Jump to content

Question about hitting the ball off the hosel?


Recommended Posts

Hosel Shot
I have been playing golf for about 10 years off and on. I worked at a Golf Course a couple of years ago and played almost everyday. I took about a year off for some reason and recently started playing a couple months ago. I started hitting the ball off the hosel( causing a NASTY banana ball), something I have never done prior. I would scoot back from the ball a little bit more (weight on the balls of my feet, maybe a little more foward), and would hit the ball as solid as ever. Sometimes I would fall off balance in my followthrough due to backing up a bit more. Is there a certain drill/technique I can do to make sure I'm the same distance from the ball (relative to the club) each time I line up to hit the ball?

On my wedges I feel like im a little far away but strike the ball fine (for the most part). When I see the tour players hit wedges, the shaft seems really close to their legs, even on iron shots.When I put the ball close to me, it comes off the hosel. I'm about 6'1" with pretty long arms, if this helps.

Thanks in adance.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 13
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

I'm not instructor but when I get lazy and lose concentration, I can also hit hosel rockets with consistency. The problem with me was even though I was focusing on swing the clubhead through the inside quadrant of the golfball, my siwngpath was coming from outside-in. To combat the problem, I make sure that I get a good shoulder turn (especially focusing on the right shoulder). On the downswing, I focus on making the clubhead attack from the inside as it attacks the golfball on its inside quadrant. Hope that helps!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A hosel shot is caused from the clubhead being further away from the body at impact than it was as setup. I've had this problem for years pop up and it can be caused from a number of things:

 

-Standing too close to the ball (probably not this)

-Standing too far from the ball causing you to throw the club from the top

-Taking the club too far to the inside to start the swing causing you to throw the club from the top

-Too flat of a swing plane causing you to come too far from the inside

-Starting the downswing with your shoulders instead of with your hips and hands (most likely)

 

These are just some of the reasons but all relate to a swing plane that has gotten either too much to the inside or outside.

 

I try to feel like on the downswing I'm putting my hand in my right pocket.....this keeps me from releasing early (casting).

 

The best thing to fix this is to "block" the path that causes this. I put a ball about 1" outside and 1" inside the ball I'm trying to hit. This keeps me on a better plane and after hitting 20 or 30 balls I'm usually back on track. Just make sure there isn't anybody around you when you do this for their safety :)

Titleist 915D2 9.5* Rogue Black 95MSI 60S
Callaway XHot Pro 15* Project X 6.5
Mizuno MP Fli Hi 2 Iron C-Taper X
Bridgeston J40CB 3-PW Project X 6.0
Ping Anser 54*,60* Project X 6.0
Taylormade Imola 8 35"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I call the shank hit from the outside a SLANK as it is a shank hit from the out to in swing path.........I would say that anythime you try to alter your weight to either favour your toes or your heels your body will compensate and try to re balance itself and often cause the club to attck the ball from a different angle.

 

The reason that when you are further from the ball you do not hit is the shank is that when you are hitting the shot with too much weight on your heels your body trys to re balance itself and depending on the angle of attack you either hit the SLANK or a true shank.

 

There are 3 basic ways to hit the shank:-

1) path that is too much from the inside.

2) path that is too much from the outside.

3) getting out ahead of the ball which means that the ball is effectively too far back in the stance to the body and the clubhead can't square up.....

 

The SLANK is usually led back to the setup and can be attributed to the grip and weight distribution.......it is also when the guy is spun out and slinging the club from too far from the outside.

 

I would have you hit balls with your feet together to elimint=ate any chance of the lateral motion that is normally visible when a shank occurs....if this is not the cause then place an old glove deep in the left armpit and turn left through the shot pulling the butt of the club low and left with you.....I would also have you hit shot with an extended club so that you could see the path and ffeel and see the correct release.

 

Sorry for the essay.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Cheers Dan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had one of the most serious cases of the shanks about a month back. It was terrifying to the point where I was scared to go to the range. A bad shank goes 45* right because it hit the hosel or hosel and face. My worst shanks were hitting the other side of the hosel, causing the ball to go way left. terrible.

 

Anyways, my problems were as follows:

 

Not enough torso/shoulder turn. A healthy swing should have your shoulder turning as much as 90 degrees from your hips/waist. I was hardly turning my shoulders out of extreme laziness, and my arms came across my chest in both back and forward swing. This causes your clubhead to move away from your body due to basic laws of centrifugal force, thus introducing the hosel to your ball.

 

Focus on a full shoulder turn (do not mistake an overly active hip turn for a legitimate shoulder turn).

 

On your downswing, focus on a rearward spine tilt, kind of the way your spine tilts backwards when you try to skip a rock really far on a lake. In conjunction to this spine tilt, your right elbow should stay close to your body, especially on the downswing. A good drill is to grab a head cover or a towel and pinch it between your right elbow and your right side. You should be able to keep it there through a full swing or at least until the top of your regular forward swing since you don't want it to chicken wing anyways.

 

Hope this helps. It cured my shanks and now I hit very consistently again. The 2x4 block or whatever to place on front of you can help, but it's kind of scary because most stuff you can think of to put there will jar your arms and possibly damage your club if you hit it hard.

 

Oh yea, I forgot to mention that you are over thinking it when you go as far as to start to alter your stance and weight position. It all should feel natural, and you shouldn't have to think about natural, unless you're setting up for some difficult draw shot on some real uneven lie.

Anyone can hit a ball nicely from any reasonable stance that feels comfortable to them. Go with what you had previously and work with some of the suggestions I gave or some of the other ones that others have given. They are all good recommendations because there are many causes for shanks.

 

Focus on hitting through the ball towards your target. Not hitting at the ball. Good luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alright guys thanks for the advice, Some/All of you may of hit it on the head. I went to the range earlier today (prior to reading these tips) and started out hitting the hosel. I soon after placed a spare glove under my left arm (at the arm-pit), and just took a comfortable adress, and a nice comfortable distance away from the ball. As soon as I did this the shanks went away!. So were my shanks due to me left arm leaving my chest or lunging for the ball?

 

I have an inside-out swing, or I'm pretty sure I do( My right elbow stays close to my body in my back and downswing). As I was doing this drill, it felt like my swing was coming to far to the inside in my backswing. I move the club back with my arms to sart the swing, not letting the clubhead get behind my hands until waist height, then I THINK it moves behind me (not exactly sure of the location past the waist height). Is this right?

 

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did you mean to say that you put that glove under your right arm? Whichever way you swing, it's your back elbow that needs to refrain from winging out. For a regular right handed swinger, it's your right elbow. I have a feeling that flattening out your swing would be a temporary cure for your shanks, but maybe not the best long term cure. I flattened out my swing a lot to help my shank problem but it lead to sweeping the ball on iron shots. I moved back towards a steeper plane to promote striking down, but now I just concentrate a lot on moving the clubhead along the proper swing path to promote an in to out to in path.

Swing facing a mirror and watch how your arms and shoulders are moving. Don't let your left arm cross over your chest too much on the backswing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes I'm a right handed golfer. I put the glove under my left arm and they went away? hmmm.

 

What do you mean by not letting my left arm cross over my chest too much in the backswing?

 

Also, how did you accomplish working the club from in-out-in? I know I swing in-out, but was just wondering how you worked on getting on the correct swing path.

 

I need to video tape my swing and post it up on here for everyone to analyze.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm 6'4 with probably longer arms than you. I also had this problem and had to take lessons with a local pro to correct it. He ended up changing my entire setup including the following:

 

1) I was standing probably six inches too far away from the ball. At setup now, I address the ball with the butt of the club right in my gut and then take a step back away from the ball -- first with my right foot so the toes of my right foot align to the heel of my left foot and then move the left foot back (so both feet align). The result is I feel like I'm right on top of the ball with my eyes almost directly over it -- especially with the shorter clubs. I know that isn't necessarily the case, but it feels that way.

 

BTW, the drill is the same with every club including the Driver. Only the width of my stance and/or ball position will change. The length of the shaft moves you further away from the ball rather than you changing your setup to do so. Anyway, this was a HUGE change and it took several practice sessions to get used to it.

 

2) He had me address the ball with my arms much more relaxed and my hands much lower than before.

 

3) I was moving my head during my swing to see the ball flight, which was changing my spine angle slightly. He has me now focusing on keeping my eyes on the impact zone until well after the ball leaves the club face.

 

4) I was swinging too much with my arms and hands (small muscles) and not with my shoulders (big muscles). I'm now working on a shoulder turn to take the club back rather than starting it with my hands. I was also taking the club too far inside. This is still a work in progress and will take many more sessions to correct.

 

After working on the first three items, I haven't hit a hosel since. My ball striking is much more consistent now and I've regained my confidence with my irons. I also have the same consistent setup with every club in my bag, which is something that hasn't been the case in the past.

 

For me, I couldn't have corrected for this without the help of my pro. And it took him all of about a minute to see my flaws and he instantly knew how to correct for them. Yours may be different so I highly recommend a few lessons and some drills to iron things out. Good luck!

Driver  Callaway Mavrik 10.5* Project X Evenflow Riptide 50
Fairway Callaway Epic Speed 15* HZRDUS Smoke

Hybrid Cobra King F8 22* Aldila Rogue Pro 75

Irons Ping G425 5-GW Power Spec DG 105

Wedges Ping Glide Stealth 54*/58* Z-Z115

Putter Cleveland Huntington Beach Soft 8 35"

Ball Bridgestone e12 Contact

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The thing you want to do is keep that glove in your left arm pit for back swing, downswing and and a fair bit of the follow through. This will get rid of the in-out path (Edit: Help towards that anyways). What you want is an in-square-in path. You don't want to go outside of the "circle" that you created at set-up as you swing, because you will then sling it down the line and hit some nasty pushes, and pushed hooks, and shanks :black eye:. Understanding the swing helps a lot, especially understanding what is right, and it will take time to get that understanding :)

 

Here are two great swings to watch that go from inside to inside

 

Hunter Mahan

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Our picks

    • 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Discussion and links to Photos
      Please put any questions or Comments here
       
       
       
      General Albums
       
      2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Monday #1
      2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Monday #2
      2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Tuesday #1
      2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Tuesday #2
      2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Tuesday #3
       
       
       
       
      WITB Albums
       
      Thorbjorn Olesen - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Ben Silverman - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Jesse Droemer - SoTX PGA Section POY - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      David Lipsky - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Martin Trainer - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Zac Blair - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Jacob Bridgeman - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Trace Crowe - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Jimmy Walker - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Daniel Berger - WITB(very mini) - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Chesson Hadley - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Callum McNeill - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Rhein Gibson - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Patrick Fishburn - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Peter Malnati - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Raul Pereda - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Gary Woodland WITB (New driver, iron shafts) – 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Padraig Harrington WITB – 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
       
       
       
       
      Pullout Albums
       
      Tom Hoge's custom Cameron - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Cameron putter - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Piretti putters - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Ping putter - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Kevin Dougherty's custom Cameron putter - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Bettinardi putter - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Cameron putter - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Erik Barnes testing an all-black Axis1 putter – 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Tony Finau's new driver shaft – 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
       
       
       
       
       
      • 7 replies
    • 2024 Valspar Championship WITB Photos (Thanks to bvmagic)- Discussion & Links to Photos
      This weeks WITB Pics are from member bvmagic (Brian). Brian's first event for WRX was in 2008 at Bayhill while in college. Thanks so much bv.
       
      Please put your comments or question on this thread. Links to all the threads are below...
       
       
       
       
        • Like
      • 31 replies
    • 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational - Discussion and Links to Photos
      Please put any questions or comments here
       
       
       
      General Albums
       
      2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational - Monday #1
      2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational - Monday #2
      2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational - Monday #3
       
       
       
       
      WITB Albums
       
      Matt (LFG) Every - WITB - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
      Sahith Theegala - WITB - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
       
       
       
       
       
      Pullout Albums
       
      New Cameron putters (and new "LD" grip) - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
      New Bettinardi MB & CB irons - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
      Custom Bettinardi API putter cover - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
      Custom Swag API covers - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
      New Golf Pride Reverse Taper grips - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
        • Like
      • 15 replies
    • 2024 Cognizant Classic - Discussion and Links to Photos
      Please put any questions or comments here
       
       
       
       
      General Albums
       
      2024 Cognizant Classic - Monday #1
      2024 Cognizant Classic - Monday #2
      2024 Cognizant Classic - Monday #3
      2024 Cognizant Classic - Monday #4
       
       
       
      WITB Albums
       
      Brandt Snedeker - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Max Greyserman - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Eric Cole - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Carl Yuan - WITb - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Russell Henley - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Justin Sun - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Alex Noren - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Shane Lowry - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Taylor Montgomery - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Jake Knapp (KnappTime_ltd) - WITB - - 2024 Cognizant Classic
       
       
       
      Pullout Albums
       
      New Super Stoke Pistol Lock 1.0 & 2.0 grips - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      LA Golf new insert putter - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      New Garsen Quad Tour 15 grip - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      New Swag covers - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Jacob Bridgeman's custom Cameron putter - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Bud Cauley's custom Cameron putters - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Ryo Hisatsune's custom Cameron putter - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Chris Kirk - new black Callaway Apex CB irons and a few Odyssey putters - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Alejandro Tosti's custom Cameron putter - 2024 Cognizant Classic
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
        • Like
      • 2 replies
    • 2024 Genesis Invitational - Discussion and Links to Photos
      Please put any questions or comments here
       
       
       
      General Albums
       
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Monday #1
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Monday #2
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Tuesday #1
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Tuesday #2
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Tuesday #3
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Tuesday #4
       
       
       
       
      WITB Albums
       
      Rory McIlroy - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Sepp Straka - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Patrick Rodgers - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Brendon Todd - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Denny McCarthy - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Corey Conners - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Chase Johnson - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Tiger Woods - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Tommy Fleetwood - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Matt Fitzpatrick - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Si Woo Kim - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Viktor Hovland - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Wyndham Clark - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Cam Davis - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Nick Taylor - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Ben Baller WITB update (New putter, driver, hybrid and shafts) – 2024 Genesis Invitational
       
       
       
       
       
      Pullout Albums
       
      New Vortex Golf rangefinder - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      New Fujikura Ventus shaft - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Tiger Woods & TaylorMade "Sun Day Red" apparel launch event, product photos – 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Tiger Woods Sun Day Red golf shoes - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Aretera shafts - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      New Toulon putters - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Tiger Woods' new white "Sun Day Red" golf shoe prototypes – 2024 Genesis Invitational
       
       
       
       
       
      • 22 replies

×
×
  • Create New...