Shanks! SORTED after a few years of struggles

[dap]

Cameron McCormick also believes manipulating your body to swing differently to fix a shank is asking a lot. He uses the two ball drill.

 

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/cameron-mccormick-contact-drill

[hafnia]

Played tonight..... WOW!

Best I have hit it.

@Hackinator suggested keeping the right foot connected to the floor in order to improve EE.... it massively felt like a powerful, stabilising improvement.

 

Swing Thoughts:-

 

GRIP:- rotate the hands into each other in order to get the thumb pad of my right hand snuggly over the thumb of my left hand.

 

Forearms:- push them close and feel this through the swing

 

Feet:- keep right foot planted as long as poss

 

Hips:- get the left hip moving behind.

 

I really did strike it well.... thanks for all the tips.

 

 

 

[hafnia]

> @Hackinator said:

> I agree keeping the head behind the ball is an anti shank move. But be careful you dont become too static and strand your weight on back foot.

> Another move is to keep your right foot heel planted longer. People who push off with the right foot (get on toes) immediately looking for power will early extend and shank. Keep right foot in contact with ground longer than usual to avoid shank.

> And finally pressure shift into the heel of left foot..not to toes of left foot on downswing.

> If you do those it's really hard to shank it imho.

 

Played the last few nights..... The best I have ever hit it!

The Right Heel down is just amazing. I feel in balance, loads of power, no fats, and more importantly no shanks.

 

The grip is equally important.... I am doing the biokinetic grip that @"Dariusz J." Promotes.... this helps your forearms to stay close and for You to stay connected. I don't roll the club flat....

 

So happy with my progress. Thanks all.

[hafnia]

Ok.... so I have gone from not being able to play to getting 42 points stableford off a 16 handicap including 2 blobs on 5th and 14th....

 

GRIP change has allowed me to feel a better connected swing. Keeping the right heel down as long as I can just seems to make so many good things happen... let's hope the upturn in form continues!

[hafnia]

Ok.... went out tonight. Started pretty poor... couldn't feel my swing at all. Got very overactive with the body.... 10 points for front 9. Stood on 10th tee and did a few "no turn" backswing and immediately felt good.

The feeling for me is that my sternum points at vs right the way through the swing.... 20 points coming back in.

Keeping my right heel down, grip rotated in to each other definitely feels good.

[hafnia]

Im fixed!!! Yes I know it's version 8 of "yay I'm fixed" but I really am....

MONTES MISS THE BALL OR TWO BALL DRILL IS WHAT WORKED!

 

But what is key - is identifying what it is you do as a subconscious reaction that you didn't do before.

 

For me in order to get inside the target ball and swing closer to myself I needed to feel the club move outwards away from me in the backswing. This then required me to loop it back inside whilst keeping my tush back. The club then feels like it's hovering back inside in transition waiting to fall and then accelerate..... this is a very cool feeling. Not rushed, and suddenly I'm able to play half shots and soft flop shots without worrying about turning etc.

 

Awesome... simply awesome.

 

 

[hafnia]

Update.... handicap down from 16.5 to 14.1.....

The odd hosel rocket has crept in and actually cost me a couple of comps but.... the miss the ball drill is the way to go.

I actually will be addressing the ball off the hosel to ensure I don't get lazy on my swing.

[hafnia]

bit of an update......

 

well there is nothing like the shanks to make you do a complete golf swing overhaul is there!

 

In many ways it has been a good thing to happen to me as I have improved alot of the posture and grip fundamentals that just were not there.

 

For me I definitely think that "getting stuck" was the issue and would continue to be the issue till I changed a few things.

 

Even with a focus on not rolling the club inside it is still so easy to do.  The fix that I explained above looks like the swing that Jim Waldron teaches - I was doing it in an outside / inside swing but watcvhing the golf now - the "arm swing illusion" makes sense.....

 

have golf instructors been intentionally sending students down rabbit holes? I have always moved my arms laterally across the chest - is that my shanks?  I think so.  

[shanx]

This is painful to read, but as you can see by my username, I have been there.

 

I'm still fighting them, but my shank isn't off the hosel as frequently, but very close to it. The shots still "flare" but not immediately to the right, more like a gentle cut that lands short with weird spin on it. I can hear it when it happens, lol...

 

I have been through all the fixes, drills, advice. Most of it was just "bandaid" stuff that addressed the issues to fix the poor ballstriking, but eventually, I just started all over again and took lessons with a really good pro.

 

They happen when I try to force a shot. If I try to "step on one", or if I try to hit a hook out of problems, I will shank it. I can sit on the range and hit 200 balls with no problems, then shank one from the fairway on the first hole.

 

I have learned to "slow down" and go through a pre shot routine. I have learned how to "back off" and take an extra club instead of trying to hit it too hard. I really re-focused on my takeaway, making sure I don't bring it back way inside, I think "fade" now to help that. 

 

They are always in mind, but those thoughts have helped me avoid them..