. For proper set up, address the ball with your back straight and your knees bent. Right now you are chopping at the ball too steeply and leaning over top of the ball rather than encountering it in the swing plane. This causes an outside in swing and "all arms" action to keep your balance.

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Originally Posted by Corkscrew

You are reaching down to the ball at address. For proper set up, address the ball with your back straight and your knees bent. Right now you are chopping at the ball too steeply and leaning over top of the ball rather than encountering it in the swing plane. This causes an outside in swing and "all arms" action to keep your balance.

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Thanks for the insight...I definitely notice that as I watch the video more closely.

We've all been there, I hope this corrects that one bad shot that causes nightmares!

Northern... I ws talking to one of my very knowledgeable golf friend about my out of nowhere shank... His answer was that a shank is the closest think to a perfect shot???

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Originally Posted by Chambokl

Northern... I ws talking to one of my very knowledgeable golf friend about my out of nowhere shank... His answer was that a shank is the closest think to a perfect shot???

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Sounds like a psychological ploy in helping not to dwell on the shank:lmfao. Problem for me is that the shank is no longer out of nowhere...I'm a consistent shanker:grumpy:.

Have you tried addressing the ball at the toe of your clubs? I know this won't help with any swing faults, but this helps me when I'm hitting off the hosel while my swing is feeling like an unfolding lawn chair!

It's funny, whenever I get the shanks, if I try to do this, something automatically feels off. I feel like the ball is too far, end up 'reaching' for it and shanking even worse :( I'm sure it works for some though.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Chi

Have you tried addressing the ball at the toe of your clubs? I know this won't help with any swing faults, but this helps me when I'm hitting off the hosel while my swing is feeling like an unfolding lawn chair!

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make sure you are closing the club enough in the downswing... almost feel like you are going to hit it with the toe of the club

Good tip Goley.

when it comes down to it, to repeatedly shank golf balls means one thing only. You are focused on hitting a ball, not swinging to a target. When you hit that first shank, in your next swings the more your body wanted to hit the ball, the worse the shanks became. So in your case, once you hit one, you became self-concious and its more likely to happen again. That is why taking a few days off helped a bit but not completely. You need to reorient your focus to swinging to a target. Watch these videos and you'll be fine, trust me.

http://www.youtube.com/clemshaw#p/u/61/MCkmiS5WtNw
http://www.youtube.com/clemshaw#p/u/60/ARP5Y7p5ovU

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Originally Posted by DenisO

It's funny, whenever I get the shanks, if I try to do this, something automatically feels off. I feel like the ball is too far, end up 'reaching' for it and shanking even worse :( I'm sure it works for some though.

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I'm able to pull off addressing the ball on the toe as long as I focus on maintaining my spine angle during the swing. I could see how feeling like you are reaching for the ball could cause you to dip your spine angle forward on the downswing and shank worse though. I don't put the ball all the way out on the toe, just slightly towards the toe is enough for my dreaded swing!

Addition: I also find focusing on keeping my weight 'more' on my heels helps eliminate the shanks. If I feel myself lurching towards the ball on my downswing, I know my weight has transferred too much to the balls of my feet (or toes) - causing me to shank off the hosel.

Lots of movement in your lower body; i would try and keep it a bit more quiet through out.