Golf Tips- The Dreaded Shank

The dreaded shank has mystified golfers and golf professionals for years. In a few words, what is happening is that you are re-routing your club on the downswing so the hosel (neck) of the iron contacts ball first. Since the neck is rounded, the ball squirts dead right. The main cause of re-routing is lack of shoulder turn and too much hands and arms in short iron swing. Also weight gets on balls of feet causing club to be cast to outside. The third component in this problem is lateral movement. The lateral movement and the casting (hitting from the top) can be linked to incomplete shoulder turn. This drill may help. With feet slightly less than shoulder width apart swing club with shoulders only (no hand or arm movement) to a shoulder high position on backswing and swing forward to shoulder high position on forward swing. During this drill do not move feet, keep both feet flat on ground. This is going to be tough to do, at first, but be patient and work through it. Try to get left shoulder under chin and behind ball on backswing, even on this short iron swing. Try to keep weight back on heels during this drill. You may try putting a ball under toe of each golf shoe to give you the feeling. You will notice that your distance will be close to that which you get from a full swing. After three drill sessions of 50 to 75 balls each, return to your normal swing and try to replicate the feeling you had during the drill. If you are still having a problem, let us know and I will give you my "Ultimate Shank Cure". It's a little radical and should only be used as a last resort. Thanks for contacting Wheat Road Golf.....I hope we have helped you.

Assuming you are a right handed player, please consider the following. A slice occurs when two conditions are present in your golf swing. #1. the clubface is open (facing to the right) at impact. #2. the clubpath is coming from outside the light of flight to inside the line of flight. What happens next is that the combination of these two conditions causes the ball to start out to the left of target (result of the path) and then fly to the right of the target (result of the spin caused by open clubface). We need to
change either one or both of these incorrect components and your slice will go away. A great drill for getting the clubface square is the following: with feet together (ankles touching) hit 40 - 50 teed up #6 irons. Use only a 1/2 to 3/4 swing and swing a little easier than normal, because balance will be difficult. After the #6 irons, hit 40 - 50 teed up #3 woods the same
way. You will begin to feel what your hands are doing (or not doing) during the swing. You will begin to see the ball start to right and then stay right because you are now closing the clubface at impact. After three sessions of this drill, widen your stance in only 1" increments until you reach your normal stance. Now hit some balls with normal stance and you should see more
pulls and fewer slices. Once you can pull the ball it is easy to route your swingpath down the target line. Thanks for the chance to help you with your game.

Here's the "Ultimate Shank Cure" and a recommendation for a training aid
that increases correct shoulder turn and helps eliminate the three main
causes of
shanking.......1. Lack of shoulder turn and a resultant lateral
sway.......2. Club path that is too far inside on takeaway, resulting in a
cast or "over the top" move at start of downswing.......3. Weight too far
forward on toes or balls of feet.

1. Place a shoe box (a golf club box would be better) on ground with end
facing target.
2. Tee up ball (1/4" high) 1" inside box midway.
3. With a #8, #9, or PW use a shoulder high swing and try to hit ball
without striking the box.
The first few swings will hit the box and you will need to replace it and
proceed as above. After 15 to 20 swings you will naturally reorient your
swing to the inside and start hitting some decent shots. After about 25 to
30 swings remove the box and try some more shots. If the dreaded
"pitchout"
is still there, go back to the drill. While you are at it, try a few
swings with #6 or #7 iron, shoulder high back to shoulder high through with
your feet together (ankles touching). This is a good drill to take sway out
of your swing and we know that lateral sway is a component in the shank
problem. It also encourages a good release of hands through the impact area.

Quite by accident, I discovered a swing aid device that has produced very
good results eliminating the shank. It is the Kallassy "Swing Magic". I
recommended it to a student looking to increase shoulder turn and in the
process he lost a shank that had bothered him for 25 years. They are
under $50.00 most places and well worth the investment long term. Check with
Wheat Road for best pricing.