Hitting it "Off the Hosel" — How Often Does it Really Happen?

[Elmer]

One of the guys I play with quite often always attributes slices, shanks and mishits to "hitting it off the hosel".
once or twice a round comes a lousy shot and "ehh, hit it off the hosel"

I know as I analyze my swing, take lesson and dissect others swings, I am of the belief that mishits are more often the result of tempo, weight distribution and hands. 
although to hit it off the hosel your hands would have to be out of position and your swing path off as well.

I know my mishits are the result of the club face being to open or closed, and that is usually a result of my tempo and not making a proper swing.
I guess I bring this up as it is irksome to listen to hackers (of which I am one) blame their tools instead of themselves.

 

Thoughts?

Edited July 19, 2022 by Elmer

[boogielicious]

27 minutes ago, Elmer said:

One of the guys I play with quite often always attributes slices, shanks and mishits to "hitting it off the hosel".
once or twice a round comes a lousy shot and "ehh, hit it off the hosel"

I know as I analyze my swing, take lesson and dissect others swings, I am of the belief that mishits are more often the result of tempo, weight distribution and hands. 
although to hit it off the hosel your hands would have to be out of position and your swing path off as well.

I know my mishits are the result of the club face being to open or closed, and that is usually a result of my tempo and not making a proper swing.
I guess I bring this up as it is irksome to listen to hackers (of which I am one) blame their tools instead of themselves.

 

Thoughts?

Well you can shank with a face that is open or closed. You just it is too close to the shaft. Same with a toe hit. The face can be square to target, but you came either too far inside or outside. You can definitely feel all of them.

[billchao]

45 minutes ago, Elmer said:

One of the guys I play with quite often always attributes slices, shanks and mishits to "hitting it off the hosel".
once or twice a round comes a lousy shot and "ehh, hit it off the hosel"

Some people call every bad shot a shank. A true shank has a pretty identifiable ball flight, although hitting it off the toe end of the club produces similar results.

47 minutes ago, Elmer said:

I know as I analyze my swing, take lesson and dissect others swings, I am of the belief that mishits are more often the result of tempo, weight distribution and hands. 
although to hit it off the hosel your hands would have to be out of position and your swing path off as well.

Not really. A shank is a miss of about 1-1/4”?

You’d be surprised how small the differences can be that produce drastically different results. We’re talking about single digit degrees and less than an inch or two of movement here and there.

[saevel25]

1 hour ago, Elmer said:

One of the guys I play with quite often always attributes slices, shanks and mishits to "hitting it off the hosel".
once or twice a round comes a lousy shot and "ehh, hit it off the hosel"

It is possible. I went through a phase in high school where I hit every shot off the hosel for a while. Talk about demoralizing. A person who slices sends the path out to in, and could be leading with the hosel into the ball. It could just be they sent the club out like an inch more than normal and shank it. 

1 hour ago, Elmer said:

I am of the belief that mishits are more often the result of tempo, weight distribution and hands. 

More of rhythm than tempo. Nick Price had a quick tempo, and good rhythm (everything in sync). Ernie Els had a slow methodical tempo, and good rhythm. 

I would say it's poor upper and lower body movement (moves the head around messes with the swing path) and overall clubhead path and maybe how that clubhead path moves in relation to your hands. 

[Archie Bunker]

Even the pros shank one on occasion. The "shank spot" is really not that far from the "sweet spot" on an iron. But I do think that shanking is more of a disease than a swing fault. Shank one, and don't be surprised if your next two shots are shanks as well. It happens.☹️

[mcanadiens]

1 hour ago, billchao said:

Some people call every bad shot a shank. A true shank has a pretty identifiable ball flight, although hitting it off the toe end of the club produces similar results

Some people use the word shank because its the dirtiest golf word they know. Harvey Penick used "lateral shot" because he thought it sounded nicer.

A real shank goes almost dead right for a right-hander. If you bother to walk after a shank, you are pointing yourself at roughly 2:50 on a clock face if the original target is high noon. Anything less severe is just some version of a crappy push or push-slice. and not a real shank.

 

[iacas]

1 hour ago, mcanadiens said:

A real shank goes almost dead right for a right-hander. If you bother to walk after a shank, you are pointing yourself at roughly 2:50 on a clock face if the original target is high noon. Anything less severe is just some version of a crappy push or push-slice. and not a real shank.

That’s as inaccurate as the OP. You can shank a ball at 12:30, particularly if it’s an iron without much loft and offset. Or I’ve seen people hit the hosel square on or even the underside.

[Vinsk]

Well, well, well. Now you guys didn’t think this topic would go unnoticed by me did ya? Erik of course is absolutely correct as well as Bill. I’ve hit every possible shank there is. By far for me the most common is hitting way heel side where just enough of the ball catches the smooth part leading to the hosel. This one produces pure duck-flight, violent curve to the left ( I’m a lefty). If you pure it dead center of the hosel you’ll actually sputter it straight ahead in the grass. And yes, if you nip the outside of the hosel it can actually go right through your legs. Ahhhhh the blissful enjoyment of golf.

[Denny Bang Bang]

7 hours ago, saevel25 said:

It is possible. I went through a phase in high school where I hit every shot off the hosel for a while. Talk about demoralizing.

 

6 hours ago, Archie Bunker said:

Shank one, and don't be surprised if your next two shots are shanks as well. It happens.☹️

Yea.  Unfortunately when it creeps into my game, it’ll hang around for more than one shot.

[Vinsk]

1 hour ago, Denny Bang Bang said:

 

Yea.  Unfortunately when it creeps into my game, it’ll hang around for more than one shot.

Try 30 years.😗

[Denny Bang Bang]

On 7/19/2022 at 7:12 PM, Vinsk said:

Try 30 years.😗

Thank goodness I’ve only been playing for 25 then