No more shanking with these golf shank fixes
Have you been enjoying a great round of golf only to find yourself shanking a golf shot when the pressure is on? Maybe you’re just struggling to make consistent contact with the centre of the clubface and tend to shank the golf ball when you least suspect it? If either of these sounds like you, then you’re in dire need of a golf shank fix so it does no further damage to your golf scores.
The good news is I’ve outlined the what, why, and how to eliminate your golf shank so you can move ahead with your golf game and enjoy the day on the golf course.
I've used the golf instruction at Rotary Swing to fix my golf shank as well as every other golf fault I used to have.
It's where over 300,000 golfers have done the same and lowered their golf scores.
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What does a shanked golf shot look like?
When you set up to the golf ball and instead of the ball going straight at the target, it will go straight to the right (right-handed golfer) at about a 45-degree angle or even 90 degrees in extreme cases. The golf ball will not travel very far and usually ends up in the thick rough, a bunker, trees, water, or even out of bounds.
It's a terrible feeling because the golf ball hasn’t actually hit the clubface and comes straight off the hosel, which is the adjoining piece of metal between the clubface and the golf shaft.
It doesn’t matter if the clubface is open or shut, a golf shank can still occur.
Remember this, because often golfers mistake a golf shank with the face position which has nothing to do with it and you could end spending hours trying to fix the wrong root cause of the problem.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW THAT DEMONSTRATES HOW TO STOP SHANKING INSTANTLY:
Why does it happen?
The most common reason you hit a golf shank is that the hosel of the golf club is in a direct line with your hands when you grip the club. If you compare golf to tennis, in tennis the sweet spot lies in a straight line to where your hand is holding the handle. In baseball it’s exactly the same thing, the sweet spot is directly in line with the grip when you hold the bat.
However, in golf, it’s completely different.
The extension of the grip that you’re holding goes through to the hosel of the golf club which is not the sweet spot.
The sweet spot is actually about 2 inches from the hosel which is not in line with the handle that you are holding.
Identify your golf shank first
There are 4 different causes of golf shanks so it’s important you identify which one you suffer from so you can implement the right golf shank fix quickly.
Once you've done this it makes the job of fixing the shank much easier and more likely to start hitting the golf ball well again.
Severe in to out swing path:
This is a path where commonly the clubhead gets stuck behind the golfer on the downswing.
As the swing speeds up the clubhead gets pushed out through the impact position.
The clubhead falls away from the golfer and continues to do so resulting in a shank straight right of the target.
Severe out to in swing path:
The most common way golfers shank the golf ball. This is a swing path where the golf club gets over the top of the swing plane with the golf club coming down steep in the downswing.
As the swing speeds up in the downswing the clubhead moves outside of the golf ball before it gets to the impact zone. This results in the hosel making contact with the golf ball and a shank results.
Severe scooping and casting of the golf club:
This happens when the right-hand gets too strong and pushes against the shaft forcing the clubhead to reach the golf ball before the hands.
The hands will unhinge too quickly and roll underneath causing a scooping action through the impact zone bringing the hosel into play for a shank to occur.
Losing posture in the golf swing:
Another common reason for the shank is losing your golf posture.
Most notably this happens when the tush line (a line drawn against your butt at address) is broken and you stand up and move closer to the golf ball cramping your body and golf swing resulting in a shank.
Seeing this on video is a must to identify if it is your problem.
Fixing your golf shank for the poor swing path
For the swing path issues that result in your golf shank, I have a great drill you can practice at home or on the driving range. Simple grab a wood cover, iron cover, or something soft and place it about 3 inches above and 4 inches behind in distance from the golf ball. (see image below)
To sharpen your focus, even more, place another smaller soft object about 3 inches below the golf ball closer to where you’re standing.
Practice making golf swings through the middle of these objects to get a feeling of swinging on a consistent, on plane path.
Once you’ve built up some confidence, practice hitting short chip shots doing the same drill and this ensures you only make contact with the clubface and not the hosel.
Fixing your golf shank for casting and losing posture
I have 2 important golf shank fixes here that are incredibly powerful yet simple that will fix swing path issues as well. To fix the casting issue try weakening the pressure in your right hand (right-handed) and practice making golf swings letting the left hand naturally rotate down as the right wrist rotates and stays on top with the palm facing down through and past impact. Next, practice at home or at the driving range placing a chair against your butt at your golf set up.
This is commonly known as the tush line. A common problem for the shanks is when the butt drives forward towards the golf ball in the downswing causing the golfer to stand up and cramp themselves at impact.
Make practice swings with your butt against the chair and keep it there until just after the impact zone.
You can practice against a wall or anything really as long as you get the feel of staying in posture which helps deliver the golf club on the correct golf swing plane and avoid any chance of a golf shank.
What to do next
Make sure you first identify what your most likely cause of the golf shank is. This will help you choose the right golf shank fix to get it sorted quickly.
The best way to do this is by recording your golf swing as it will show you the exact movements before and after impact.
Next, perform the practice drills that relate to your shank issue and practice multiple times without hitting a golf ball first.
Once you have performed a number of reps (at least 30), go ahead and start hitting balls with half swings or something close to pitch shot distance.
Work your way up to a full swing and you should start to see yourself making centre contact with the golf ball more often.
If you have any questions about these golf shank fixes, please leave a comment below, and don’t forget to share on your favourite social media icon to the left.
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