Shank / low draw theory: is it valid?

[ckelly06]

Hey guys,

About 6 months ago I started playing golf again after almost 10 years where I played maybe once a year (shot in the 80s back around 2002). About 3 months ago I traded in my old game improvement Callaway irons (Big Bertha X-12s that I had for 10+ years) for a player's club (Mizuno MP-58). My thinking was "if I start playing with a harder to hit player's club, it will force me to swing better and improve." I think the jury's still out on that one, but that was my rationale. Anyway...

When I came back to the game hitting my Callaways, it was like I had taken no time off at all with my full swing (short game was another story). I was hitting the same high straight shot I used to hit with an occasional fade and was very happy. Then I switched to the MP-58s and have never really hit them that well. I started hitting this low, weak draw (sometimes a pull-draw) and lost about 10 yards of distance and a ton of accuracy. I also started shanking from time to time, which really undermined my confidence. After a horrible 9 holes this afternoon, I stopped by my local clubfitter to ask him if I thought I should ditch the irons, but he was closed so I went to the driving range to work on my swing...

First few shots were bad. Low draw and a few shanks, nothing long or straight. Then on an impulse I decided to stand closer to the ball, straighten my spine, and take a steeper and more upright swing. At first I thought this might make the shanks worst (after all, I'm now standing closer to the ball), but instead I started hitting shot after shot long and straight with an occasional fade, just like I used to do back when I was decent at this game. And no more shanks either.

So sorry for the long post and build up, but here's a question for all the instructors / great golfers out there: is this a valid fix that I stumbled upon? It doesn't seem to me that this should fix a shank or a low draw problem, so I'm wondering if this was somehow a fluke? Can standing too far away from the ball and swinging too flat cause a shank and/or a low and weak ball flight (I know a draw can definitely result from a flat swing, but curious about the other stuff)?

Thanks for any input, sorry this post got so long :)

[Zeph]

By low draw, I assume you mean the ball starts left and keeps going left, always low. That's a pull caused by a closed clubface.

Moving closer to the ball to get rid of shanks is actually a valid theory. If you stand too far away from it, you can try so hard to get the club up to the ball that you end up hitting the hosel.

If it really is the cause is impossible to tell without seeing a video of your swing, but it's not unheard of.