# Help needed for the S word!



## doorboyyy (Jul 1, 2010)

I hate to say it but I got the shanks, I had heard the word but didnt know just how unbelievably frustrating they are. Let me start by saying I have been playing for a year and have taken lessons (maybe 8 times) and my scoring had gotten to the point where I was shooting between 90 and 95 every round, until this past week. I have especially lately hit my irons very well. But now all of the sudden on friday I played and the ball would shoot strait right so bad that if I were back in the setup position the ball was in front of me! With the ball mark on the heel and hosel! I made it through the round and went strait to the range yesterday to work on it, well not one shank, I was hitting very crisply and thought the storm had passed. Fastfoward to today Sunday I decided to go out again and sure enough I shanked every iron shot to the point I couldnt even finish my round. I feel like I am doing the same thing I did yesterday at the range and the ball comes right off the hosel. I have never hit a shank in the year I have been playing which includes at least 3 rounds a week and probably 4 to 5 buckets of balls a week, my bad shots were fat and a little push to right over the top miss, but never a shank. I moved the ball up in my stance and back, moved closer and further away nothing worked. I know you guys cant see my swing I just wanted to know how can someone who normally hits the sweet spot all of the sudden cant even put the clubface on the ball.


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## stevel1017 (Apr 30, 2007)

hosel rockets, ouch
see if this helps
Cure For The Shanks


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## doorboyyy (Jul 1, 2010)

*may have figured out part of it*

I started today at the range holding the club up in front of me at address and relaxing my hands and wrist, when I did that the club was almost shut closed (I hope this makes sense). So I began gripping weaker and then relaxing my hands and wrist and playing with that and that seemed to help. Is it possible to be so shut at the bottom that it could cause a hosel rocket to the right? I kind of thought I would be throwing the club out or be extremely open to cause a shank to the right. Any input would be helpful, thanks:dunno:


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## dadamson (Aug 2, 2010)

Hmm, it could actually be a number of things. It seems like your technique has been given a bad habit that you can't seem to shake.

Try to go through your swing veeery slowly and see if that helps, at the peek of the club (end of the back swing) is your club swivelling slightly at the peak?

Did the change of grip affect the shots in any way?

Has your stance changed at all?

Are you correctly swinging with your hips and body without too much force from your hands?

Play around with these things and see if you notice any changes / improvements?

Without seeing your swing it is impossible to pinpoint the problem you are having unfortunately.

SOmetimes it's a good idea to have another golfer watch your swing in slow motion and in real life.

Hope this helps.


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## FrogsHair (Mar 4, 2010)

That is a pretty decent article on shanking that Stevel1017 provided. Thanks for that. Myself, I tend to shank my shorter clubs every once in a while. Maybe less than 4 or 5 times a year. Usually my shanks occur when practicing. If I shanked a couple when practicing, I quit right there, pack up and go home. If I shank a shot during an actual round of golf, I will switch from what ever iron I shanked, to my 7W, and adjust my swing for the required distance. No need to repeat the same problem with the same club. From my list of bad shot causes that I carry in my note book, here is what I have on "my" shanks when they occur;

*Bad grip.
*Bad position at top.
*Weight on heels during the take away.
*Poor first move in down swing.
*Too much from inside to out swing.
*Hips not leading hands down.
*Poor weight transfer.
*Back swing too far inside. 
*Check entire swing.

Of course the big problem is to identify which one, or multiple ones on my list, that have caused me shank, if it becomes a repetitive problem. If I shank one shot I don't worry about it at all, unless I follow it up with another shanked shot. Most of the time, in my own case, I am taking the club back too far to the inside. :dunno:


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## Cajun (Jan 17, 2010)

Great discussion guys. Lots of useful info in there for a hackstar like myself.


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## doorboyyy (Jul 1, 2010)

*thanks for the great replies*

all of the info was very helpful. I saw my local driving range "pro" yesterday and even though I was not shanking it, his insight to a swing flaw probably is the #1 reason for my shanks. On my downswing I was holding my lag too long and dragging the hosel right to the ball, my release was way late and too steep. I am working on releasing and turning my hands over earlier and hitting the ball with the back of my left hand facing my target. On my late releases the back of my left hand was pointing at the sky bring in the hosel into play and causing alot of fat shots and hooks. I hope this stuff helps others that do the same thing. By the way my local driving range pro is a 62 year old man that I have saw there many times but never seen him hit a ball. Well to make a long story short about halfway through my lesson with him he ask to hit my driver. I said sure here are some tees, he said what do I need tees for? and launched about a 230 to 240 rocket off the deck. He got my attention then for sure, I was all ears.


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