Shankers - Missing the ball to the inside

[Lefty_3Jack]

I have to be the king of hitting the heel on this forum, but I know Parmark has also had long struggles with el hosel as well.  I deal with them, but overall, I go about playing golf, consistently missing on the heel, every day. 

 

I have found that trying to miss the ball to the inside when swinging (range only) helps move the ball more towards the center, but I have to really, really try to miss the ball.  For those who have used this... how long is it going to work before it starts going out to the heel again? We all know that no feels work forever.

[Kmagnuss]

Man I got the shanks so bad a couple years back that I almost quit golf.  Literally to the point of almost rage quitting and crying my way back to the clubhouse one day.  It's so demoralizing.  I fought with it and thought they were gone, then they'd come back, then they got to the point where even on 15 yard chips I'd hosel it.  Ugh... hurts thinking about it.

 

Here's what finally did it for me:  Concentrating on rotating my lead hip backwards instead of my trail hip forwards.  Your cause could obviously be very different from mine, but that did it for me.  I set up next to a table, with the edge of the table touching my butt.  Then take the swing.  You should be pushing back against the table with your left cheek on the downswing.  If you are ending up a few inches away from the table, there's your answer.

 

Good luck.  It sucks.  It might take some time to 'cure' and it will always be in the back of your mind... and they'll come back here and there.  But hopefully it's just once a round instead of every... dang... stinking... hole.

 

-Mag

[Lefty_3Jack]

1 hour ago, Kmagnuss said:

Man I got the shanks so bad a couple years back that I almost quit golf.  Literally to the point of almost rage quitting and crying my way back to the clubhouse one day.  It's so demoralizing.  I fought with it and thought they were gone, then they'd come back, then they got to the point where even on 15 yard chips I'd hosel it.  Ugh... hurts thinking about it.

 

Here's what finally did it for me:  Concentrating on rotating my lead hip backwards instead of my trail hip forwards.  Your cause could obviously be very different from mine, but that did it for me.  I set up next to a table, with the edge of the table touching my butt.  Then take the swing.  You should be pushing back against the table with your left cheek on the downswing.  If you are ending up a few inches away from the table, there's your answer.

 

Good luck.  It sucks.  It might take some time to 'cure' and it will always be in the back of your mind... and they'll come back here and there.  But hopefully it's just once a round instead of every... dang... stinking... hole.

 

-Mag

Back to target/arms down, clear lead hip, zipper away drill, turn rear hip out of the way and keep it back, drop the bucket drill, etc I think I’ve tried them all. 
 

Although I’ve had some repeated shanks on the range, never more than 1-2 in a round this year, however I haven’t made it one round without one. That normally is a two stroke penalty per shank.

[RobertBaron]

As a chronic heel striker/ shanker, I got fed up a few weeks ago and said F it and started doing the same thing. My pre shot rehearsal is now looping the club out and then inside the ball. Basically as if I’m squeezing a pool floatie on my lead arm against my chest in transition

[MonteScheinblum]

2 hours ago, Lefty_3Jack said:

I have to be the king of hitting the heel on this forum, but I know Parmark has also had long struggles with el hosel as well.  I deal with them, but overall, I go about playing golf, consistently missing on the heel, every day. 

 

I have found that trying to miss the ball to the inside when swinging (range only) helps move the ball more towards the center, but I have to really, really try to miss the ball.  For those who have used this... how long is it going to work before it starts going out to the heel again? We all know that no feels work forever.

Long term you have to address why you make heel contact.  Mark is a smaller guy and tries to create power by driving his hips really hard.  

[virtuoso]

4 hours ago, Lefty_3Jack said:

Back to target/arms down, clear lead hip, zipper away drill, turn rear hip out of the way and keep it back, drop the bucket drill, etc I think I’ve tried them all. 
 

Although I’ve had some repeated shanks on the range, never more than 1-2 in a round this year, however I haven’t made it one round without one. That normally is a two stroke penalty per shank.

A good strategy is trying to figure out why you shank/heel it. Presumably the cause is the same for heel and shank...shank being more of same. What would you do if i offered to give you $100 to shank it on command...but you have to shank it on the first try. What would you do to ensure you shanked it? Can you actually shank it on command? If so, what is the opposite of that thing you do?

[Lefty_3Jack]

3 hours ago, MonteScheinblum said:

Long term you have to address why you make heel contact.  Mark is a smaller guy and tries to create power by driving his hips really hard.  

I think there are multiple reasons, but being out of sequence and the body moving faster than I can get the arms down is certainly a reason. 

[MK7Golf21]

You’ve posted your swing before, it’s mostly the laid off top of swing. You don’t really drop the hands down like a Sergio or Rahm so clubhead kicks out a bit too much. 
 

If you did drills feeling like Wolff crossed up at the top you probably wouldn’t struggle with shanking.

[MK7Golf21]

Some random comments on how being laid off needs moves on the downswing to keep club from kicking out too much just to get you thinking. Tiger was laid off at times with Butch and had super vertical shoulders on the downswing to bring the clubhead more from the inside, him ripping hips open added to it as well but you get the idea. Haney got him even more laid off/promoted it and Tiger started closing off his upper body to hit it from the inside. His swing since being on his own is much better than any swing he had in his career. 

Edited May 10 by MK7Golf21

[Lefty_3Jack]

Yes, my swing is laid off more times than not, but I've also shanked it being super across the line too.  I've shanked it being over the plane line, under the plane line too.  I've been shanking it out of the bunker regularly for over a year now and that's not a full swing.  I think there is a lot of El Hosel DNA in my swing and I'll go further and say it's a mental thing that aids with it.

 

I believe part of being laid off is not getting to the top of the backswing sequenced and rushing back down.  That is a mental thing, especially on the course in pressure situations.  I don't have good control of my body to go on autopilot in pressure situations and I certainly fear the shank on every single shot a take with an iron.    

 

 

[MK7Golf21]

23 minutes ago, Lefty_3Jack said:

Yes, my swing is laid off more times than not, but I've also shanked it being super across the line too.  I've shanked it being over the plane line, under the plane line too.  I've been shanking it out of the bunker regularly for over a year now and that's not a full swing.  I think there is a lot of El Hosel DNA in my swing and I'll go further and say it's a mental thing that aids with it.

 

I believe part of being laid off is not getting to the top of the backswing sequenced and rushing back down.  That is a mental thing, especially on the course in pressure situations.  I don't have good control of my body to go on autopilot in pressure situations and I certainly fear the shank on every single shot a take with an iron.    

 

 

 

you say you have shanked it being across the line, over the plane, under the plane etc. How would you know that you are in those positions when you shank? Feel isn't real especially when you naturally have the club laid off at the top. 

[MK7Golf21]

42 minutes ago, Lefty_3Jack said:

  I think there is a lot of El Hosel DNA in my swing and I'll go further and say it's a mental thing that aids with it.

 

 

 

 

 

meh, there is generally always a reason. I looked up your swing in a post from last Dec. First part of stopping shanking is understanding what is actually happening. Your clubhead is kicking out too much in the downswing, you also have the shaft pitched way out in front of the ball nearly halfway into downswing. 

 

You didn't shank this one but as you can see all you have to be is a hair more towards the hosel and it's a shank.

 

 

[Lefty_3Jack]

23 minutes ago, MK7Golf21 said:

 

you say you have shanked it being across the line, over the plane, under the plane etc. How would you know that you are in those positions when you shank? Feel isn't real especially when you naturally have the club laid off at the top. 

Video

[virtuoso]

5 hours ago, Lefty_3Jack said:

Video

Are you left eye dominant?

[michaeld_2020]

What doees the clubhead "kicking out" actually mean?

[MK7Golf21]

2 hours ago, michaeld_2020 said:

What doees the clubhead "kicking out" actually mean?

 

Imagine a line going straight back from the ball. The clubhead gets outside hands and out to the target line too soon. Kicks out is clubhead working out. it’s the reason most people shank and it’s frustrating to them because they don’t know why it’s happening, feel isn’t real. 
 

Keeping the clubhead inside the target line longer is the fix. 

Edited May 11 by MK7Golf21

[michaeld_2020]

3 hours ago, MK7Golf21 said:

 

Imagine a line going straight back from the ball. The clubhead gets outside hands and out to the target line too soon. Kicks out is clubhead working out. it’s the reason most people shank and it’s frustrating to them because they don’t know why it’s happening, feel isn’t real. 
 

Keeping the clubhead inside the target line longer is the fix. 

 

How soon is too soon?

[MonteScheinblum]

1 hour ago, michaeld_2020 said:

 

How soon is too soon?

When you shank it 😁