Cursed shanks!

[aminian.1]

Start when I get tired

Hi all,

Same scenario every time: I go to range (or start playing my round) and I hit the ball great to start out with. After a while, when I start getting tired, the shanks creep up. The club starts feeling a little heavier, and the only thing I can manage to get on the ball is the hosel. Mine are severe inside-out shanks. The only cure I've found is to set up with the ball just off the tip of my club, and then swing at an imaginary ball that's inside (closer to me) of my ball. As you can imagine, it's pretty disconcerting when you're trying to swing at something that's not really there in order to make solid contact. I've tried all the anti-shank drills on here to no avail. Can anyone tell me why this happens when I get tired and/or how I can fix it? Thanks

[oneplanedan]

You could lighten your shafts....more energy later

[aminian.1]

I'd thought about doing that, but I'd really like to get to the root of the problem (i.e. my swing). I'm a relatively young guy with an athletic physique, and maybe it's just my stubbornness, but I feel like it has to be an issue with my swing and not so much my strength/endurance. Any guesses on what type of swing flaws would come out with a little bit of fatigue that would cause a shank?

[need4speed]

well when you're getting tired on the range you should definately stop cuz it will just ingrain bad swing mechanics...all i can say is you need to lift and workout if you're getting tired

[need4speed]

maybe if it's bad mechanics you have to work harder to correct it during the swing and use more energy?

are you swinging at it as hard as you can every shot?

[oneplanedan]

over swinging will make you work harder ie. tired.............but...there are alot of threads on shanks look them up some real in detail reasons...............my advice don't look into what causes one just work on what is right to avoid that situation..........not to mention there is a good thread on nutrition while playing

[aminian.1]

I weight train regularly and eat great, and I never try to swing out of my shoes. Something just happens when I get the slightest bit fatigued and "click," just like that, my club head is on a path outside the ball no matter what I do (besides aiming for that "imaginary ball" i mentioned before).

[jcjr34]

How hard do you grip your club? Maybe you start off with a hard grip at the beginning and hit the ball normally and then your hands start to get tired releasing your grip a little more giving that extra extension of the club.

[aminian.1]

That could definitely be. How do you suggest I correct?

[mikpga]

Avoid getting tired. Period.

[akanacl]

Hi all,

 

Same scenario every time: I go to range (or start playing my round) and I hit the ball great to start out with. After a while, when I start getting tired, the shanks creep up. The club starts feeling a little heavier, and the only thing I can manage to get on the ball is the hosel. Mine are severe inside-out shanks. The only cure I've found is to set up with the ball just off the tip of my club, and then swing at an imaginary ball that's inside (closer to me) of my ball. As you can imagine, it's pretty disconcerting when you're trying to swing at something that's not really there in order to make solid contact. I've tried all the anti-shank drills on here to no avail. Can anyone tell me why this happens when I get tired and/or how I can fix it? Thanks

Same situation for a me a few years back...identical. I realized it was my legs and knees getting tired and I was sliding thru the ball enough to lose it right and occasionally shank. When I feel a little fatigque now I double check with my practice swings that my knees are staying flexed properly throuhout the swing. Also, for me "severe inside-out" begins with poor leg action.

[The Boom Bapp]

That could definitely be. How do you suggest I correct?

 

 

Do you mostly walk or ride?

 

Do you own a heavy or weighted club?

 

How is you grip pressure?

 

Do you experiance soreness in your hands or forearms while playing?

[zojo]

you might be swinging too hard when you're on the range and the first few holes. The adrenaline causes you to hit it further with less effort, but as you get tired and the initial energy wears off, you won't hit your clubs as far as you want, and you will swing harder to try to make up for that lack of distance, which causes the shanks and bad swing mechanics. Try to slow down and just get an even tempo with your swing. This is just what I find happens to me personally, and maybe it'll help you.

 

If that doesn't work, try making more birdies. That way, you don't have to take as many strokes :russian_roulette:

[jcjr34]

That could definitely be. How do you suggest I correct?

 

 

If this is truly your problem, then you should lighten up your grip to begin with. One thing that I actually remember now taht I think of it is that this happened to me in the beginning of the season. I figured out that my torso was too vertical in my stance even though I had my knees bent at address. I now remind myself to have my butt stick out in my stance prior to hitting the ball and I haven't hit the hosel ever since.

[mngopher]

I think that what you don't realize is that you have the cure. You have addressed what the clubhead is doing, i.e. hitting the ball on the hosel, so you make a swing at an imaginary ball inside of your shanking path. Without seeing it, I would probably say this keeps your arms more connected to your body, and naturally corrects the problem. If you focus on the thought of swinging at a ball inside your normal path, you will ingrain the correct muscle memory, and avoid hitting the hosel dancer. Trying to ascertain several mechanical toughts about what the body should be doing, is a recipe for disaster, especially if your tired. I think you would be better addrssing it from what the clubhead is doing, which is what it appears you do, already. I'm not so sure why you get discouraged or negative, especially if it works to correct the issue. Sounds somewhat positive to me.

[dmagalhaes]

Most shanks start on the takeaway( too far inside). Work on that and tempo and you may not be so tired.

[GolfingAsia]

It's really difficult to pinpoint your shanks through a post....however this is usually the likely scenario...and it really has little to do with your swing...but how fatigue / laziness affects it.

 

1. you get tired, thirsty whatever

2. you've hit a bucket already and your fingers / arms start to tense up.

3. you get lazy and stop following through so you can hurry and hit the next ball.

4. Once this happens your screwed. your face opens up and the ball starts hitting the hosel.....hence your custom cure of aligning on the tip / toe. btw..you would never do this on the golfcourse.

[akanacl]

Hi all,

 

Same scenario every time: I go to range (or start playing my round) and I hit the ball great to start out with. After a while, when I start getting tired, the shanks creep up. The club starts feeling a little heavier, and the only thing I can manage to get on the ball is the hosel. Mine are severe inside-out shanks. The only cure I've found is to set up with the ball just off the tip of my club, and then swing at an imaginary ball that's inside (closer to me) of my ball. As you can imagine, it's pretty disconcerting when you're trying to swing at something that's not really there in order to make solid contact. I've tried all the anti-shank drills on here to no avail. Can anyone tell me why this happens when I get tired and/or how I can fix it? Thanks

I'm going to chime in again because fatigue is a big issue for me too. Not so much the shanks, but fatigue in general. IMOP fatigue shows itself in many ways, shanks, blocks, hooks, chunks, weak putts etc etc.. Grip pressure, shaft weight, swing path, ????????etc. etc..........naaah. These are symptoms.

 

For me (fitty years old) ....the first place fatigue shows up is the feet/legs/knees, but not neccessarily in that order. I'm starting to get a handle on it lately. When I start to tire, usually early in the back nine, I can feel the loss of "stability" in my preshot practice swings. So I STOP... and refocus my footwork/leg/knees in my preshot practice swing.

 

I've also cut way down on my warm-up routine. Approximately 10 each...chips, pitches, full wedges, maybe 10 sand, a few 8 irons, couple fairway woods and maybe 5 driver. All the time saved is spent on the putting green.

[Rory Mcilwoods]

I'm the reverse. I tend to be awful at the range, and then find some rhythm during the round. This week, I hit 70 balls pre round, of which 50 were horrific shanks. Only shanked one on the course - hole 1.

[596]

I find when I get tired I shank the ball also.

Not much you can do during a round except work through it. The only thing I have found that helps is

Address the ball
take a 1/2 practice swing to the inside of the ball (I do this about 2-3 times)
hit the ball

This ingrains the hands staying toward the body as you impact the ball. My shanks are caused by the hands moving away from the body at impact. I've never shanked a ball when I include the above in the preshot routine.