Shanks for the Past Year

[steiner19er]

I have had help from different teaching pro's with no fix. I'm a 4 handicap and have struggled with shanks for 1 year now. They come and go, but typically I can't get through a small bucket w/o multiple shanks. Yesterday I put all my equipment bags and everything that is related to golf in the attic.  To see a teaching pro who says stand further away from the ball is a waste. There is a problem with the swing that introduces the hozel to the ball. Just can't find anyone in the Orlando FL area that can diagnose it and get me through it. Has anyone else had a similar experience? I've obviously taken the most drastic step.

[golfonly]

I found myself in a similar situation earlier this year.  I would tend to hit the occasional shank at the range and not have an issue on the course until one round when it happened multiple times.  The next day I couldn't hit the ball at all in the range and was really frustrated.  Did some quick research and found this video, it says it's for fat shots but it helped my shanks.  I did this for 10 minutes before my next round and shot a 74.  Just needed a little tweak.   I actually hit balls like this now at the range and it helps keep things solid.  Hopefully it helps you too. 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2019 by golfonly

[billchao]

There are a number of time-tested drills for shanks. Put a 2x4 on the outside of the ball, don't hit it. Put a tee or another ball just inside the ball, make swings while hitting both.

I suggest starting a member swing thread or online instruction at evolvr.com if you can't find a good instructor locally.

[steiner19er]

i have tried the 2x4 and it's painful when I hit it. I've tried headcovers and other objects as well. Those objects don't tell me where the swing fault is? Hand path perhaps? thanks for the suggestion of online instructor. I'll check that out.

[billchao]

8 minutes ago, steiner19er said:

i have tried the 2x4 and it's painful when I hit it. I've tried headcovers and other objects as well. Those objects don't tell me where the swing fault is? Hand path perhaps? thanks for the suggestion of online instructor. I'll check that out.

Don't do it at full speed. Do it slower with shorter swings, get the feel for what you have to do to not send the sweetspot outside the ball.

[steiner19er]

18 minutes ago, golfonly said:

I found myself in a similar situation earlier this year.  I would tend to hit the occasional shank at the range and not have an issue on the course until one round when it happened multiple times.  The next day I couldn't hit the ball at all in the range and was really frustrated.  Did some quick research and found this video, it says it's for fat shots but it helped my shanks.  I did this for 10 minutes before my next round and shot a 74.  Just needed a little tweak.   Hopefully it helps you too. 

 

 

 

Thank you for the video. I'll give it a try.

[David in FL]

Who have you tried in Orlando?  There are some damn good instructors around here, and for a 4 hcp, the shanks should be a relatively easy fix...

[mcanadiens]

My always difficult first month of the season last year featured a nasty bout of the shanks. Seemed to take forever, but by June I had largely kicked them.

What worked for me was a lot of work on the range and the par 3 course. I started by intentionally trying to miss the ball to the inside. On the range I'd use tees to bracket the ball. As time went on, I found I could line the ball up on the toe and get it going somewhere. Finally, it got back to center.

It sort of seemed like a re-calibration of my own perception of things, but it really sucked for a month and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. 

[steiner19er]

Who do you recommend in Orlando?

[David in FL]

18 minutes ago, steiner19er said:

Who do you recommend in Orlando?

Who have you seen so far, that you “can’t find anyone that can diagnose or fix it”?

Mike Bender is the first name that comes to mind, but only because I could throw a rock and hit him from where I am.  There are many more, and again, the shanks in a 4 handicap shouldn’t be much of a problem...

[phillyk]

My buddy had a similar problem, shooting to a similar handicap, and the main thing I noticed is his tendency to have early leg extension on the downswing which pushed his hands outward a bit around the ball.  It's hard to say what your specific tendency is without seeing the swing, but I'd guess it comes from posture or lower body rotation.

[iacas]

Shanks are easy to fix. You've seen some lousy instructors. But hey, they're everywhere. 😛

[steiner19er]

I'll check out the LakeMary location and try to schedule something with Mike Bender. than you!

 I like the reply about posture as I may be experiencing that as I look like i'm humping a goat in my self diagnosis. My wife helps with the filming and as an assistant typically give me the advice to just go play and quit screwing around with your swing.  I have tried a lot of things in the last year to help with posture and hand path. Unfortunately when the shanks show up they can be harsh. It's amazing  to here replies like it's easy to fix. I've heard that from some I have played with and the standard reply is stand further away. Try to fade everything. To here a couple of you say it's easy and to know what I have gone through in the past year, I would respectfully disagree. I'm 46 and have played since the age of 20. Last  year I played in an event and had 6 birdies the first day with 2 triples and 2 doubles and 2 bogeys on the card. The big numbers were all from shanks and on my last few holes. Let's just say the 2nd day was a big number with no birdies, but at least I showed up. If all my kids were grown and out of the house I may have found a way not to go, but for obvious reasons needed to practice what I preached.. Thanks for all the advice, if I can get on the schedule with Mike Bender then i'll find a way to get past the net and mat in the attic to grab my 6 iron . I'll update you all on the progress.

[Vinsk]

1 hour ago, steiner19er said:

I'll check out the LakeMary location and try to schedule something with Mike Bender. than you!

 I like the reply about posture as I may be experiencing that as I look like i'm humping a goat in my self diagnosis. My wife helps with the filming and as an assistant typically give me the advice to just go play and quit screwing around with your swing.  I have tried a lot of things in the last year to help with posture and hand path. Unfortunately when the shanks show up they can be harsh. It's amazing  to here replies like it's easy to fix. I've heard that from some I have played with and the standard reply is stand further away. Try to fade everything. To here a couple of you say it's easy and to know what I have gone through in the past year, I would respectfully disagree. I'm 46 and have played since the age of 20. Last  year I played in an event and had 6 birdies the first day with 2 triples and 2 doubles and 2 bogeys on the card. The big numbers were all from shanks and on my last few holes. Let's just say the 2nd day was a big number with no birdies, but at least I showed up. If all my kids were grown and out of the house I may have found a way not to go, but for obvious reasons needed to practice what I preached.. Thanks for all the advice, if I can get on the schedule with Mike Bender then i'll find a way to get past the net and mat in the attic to grab my 6 iron . I'll update you all on the progress.

I’ve been to the Mike Bender Academy. It’s a nice facility. There are other instructors there all in sync with MB’s teaching and philosophy. I wouldn’t worry about seeing MB exclusively. And although it’s true the shanks are easy to fix, they’re also very easy to reoccur. Sometimes the gifted golfers forget how difficult it is for us golf mortals to correct things. They’re like Oprah when she said ‘ I’ve forgotten what it was like to be poor.’ They sometimes forget what it’s like to be lost in the golf swing. But as a 4hcp you should be back on track very soon.

[Patch]

My personal fix for the shanks is to not touch my clubs for a day, or two. It works everytime for me. I never try to fix a consistent, (3 or more in a row) shanking problem. I started this fix after I ran out hairs to pull out.

Mine are caused by a screwed up take away, where I take the club back too far inside. I had gotten away from my fluid, one piece take away for some reason. Basically my entire swing is screwed up without my one piece take away being correct. . 

Fortunately, if there is such a thing as good fortune with shanking, my shanks only occurr with my wedge game, and partial swings with those wedges. Maybe 3-4 times a year if I am lucky. 

[Harbourlooper]

Go to YouTube and find Patrick Damore. His cure is over the top rope hooks which he'll explain. It really helped my daughter.