HOSEL ROCKETS SH@^%$! (videos included (rated R))

[MrMorganUSC]

I have had them for 2 months and don't know what to do

I am so frustrated it isn't even funny......everyone has had these before and seems to get rid of them except me!!!

I haven't taken lessons yet but I am getting close to setting something up with the local pro......I had had lessons sorta from friends that are below 5 hcp and none of them know why I am shanking it.....they get me to stand further away from the ball which should fix it but doesn't....they all say my swing looks good and don't know why I shank it.

I will hit some good flush iron shots and then about every third nicely struck ball I will have a shank.....and all of the good shots I hit are hit near the heel of the club.

So I have some video's from when this shanking spree started but none within the past month and a half.....but I am still doing the same thing so I will show ya'll these.......

This video has about 6 different shots with a 7 iron.....some are good and some are bad (shanks). You can see after I hit the ball I will signal thums up if it is good and thumbs down if it is bad......and please don't commit on the jitters I seem to have here....I have that under control
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5WcLgAHPcI

This video is an 8 iron shank followed by a nice 8 iron shot......I don't see a difference.....neither does anyone else.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uso9CH432Pw

7 iron shank.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3Z5GpmX27U

Sand wedge shank
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FROf_lv1tY

Sand wedge good shot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3QX8dqvtNs

Shot from the side.....good shot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsEl9EwGmD4

I do have a few other videos on youtube but i feel you can see all you want on these swings

Any input is appreciated

Scott, SC

[thenewbie]

as I was watching your first video I was actually calling the shots (good or bad), and I got them all right. before your good shots, your arms are coming straight down from your shoulders, and when you slide the club out to get it behind the ball, your not stretching at all to get there. on the bad ones, you start with the club pulled in (like you do on all your shots, which isn't necisarily a bad thing), but then the ball is a bit to far away and you have to push your hands out a little to get the club there.

 

in other words, your shanks are actually from setting up TO FAR AWAY from the ball. when you first set up to your good shots (before sliding the club out behind the ball) the ball is just off the toe of the club. when you were going to hit a bad shot, there was about 5-7 inches between the toe and the ball. just make sure your arms are hanging confortably from your shoulders before you swing. if they aren't, simply pull back and set up again.

 

this is all, of course, just my thoughts.

[ej002]

I had some trouble with this one. I dont see much of a difference - but it looks like you are set up slighly closed. When I set up closed, I tend to heel the ball. I opened my stance and started to hit the ball flush again. I don't know, it is worth a shot.

[tpariff]

I was laughing my arse off at your hand signals, especially the one "so-so" shot. I'll leave the swing advice to the teaching pros.

[alpha_pro]

the way you throw down your club and walk back to the camera was great. it gave me a good laugh!!

[Manywins]

I am by no means a teaching pro but I have battled the el hosel rockets early this season and sincerely feel your pain. The only advice I would give is what has helped me. I tend to be long in my backswing, so I started to hit full shots with the feeling that I was hitting a punch shot. Try to hit some irons like you are trying to hit a punch shot and see if it helps. When I did this it felt ackward at first but eventually the shanks have started to subside. I hope this helps and hang in there I know how frustrating and how tough it is to get through el hosel rockets. Heck I am so spooked now I do not even say or type the word s@@@k.

[akanacl]

You are swinging the hosel at the ball instead of the clubface?

[ezra76]

After painfully watching these several times and stopping and starting in various points... I see a distinct and early disconnection of the arms and body on the bad shots, especially the SW and 7iron. You are trapped when you get to the ball and can see the effort to get back inside on the videos. Keep the arms connected and hit wedges, finish with your belt buckle to the target.

 

Do you have "5 lessons" by Ben Hogan? I'd suggest picking it up if not, it's only like $12 for the softcover at any book store. Read page 82... "The training exercise is a half swing back and forth. Back and forth, back and forth, the body swings the arms like a pendulum of a clock. The elbows remain tightly glued to the sides. "

 

I've been working with it for a while now. So far my wedge shots are top notch everytime out, not pretty good, like CH3 would have won twice this year if his were that good, good. lol. OK, maybe a little exagerration but not much.

 

Give it a try though, I really think getting the body and arms connected will have you striking the ball very well.

[jcjr34]

Well for what it's worth coming from a hi-handicapper... The thing I noticed on your bad shots is that during set up, your spine angle on the lower part of your torso is too upright causing your shoulders to slouch more which may be causing your chin to be tucked into your chest. On your good shot, your 'lower' spine angle seems to be tilted more which causes your entire spine angle to be straighter which prevents the shoulder slouching, etc. Try this: During address make a few motions as if you were going to start to sit in a chair (not just regular squats because that's an incorrect spine angle) and then hold that spine angle at address and swing away. This works for me!

[MisterMizzy]

I would assume your second shot was a good one based on your thumbs up. The only difference that I see on the first one where you gave a thumbs up is that your hips cleared properly. It seems that on the ones you shank your hips are closed/square to the target. Get those hips through just a split second earlier and see what happens.

[smittysbar]

I am so frustrated it isn't even funny......everyone has had these before and seems to get rid of them except me!!!

 

I haven't taken lessons yet but I am getting close to setting something up with the local pro......I had had lessons sorta from friends that are below 5 hcp and none of them know why I am shanking it.....they get me to stand further away from the ball which should fix it but doesn't....they all say my swing looks good and don't know why I shank it.

 

I will hit some good flush iron shots and then about every third nicely struck ball I will have a shank.....and all of the good shots I hit are hit near the heel of the club.

 

So I have some video's from when this shanking spree started but none within the past month and a half.....but I am still doing the same thing so I will show ya'll these.......

 

This video has about 6 different shots with a 7 iron.....some are good and some are bad (shanks). You can see after I hit the ball I will signal thums up if it is good and thumbs down if it is bad......and please don't commit on the jitters I seem to have here....I have that under control

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5WcLgAHPcI

 

This video is an 8 iron shank followed by a nice 8 iron shot......I don't see a difference.....neither does anyone else.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uso9CH432Pw

 

7 iron shank.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3Z5GpmX27U

 

Sand wedge shank

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FROf_lv1tY

 

Sand wedge good shot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3QX8dqvtNs

 

Shot from the side.....good shot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsEl9EwGmD4

 

I do have a few other videos on youtube but i feel you can see all you want on these swings

 

Any input is appreciated

 

Scott, SC

 

Did you used to post on golf rewind? I think I have commented on these vid's before. I tend to start leading with the heal not closing the face on the way through which looks like you may be spinning out before the club gets there, and the face staying wide open.

[MrMorganUSC]

Yes I did use to post on golf rewind....and these shanks are still happening.

 

Thanks for the replies guys......the thing is that everyone of you say something different so I really don't know what to do

 

I think a lesson is in order.......but I will try some of the things ya'll are saying first.

 

By all means keep the replies coming

 

Scott, SC

[raidernut1234]

You are pronating then supponating. You should supponate before you pronate, that way when you release the club toward the ground it will bounce end over end better. :clapping:

Oh wait, you wanted advice for the shanks... i thought it was on your club flip after you hit the shank, sorry.

 

Seriously, I feel your frustration. GET THE LESSON. but sit down and interview the pro first and set up the goal and objective of your lessons and be ready to practice the drills he gives you. Rememeber, it takes 21 days to replace a bad habit with a good one.

Also, he should start with the basics... grip, stance, setup, alignment, takeaway. and the preshot routine. if he doesn't, find another coach.

You have a good swing. 90% of errors for guys with good swings are the above listed basics.

Advice you get on here is going to be next to impossible to take to the range, let alone the course.

Good luck. let us know how your progress is going

[MrMorganUSC]

http://www.brianmanzella.com/forum/showthr...highlight=shank

 

Found this link.....Brian has a video at the bottom of the page where he explains how to never shank again but I don't reall get what he is saying or don't know how I can practice this....can someone simplify?

 

Scott, SC

[Nut_Case]

Watching that video, I did see something..on the ones you shanked, I noticed that your downswing, was much more forward, than your backswing, at the point you just pull the shaft down, the end of the shaft, is ponting slightly past the ball. Zooming in, I saw that your going out to in, with a closed face through impact...Now, I'm not 100% sure if I'm correct, but that is what I observed.

[thenextnumber1]

Ive been shanking it lately abit.

 

Just remember while ur goin through the shanks, that it is very close to a perfect shot!!

 

When I hit it out the middle at the moment im stiffing iron shots, im either hitting it stiff or shanking it haha!

 

You seem to QUIT at impact, you dont go through to the full finish its like you know ur gona shank it so you just quit at impact, kind of get lazy and give up!

[Asleep]

http://www.brianmanzella.com/forum/showthr...highlight=shank

Found this link.....Brian has a video at the bottom of the page where he explains how to never shank again but I don't reall get what he is saying or don't know how I can practice this....can someone simplify?

When you're clubshaft is parallel to the ground & target line coming down, he wants the toe of the head to be at least pointing straight up but preferably closed a little (toe farther away from you.) Feel is the face of your iron can "see" the ball a little when shaft is parallel to ground & target line.

 

Now I'm not sure that addresses your particular problem, but that's my take on that video fwiw.

[abewley]

ezra is right .. your disconnected ... take a glove and place it flat in your left armpit .. now swing...

[MrMorganUSC]

Thanks for the replies guys.....i will try to get out to the range today and see if I can work on some of the things ya'll are saying

 

Scott, SC

[raidernut1234]

ezra is right .. your disconnected ... take a glove and place it flat in your left armpit .. now swing...

 

I agree that's the best drill to try before you get your lesson.

 

good luck

[Golfkid09]

I've got 2 links for you, that should give you a good idea of some stuff to try.

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=75087

 

http://mytpi.com/mytpi05/exercises/exercis...?exerciseID=256

 

By the looks of it, your moving away from the "Tush" line on your downswing, jamming yourself, and causing you to be closer to the golf ball then when you started. This is also called "Early Extension".

[MrMorganUSC]

Well I went to the range today and same old thing......but like always i would tinker with things and not start hitting good shots until the end of my range session and by that time I was out of balls.

 

But basically nothing anyone was saying was working......what i figured out was that on my downswing, my right side (mid-section) would breakdown and become closer (meaning my right hip and my right ribs), It was like I was trying to help the ball up in the air and tilt my right side away from the ball.....it just seemed that when I would concentrate on keeping my right side strait up and down on my downswing I would not shank the ball.....but also it didn't seem like I was hitting the ball solid.....but that could be the rough like grass I was hitting at.....I will try to go out and have a full range session focusing on this tomorrow and see if it is still working.

 

Cross your fingers

 

Scott, SC

[smittysbar]

Even if the grass is rough you should still hit the ball good. Hitting down on the ball will make a shot feel good no matter what lie you have, unless it is real bad. Just keep your head behind the ball and go after it, don't get to wristy on the take away. Trust me if someone had a cure for these things they would be a millionaire. You just have to get it past your head, that is most likely where the problem lies, you have a good swing.

[jcjr34]

Do you take divots? At address, try concentrating on a blade of grass just before the ball and digging that point out when you swing. This will emulate more of a downward force thru the ball instead of you trying to create lift by 'helping the ball up'.

[MrMorganUSC]

Do you take divots? At address, try concentrating on a blade of grass just before the ball and digging that point out when you swing. This will emulate more of a downward force thru the ball instead of you trying to create lift by 'helping the ball up'.

Yes....I take larger than normal divots. I really am not so much trying to help the ball up......it is just my upper body is breaking down on the right side and it is causing my upper body tilt to the right, away from the ball.

 

I don't need to try to help the ball up....i hit it really high

 

Scott, SC

[leekgolf]

http://www.brianmanzella.com/forum/showthr...highlight=shank

 

Found this link.....Brian has a video at the bottom of the page where he explains how to never shank again but I don't reall get what he is saying or don't know how I can practice this....can someone simplify?

 

Scott, SC

 

He's referring to a concept called twistaway, which is detailed in his article and video, Never Slice Again.

 

Read http://www.brianmanzella.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7367

[Pole_Position]

Hi Scott,

 

I took a look at your 8-iron video and noticed a few things that might help a bit. Bear in mind that I'm not an instructor so proceed with caution :cheesy:

 

The first column of photos below show your 8-iron shank, the second column show your 8-iron "good" shot, and the third column shows Joe Ogilvie hitting a 7-iron (I used Joe because he has some similar mechanics as you and I thought it would be appropriate since he's doing very well this week at the Greater Milwaulkee Open).

 

Setup:

 

 

 

I noticed a couple of things here. First off, you appear a bit crowded (not much room between hands and body). The hand position itself looks OK (a line from the butt of the club is over the toes) but it looks like you have to bend a lot at the knees to get to the ball. It might be that your clubs are too short for you? Also notice how your hands are slightly closer to your body on your GOOD shot then your shanked shot. This will set you up for a steeper backswing - I'll explain the significance of this later.

 

Second, it looks like you set up with your feet closed to the target (notice how your left foot is in front of the line - compare to Joe), while your shoulders are open to the target (notice how you can see Joe's left arm at setup). You might consider trying to set up more square to the target...

 

Halfway Back:

 

 

 

Both you and Joe rotate your forearms very early in the takeaway, getting the clubhead well behind your body and a line drawn from the shaft well outside the ball. This is not necessarily a bad thing (you have to rotate your forearms at some point in the backswing) but you will have to make some corrections later in the backswing to get back "on plane" and you'll often tend to come over the top doing this (IMO) as both you and Joe appear to do. Notice how the shaft is steeper on your GOOD shot.

 

Also notice how much deeper (further back) Joe's hands are compared to yours and how much more "connected" both his left and right arms are to his body. You can see that your arms are much further away from your body, this is apparent throughout your swing.

 

I would recommend trying to get your takeaway and backswing more "connected" and steeper. Try sticking gloves under both your armpits and keeping them there throughout your backswing. Also work on getting the shaft a little steeper. This will make it easier for you to get on plane at the top of the backswing IMO.

 

Top:

 

 

 

Compare the club head position at the top of your backswing. You cross the line (shaft pointing right of target) on your shanked shot, while you're "on plane" (shaft pointing at target) on your good shot. This is the main difference between the two shots (IMO). The steeper backswing made it easier for you to be on plane at the top (IMO). When you analyze your own video this would be the key position for you to look for (IMO).

 

You also appear to have a bit of a "flying" right elbow, more so on your shanked shot. The glove under the right armpit will help with this.

 

Halfway Down:

 

 

 

You go over the top and come down on a very steep angle. You can clearly see that you're lagging the hosel into impact (hosel and sweetspot lined up). If you've reviewed the video on the Brian Manzella site http://www.brianmanzella.com/forum/showthr...highlight=shank then you'll understand what I mean when I say that an ant on the sweetspot can't see the ball. Compare to Joe's clubface...it's clear that the ant can see the ball from here. I would highly recommend reviewing that thread again...

 

Again, notice how much further away from your body your arms are compared to Joe's.

 

Notice that your shaft is steeper on the good shot...I suspect that maybe you were trying to hit it off the toe :tongue:

 

Impact:

 

 

 

Not much to say here. You both come off the tush line (in part because you come OTT IMO). Joe posts on his left leg better (again, your clubs might be too short). You can clearly see how much the club face twisted (closed) around the hosel on the shanked shot.

 

Hope this helps and good luck!

 

:tongue:

 

Mike

[jeffinflorida]

Scott, you have a pretty upright back swing plain and you are breaking the plain line (going over the top) at the top of your backswing when you shank. You are also very disconected to your body with your arms. You can put a glove, or use a tee like I do, put it in your left armpit and don't let it drop out untill the finish of your swing. This will shorten your swing a bit and you will stay on plain much better esspecially if you swing with good tempo. Hope this helps. And best of luck.......Jeff

[mattlewis]

most of my shank misses are caused by getting too upright. it also results in very high ball flight, weaker than normal distances and huge divots. however you do it, try to flatten your swing plane and see if that doesn't help.

 

"slotting" the right arm will help. that's the whole point behind putting the glove under your right armpit. it keeps that arm in the "slot", which in turn promotes better swing plane. at least for me.

 

i also try to control rythym and tempo better. it seems i start to jump at it on the downswing and get quick at the top never really setting the club in position. and the more i shank, the quicker i tend to get, probably because of nerves....

[nshon]

Keep the arms connected and hit wedges, finish with your belt buckle to the target.

 

What he said. This is coming from someone who has shanked for the past 2-3 months. Keep your left arm connected to your body, keep a towel under your armpits through the entire swing and the shank SHOULD go away.