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Shanking!

So, I started going to the range and trying Tom’s stack and tilt, and my entire range session was purina dog chow until my last few swings where I was shanking the ball. Any idea how to correct this?

12 comments

12 Comments

j_whitaker76

Apr 21, 2021

Thanks Tom and Desmond. I’ll give these a try. Appreciate the quick response.

j_whitaker76

Apr 20, 2021

Hi all - I too have battled the shanks on and off for about 15 years. I quit playing for a while because of it and they keep finding a way back into my game. I broke 80 for the first time last month after joining saguto for only a few weeks. However, now I am shanking again so some of my old habits are making there way back into my game. I am pretty sure I have difficulty keeping my weight forward toward the target without also coming up on my toes, thus crowding the ball on the down swing. I've tried keep my weight in my heels but that leads to other issues. Does anyone have any good drills/suggestions for keeping weight in left leg without also leaning in toward the ball in backswing. Thanks. JW

Tom Saguto

Apr 20, 2021

Replying to

@j_whitaker76 - Please have a look at this recent post from @desmondmoss in which he speaks specifically about feeling is weight balanced on the lead foot through the swing.

Also, the 90% Weight Forward/Arms Straight Drill should help you to ingrain the proper feels specific to your issue. It's not an easy drill, but it is very effective, so be sure to spend sufficient time to properly learn, execute, and master it. You'll know you're doing it properly when impact is consistently crispy, divots are occurring past the ball, and ball flight is a repeatable little push-draw.

mpandichjr

Mar 31, 2021

I've made that drive home with a bad attitude and questioning the meaning of life. I also have reduced my range time dramatically to keep me from just hitting balls. If I hit two good 7-irons, I put it away and grab a driver, hit it good a couple of times, then go to a wedge or maybe a hybrid. Mix it up, as you don't hit the same club multiple times in a row on the course.

But I get it and feel your pain - the lateral can enter every muscle fiber in your body, not to mention what it can do to your head. If you hit 3 in a row. move immediately to the short game area and practice chipping from 10 yards and slowly move to 30-50 - no more. Fight the temptation to go back to the range to see if the affliction is gone. Just leave on a high note after a good chipping session.

Tom Saguto

Mar 31, 2021

Replying to

Excellent stuff, @mpandichjr!!

Jeremy Santefort

Mar 31, 2021

Thanks, guys! I can’t thank you enough. I hit about 10 of them and went home with a bad attitude because of how pure I was hitting it before. I’ll try all of these suggestions!

mpandichjr

Mar 31, 2021

LPJ, even though you uttered the dreaded 'S' word (we prefer 'a case of the laterals' in this forum) I am willing to help since this happened to me more than I care to admit. Great range session, feeling good, towards the end then, BAM! Where the eff did that come from?

I finally found three main causes for me and I eliminated them once and for all.

Complacency - I felt like I 'got it' and rather than focusing on setup, target, etc, I just started hitting the ball. No purpose, no rhythm, no alignment.
No Tilt - my shoulders got way too level and I didn't realize it. I had to over-exaggerate the tilt feeling to correct, but on camera, wasn't overly tilted at all.
Hit off the toe - the hardest shot in golf is the one right after the lateral. You've got to step back, shake it off, take a few practice swings without a ball, focusing on keeping your head behind where the ball would be. Then on the next shot, do #1 and #2 above, but also feel like you are going to hit the ball off the toe of the club. This will force you to swing in to out. You may have to do that for a while to shake off any remaining remnants of the dreaded lateral, particularly since you said the 'S' word. The Golf Gods will forgive you.

If it came suddenly out of nowhere, then you can fix it just as suddenly. Start from the beginning. Grip. Stance. Posture. Ball position. Weight. Tilt. 'Short' swing. Just take your time and swing the club, not hit the ball. It will be right there waiting for you.

If none of the above is working and it becomes a true 911 situation, go back to the Holy Grail - the drill in Lesson 2.8.

Jeremy Santefort

May 10, 2021

Replying to

@mpandichjr so, I’m starting to think that most of what you said is true. You lose all awareness when you start hitting them pure. I was at the range today, and all my 8 iron shots were small draws for the most part! The last 5-6 balls were shanks. Instead of buying another bucket, I’ll just come back another time. Hosel rockets will mentally ruin anyone who takes golf serious.

michaelgraff1943

Mar 30, 2021

I worked on the range yesterday and had great results after of a lot of work in the dirt. Go to Home Depot and spend $4 bucks on sticks used for your driveway. Place them on the target line 3 feet from the ball. Put on a line through your belt line. This works best on both sides of the ball. Simply swing under the sticks. It is a miracle! No more red marks on the hosel!

Tom Saguto

Mar 30, 2021

I'm sorry, @linkinparkjas - that "S" thing you mentioned is a forbidden word in this forum...😶🤣

Because you were puring them for most of your session, it seems to me that you may have gotten tired or perhaps a bit loose/complacent with the swing motions, your connections, or perhaps even your ball position. Before doing anything drastic, my best suggestion would be to regroup and give some thought to what may have changed in you swing to take you so suddenly from striping it to hosel rockets. Review the various motions in Chapter 2 for some clues. When you head back out to the range the next time, I highly recommend starting with something basic and reliable like the 90% Weight Forward/Arms Straight Drill and then slowly working yourself up to the swing in Lesson 2.8. That will have you very connected yet close enough to a full swing that you should be getting that crispy impact feeling and nice ball flight again.

Let me know how this plan works for you, and if you're still having issues then perhaps it might be a good time for a V1 swing video analysis.

Also, please remember to clean those grooves!!...🤣

Tom

Jeremy Santefort

May 10, 2021

Replying to

@Tom Saguto after a bout with the shanks again, I couldn’t leave on a negative note. I tried the 2 ball drill, where you place 2 balls next to each other addressing the outside ball. On the downswing you strive to hit the inside ball. This has helped me out and made me make consistent contact again. I’m just not sure what actually happens in the downswing where the hosel gets presented to the ball. Could it be a connection thing? Or just a mental thing? I feel like once I hit one shank another one after is inevitable.

Tom Saguto

May 10, 2021

Replying to

@Jeremy Santefort The shanks are a self-fulfilling prophecy unto themselves. This misery certainly relishes in its own company...

The two-ball drill is an effective one for ridding ourselves of this plague at the range. The question at hand is will it necessarily address the root cause and purge it? Yes - it can be a connection-related issue that is allowing your arms to get away from you. Or, it may be a path that is too in-to-out. Another possible culprit is actively rolling the face open during the backswing. There are more, but these are some of the more common ones. If you have difficulty self-resolving then you can always arrange for a V1 Analysis so I can put my eyes on it.