What is happening????

[Big Johnny69]

Every club except the driver, I hit off the heel or shank it. Last year had a battle of the shanks for about three weeks. This was caused to years of very bad mechanics. I took some instruction and the problem seemed to have gone away. But now over the last couple of weeks this whole heel/shank scenario is coming back. And if it does, I will give up on this game. It was the most frustrating thing I ever had to go through last year, and its not worth doing again. It took all the fun and joy out of playing golf. Fwy wds are bad, everything off the heel, low left and not very far. Irons are either heeled, or shanked. Its about a 50/50 on if its heeled or shanked.

Now when I take a practice swing and slow everything down I find that my swing path is going to the outside of the ball. Hence the heel or shank shot. Its tough to explain, but I'll try:

At address I put the club down behind the ball with the ball in the middle of the face. I start my backswing, get to the top, start my downswing, but when I come down with the downswing by club now attacks the ball from the inside with the heel or hosel in the middle of the ball. Now it doesn't feel like I'm reaching to the other side of the ball, but that is what appears to be happening.


Anyone have any ideas? I've been struggling with this on and off (yesterday it was on) this year, and it is quickly turning me very sour on the game and if it keeps up I will quit. I keep telling everyone I am the worst 7 handicapper you will ever see. All my friends and fellow golfers I play with that are around my level of play never have this sort of problem. When their game's go bad its usually a little thin here, a little fat there. Or just pulling or pushing the ball a bit. They never have the shanks or start slicing violently like what happens to me when I'm off. Needless to say its very frustrating.

[jvincent]

Geoff, try my set up and see what happens. I was having a similar problem, albeit not as bad, and once I changed to setting up inside the ball, magic. Just setup inside and take your normal swing. You might be surprised.

From a mechanics point of view, check to see if you are taking the club away on a very inside line. That is also a recipe for shank-city.

[Big Johnny69]

Geoff, try my set up and see what happens. I was having a similar problem, albeit not as bad, and once I changed to setting up inside the ball, magic. Just setup inside and take your normal swing. You might be surprised.

From a mechanics point of view, check to see if you are taking the club away on a very inside line. That is also a recipe for shank-city.

I've tried setting up with the ball on the toe, inside the ball etc, same results. As for taking it away inside, I do take it away more inside than I used to based on what my instructor told me. I was no where near to on plane before I started taking the club away more inside.

But this is getting a little tiresome and frustrating to say the least.

[Kilroy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPRSbC_COU0

[Big Johnny69]

Thanks Dan, I'll check that out once I get home tonight. At work now, and this laptop doesn't have a media player that will play the clip and I'm not allowed to download one to install it.

[Kilroy]

He says you're too close to the ball. When you shank, get back on your heels and it will go away. I'll try that since I am now also battling a case of the shank you's.

[Txxxxxxx]

Did you see if your clubs are fit properly for you length-wise? What about lofts? Just throwing out ideas. I was having issues at the beginning of the season with hitting the ball fat with my irons. I bent my irons 2* upright and that issue went away.

[Big Johnny69]

Did you see if your clubs are fit properly for you length-wise? What about lofts? Just throwing out ideas. I was having issues at the beginning of the season with hitting the ball fat with my irons. I bent my irons 2* upright and that issue went away.

Yup, irons bent 1-3* up depending on what the lie test said for each iron.

[Txxxxxxx]

Yup, irons bent 1-3* up depending on what the lie test said for each iron.

Length is ok too?

[BC MIST]

Anyone have any ideas?

While I suppose may be possible, a shank is not caused by an inside club head path to the ball, but rather an outside path. With an outside path the hands and arms are more OUT toward the ball and the shank occurs. I have seen some golfers who take the club away TOO much on the inside and are so much below the ideal plane that their hands move out to get back on plane, move a little too far out, and a shank results. It's the OUT that causes the problem,

If the path is too much from the inside on the downswing the general result is a shot off the toe. If a golfer tries to incorrectly "extend down the line," as you so often hear the scholars on TV say, the club is moved too far out toward the ball and again a shank may occur. In my signature below, I state that one has to swing crooked to hit the ball straight. This means that the hands do NOT go down the line but the hands come around the body and if you do then a shank is impossible. The hands/arms moving left is the only way the to square up the face. The leftward motion of the hands does not cause the club head to come into the ball from the outside.

Your instructor is correct in having you swing from the inside, but if you try to swing from the inside from the top of the backswing by moving your hands out to the ball or trying to get the club head out to the ball, a shank is a high probability. Rather, to swing from the inside, the hands MUST go BACK, ie., to you right, from the top, after which they will drop DOWN and then OUT to the ball. OUT to the ball is the third thing that must happen, not the first.

Another occasional cause is that at the transition many golfers loosen their grips and then regrip it, and in so doing push the club too far out. This is something that very few actually feel when it happens.

There are band aid cures everywhere, but swing correctly, and you will NEVER shank.

[jvincent]

He says you're too close to the ball.

That was going to be my follow-up. It's not enough to take your normal stance and move the club inside the ball.

For me I, actually need to set up as if you are going to hit a ball that inside your real ball. It's my natural, comfortable position. From that position I know where the clubhead is going to end up.

[Indio]

Geoff, this is going to sound silly but I am serious, have you had a vision exam lately? Eye/hand can be affected by a slight decrease in vision.

[Golfbum]

I know one thing for sure Geoff. The more you think about this problem the worse it will become.
Get your fundamental swing fixed up and then just stand there and hit the damn ball. You were playing great at the start of the season. So it is not like you can't play the game.

I have been having a major issue with my driver. Finally last weekend I thought to myself "OK, swing the club instead of trying to steer the ball into the fairway" The results? Best ball striking day of the season, driver and irons. One of my best scores too. If I had not THREE JACKED 4 greens I would have been +4 for the round.

The biggest challenge in golf lies in that 6 inch space between our ears. Giving the game up that you have come to love is not the answer. I realize that I have not offered any swing tips etc, and I can't. I am not a teaching Pro, so I do not try act like one. Go back to the Pro you saw last year, pretty sure he can fix your problem in no time flat.
With that, GOOD LUCK BUDDY

[larry]

Try standing a little further from the ball and try and hit fades/slices. My Dad had this problem and after a couple of rounds playing nothing but fades, he was able to gradually adjust back to hitting it straight.

[dH]

I feel for ya Geoff, it's reassuring though I"m not the only one with issues each year lol. I told an associate recently oh well if I have to be terribly inconsistent with any part of my life... Golf's a good choice.

Rob

[harbacostal]

I had huge issues with ball striking last year with pretty much every club in the bag.

Ultimately the thing that fixed it for me was creating a much more stable base. Legs a smidgeon wider, knees flexed, abdominals working during the swing. Concentrate on the tempo begin smooth and slow. Feel the big shoulder turn...I'm a lefty so I concentrated on first off getting my right shoulder under my chin, and then replacing it with my left shoulder, rotating around my spine...

Keep the tempo smooth. I can't emphasize that enough. Don't exceed the pace your stable base can handle with your arms...eventually you'll start hitting the ball farther and farther and straighter and straigher...and your new smooth tempo will be much faster....

[Started2k3]

Every club except the driver, I hit off the heel or shank it. Last year had a battle of the shanks for about three weeks. This was caused to years of very bad mechanics. I took some instruction and the problem seemed to have gone away. But now over the last couple of weeks this whole heel/shank scenario is coming back. And if it does, I will give up on this game. It was the most frustrating thing I ever had to go through last year, and its not worth doing again. It took all the fun and joy out of playing golf. Fwy wds are bad, everything off the heel, low left and not very far. Irons are either heeled, or shanked. Its about a 50/50 on if its heeled or shanked.

Now when I take a practice swing and slow everything down I find that my swing path is going to the outside of the ball. Hence the heel or shank shot. Its tough to explain, but I'll try:

At address I put the club down behind the ball with the ball in the middle of the face. I start my backswing, get to the top, start my downswing, but when I come down with the downswing by club now attacks the ball from the inside with the heel or hosel in the middle of the ball. Now it doesn't feel like I'm reaching to the other side of the ball, but that is what appears to be happening.


Anyone have any ideas? I've been struggling with this on and off (yesterday it was on) this year, and it is quickly turning me very sour on the game and if it keeps up I will quit. I keep telling everyone I am the worst 7 handicapper you will ever see. All my friends and fellow golfers I play with that are around my level of play never have this sort of problem. When their game's go bad its usually a little thin here, a little fat there. Or just pulling or pushing the ball a bit. They never have the shanks or start slicing violently like what happens to me when I'm off. Needless to say its very frustrating.

Ball in the middle of the clubface at address? I set up with the ball more towards the toe at address - centre of the ball at the far edge of the score lines - which usually results in centre hits for me. But this is just my prefered way based on my (most likely flawed) swing.

[the hummer]

Geoff,

I am a 7 handicap and every year when I'm playing well and spending little or no time on the range I get a bout of the shanks...like last week. I am currently on the road to recovery.

Yes, it's very discouraging but trust me, hang in there and don't panic. It's most likely not your swing so whatever you do, don't alter it. It's most likely your setup. Having too much weight forward (too much weight on the toes or leaning too far forward) will cause you to shank. Try favouring more weight between the balls of your feet and your heels, and set yourself up in an athletic position (don't forget a good spine angle). Hit a few hundred iron shots on the range with this setup, get some confidence back and I think all will be OK after a few rounds in the mid 80's. You'll be shooting in the in the high 70's to low 80s in no time again.

[MusicMan]

i just saw this... this is my kind of thread...

Geoff, I'm the last person you wanna be taking advice from now. so ill just keep my mouth shut and listen... haha!

Bobs got a good point... i think you need to get your eyes checked. you know once you hit your age the vision starts to go... time to go see the doc.

[Chieflongtee]

When setting up for a shot what kind of shot do you visualise in your mind? The one you have hit successfully time and time again or the ones you shanked? If you are replaying the shank or telling yourself not to shank you will for sure shank it again and again. You need to start thinking differently.

Remember success forget failure.

[Wknd_Warrior]

I'd say just watch your poisture from start to end. Bbeyond that I don't want to risk messing up your good game.

[Big Johnny69]

Chief, all I'm thinking about is trying to make a good swing. I don't think about previous or future shots.

But a little update:

In my last round I tried keeping my weight more centred on my feet and wasn't taking the club so much back to the inside. It seemed to help. Only hit one bad shot that somewhat resembled a shank. Everything else was more to the centre of the clubface, and even out towards the toe on some. I'll keep working on it and see how I progress.

[hkypuk]

[QUOTE=the hummer;188244]Geoff,

I am a 7 handicap and every year when I'm playing well and spending little or no time on the range I get a bout of the shanks...like last week. I am currently on the road to recovery.

I suffer the same pain my brothers.
It seems to happen every year at the same time.
The first 20 rounds are great and better than the end of the previous.Bombing it,stiffing it,laying it in and rolling it up and then...... @#$%^*&@@@@.
The worse I play the more I wanna play to try fix it.
I always find the "groove " on the range but you often don't have that luxury before a round.

IMO your local CPGA Professional is the answer.

[john dunigan]

Geoff,
Remember that if you can hit the hosel, the face is 6 times bigger!!!
Take a 2 foot long 2x4 to the range with you and set the ball up so that you only have 1.5 inch or less from the ball to the 2x4. Keep hitting balls until you don't hit the block of wood ever again. You are likely swinging inside to outside rather than inside to down the line and this will change that very quickly. Plan on being stunned by some wood contact, though. You may well have to feel like you are going to hit the ball wel off the toe of the club for awhile.

John

[mberube]

That’s exactly right John. I have a tendency to swing in to out and get the shanks from time to time although I haven’t had then for quite some time. The drill that I use is VJ’s water bottle. I put a water bottle 2 inches on the outside path of my target line past the hitting area and as close as I can to the ball. This prevents me from throwing the club outside and hitting the ball on the follow through. Makes me swing in to in. Great drill.

My 2 cents
Mike