Hitting off the heel.

[Hank Hill]

I was playing well a couple of weeks ago but in the last couple of rounds, a wicked slice and a tendancy to sh@nk mid and short irons has crept into my game. As you can imagine it is wrecking my game, not to mention my confidence.

At first I thought I was just fighting a slice by leaving the clubface open at impact. My divots were straight or pointing slightly right so I knew I wasn't swinging out-to-in. I suddenly realised that the sh@nk and the slice could be linked when I hit a tee shot that sliced wickedly and saw that the black line I had drawn on my ball (for lining up putts) had made an imprint on the heel of my driver.

I guess i am slicing due to having a slightly open face at impact and this is exacerbated by hitting the ball off the heel, on mid and short irons where I am probably not leaving the face so open I am contacting the heel or worse, the hosel, resulting in mostly weak shots off to the right and occasionally the dreaded sh@nk.

Am I correct in suspecting that this is what is wrong with my swing?

If so, any tips or drills to sort out my swing path so that I can contact the ball more towards the middle of the clubface, so that I can get back to the fairway. Otherwise I will be eligable for a degree in forestry, with the amount of time I have spent in the woods lately.

[jvincent]

If you've got a flat swing and are coming from the inside too much, it can cause the shanks. Experience talking here.