I am struggling to hit PW, 56 degree with a full swing without it shanking right or skulling across the ground. Off the tee, approach shots, I'm good. I have resorted to Tom's "arm straight" approach and it works, but I am not getting the high flight and soft landing. I have checked to see if my weight is shifting forward causing the club to move forward thus intro to the hosel. I feel connected biceps at chest, Hogan arms, good take away (not rolling hands) and no fix. What else do I need to check. It pisses me off because its the same swing only more loft. I am thinking its the 6" between my ears... But it sucks not having that shot and resorting to straight arms with a 8 or 9 iron and resulting run out
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We have to look at what causes a shank to understand why it happens. Basically the club head is travelling outwards on the downswing.
For me, a shank is due to a couple of flaws, the main one is taking the club too far back inside, or flat, and then NOT having my weight on my left side. That almost always causes a shank, so much so that I can "shank on-demand" to demonstrate the move. All I have to do is take the club back super flat and keep my weight on my right side. The other contributor is a flying right elbow (opposite of Magic Elbow) that sends the club out on the downswing....shank.
This may sound crazy but I suggest TRYING to shank a ball to see what moves are required. This is just as much of a learning experience as trying NOT to shank a ball, maybe better.
I have been struggling with shanking my low irons for the past 3 years. I had a Eureka moment last weekend at a tournament when I finally gave up my old standard pitch shot/chip shot swing and just tried using the Ch 2.8 drill for my pitch shots. This gave me unbelievable control. I started bringing the 56 back on the same swing arc as a full swing and voila' it worked. I've been nailing pitch shots and chip shots all week. It's like magic. I've gone from only being able to hit a crappy 40 yard "flop" type pitch or a screaming shank shot who knows where to crushing the 56 100 yards on line. It has been surreal.
@douggillum.csm - I would definitely check on what @GolfLivesMatter suggests in his reply. Additionally, there's this KFC Club episode on hosel rockets. Also, since you say you are keeping your connections intact and not rolling your hands on the takeaway, please make sure that your head (and, consequently, your swing center) is not shifting forward during the downswing. A face-on video will give you instant feedback in this regard.
One thing that resonates from your comment is that you speak of checking to see if your "weight is shifting forward". If you are saying this with regard to your swing center then I agree. Otherwise, your weight should already be forward at address, and should only get more forward as the swing progresses. If there is any weight moving into your trail side at any point during the swing then that could be at the root of your issue.
I suggest checking to see if you're either pushing your right hip or right knee towards the ball at the start of the downswing. You might have an old habit of early extension-type movement that creeps in on shorter shots.