Nightmare at the range -- came down w/ shanks

[allin]

Trick Shot, you seriously underestimate the level of our addiction. I would obsess about it for maybe and hour if I just quit and went home when something suddenly went awry and I didn't try to fix it. A quick interruption for a drink of H2o and few minutes on the putting green to get relaxed helps though.

[Grazer]

I Have to agree with trick shot, i am a 2 handicap consistent and i used to go to the range everyday, i realized that if i hit too much balls my hands get tired and start hurting and i start shanking it consistently. My advice to low handicappers who shank is to just take a maybe 4-5 days off of golf to regain your energy and whatnot and that should cure you. If your high handicap its probably your swing. i actually dont even go to the range anymore just putting and chipping and ive been shooting scratch lately. Anyone agree with me?

[Divot Tool]

An excerpt from Golf Tips Magazine (Golf TIPS 2006: 100 Quick Lessons). . .

"The main reason you'll hit the ball on the heel of the club is that the heel of the club is the direct extension of your hands when they hold the grip. When you hold a tennis racquet, the sweet spot lies on a straight line coming out of your hand. It's truly an extension of your hand....A golf club, on the other hand, isn't as simple as that....The true extension of your hands down the shaft ends at the hosel not the sweet spot. The sweet spot is about two inches away from the end of the shaft you're holding... In fact, people who have a good sense of space with their hands often shank their iron shots because their sense of clubhead is that it's at the end of the shaft. It isn't." - A.J Bonar PGA Professional

[$2 Nassau]

I've noted that when shanks occur for me, it's because I actually stand too far from the ball. Sounds counter-intuitive, but from what I understand it's a common diagnosis. When I'm too far away, I tend to lunge forward on the downswing to compensate, I end with alsmost all my weight on my toes, struggling to keep my balance. The result is a heeled or shanked shot. Not to mention it makes me take the club WAY inside, which is shank-a-riffic as well.

Never had the problem of standing too close so I can't comment, but for some reason I tend to creep back from the ball....then subconciosuly lunge forward at it.

Checking my posture, balance, where my hands/arms naturally hang down from my shoulders, etc and then addressing the ball accordingly helps tremendously.

Earlier this year I was making some good swings with my driver but catching the ball slightly off the heel. It was gong straight, but lacked distance and that "sweet spot" feel. I noticed I was too far from the ball, I moved an inch or two closer and it resulted in a better balanced swing with a better strike and more power.

[GreensDruid]

It's funny, but at the range if I get the shanks they usually come all in a row. It's as if I'm grooving a shank once I hit the first one. I've now have a routine that seems to break the shank cycle. If I hit a shank, I will stop everything. I won't try to rehit the ball right away. Instead, I will walk away from the practice area and replace the club in my bag. Then, I'll pick up a different club, walk back to the practice area, and start hitting again. Usually, the shank doesn't return. I don't know why it works for me, but it usually stops the shank and later in practice I can return to the "shanking" club and generally I will hit it fine.

[srjorion]

Definitely just hit two buckets of shanks at the range after a recent run of ballstriking that has been as good as ever...this was extremely weird, and frustrating. Anyone been through this? If so, what did you do to fix it?

This exact thing happened to me recently. I was taking lessons, was hitting the ball much better than before, then all of a sudden I caught a bad case of the, well, you know (ain't sayin it, no way!)

Here's what worked for me. One, the main reason I was doing that bad thing you talked about (not gonna say it!) was because I was bringing the clubhead too far inside. I had a great feeling hitting the ball coming from the inside when I was hitting the ball well, however just like you said I started overcompensating and in the end I was bringing the club inside during the backswing. Not good. Two, I started making sure that my hands were ahead of the club at impact. Easier said than done, but having the hands ahead at impact makes it tough to, you know, hit it the "bad" way. Again, I ain't sayin it! Here is the latest swing thought that has helped me recently. I bring the clubhead back as straight as I can for the backswing, keeping the clubface looking at the ball as long as possible. During the downswing I imagine coming from inside the ball to outside. That has really helped me not only get more solid contact, but it cured me from hitting the sh......... well, you know. Bad, bad word.

[Everardo]

Try this...
"Put your change in your left pocket."
"Now, tie your left shoe in a double knot."
"Turn the hat backwards."
"Take this tee......and stick it......behind your left ear."
"Take this ball......and hit it up the fairway."

[eltelgb]

Have recently experienced the dreaded s also. Read a tip in magazine that Retief Goosen concentrates on pushing knees apart. This seems to stop lower body working too much and coupled with full shoulder turn generates the feeling of a coiled spring at the top of the back swing. Now just need to remember out on the course.

[Big Lex]

Experiment with your balance at address first. Shanks are awful in terms of result, but they are misses of about 1.5 inches from the center of the face. Some shanks I think come from terrible swings, but experts hit them occasionally, so it's possible to just get a bit out of whack with set up geometry, etc.

Mess with balance and address position for a while.

[mgolfer]

I played 3 rounds one week and went to the range...every shot was a shank, top, hook or slice. I rested for 4 days and now I am back to normal. I think I over did it.