S..Sh...Sha...Shan...

[clthack]

Two parts here:

1.) I've always had an issue of leaning into the ball on my back swing -- notice the head drop. I've taken lessons and none have really given me much help here -- have had a hard time keeping my head still. Either way, I've managed to be OK as is. Index dropped to a 5 last summer but its creeping its way back up in part due to the aforementioned issues.

2.) For the past month or so, I've averaged a shank per round. Unlike a lot of people, mine tend to be on full shots. I have not had a problem with them or around the green. But, two days ago on the range I had at least 10 in a row ... and then yesterday I did the same. It keeps getting worse and worse. After each one I try to change something and that just compounds the issues. I've attached the not-so-good swing, albeit without a ball as I forgot to film at the range the other day. At least it wasn't a shank.

I've made such a conscientious effort to attack the ball from the inside that it might have really made things bad? On top of the shanks, my divot seems to be more to the right of the target than usual.

Any help and all responses are greatly appreciated.

Note: said file was over 2.5MB for some reason so here is the Google Drive link to it.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1F8PXWH-333Z2pjTDdaOFp2YTA

[JonMA1]

Hi @clthack. Welcome to the forum.

As a high handicapper, I can't give much in the way of advice. But this topic has been discussed quite a bit over the last few years by those who are more qualified to help. Here's a link to a thread that has some useful information:

Also, we have a Member Swing section that you might want to look into:

https://thesandtrap.com/forums/forum/13-member-swings/

In addition to some advice on rules and suggestions on taking and uploading video, the folks here are always willing to offer constructive criticism.

Sorry I can't offer more, but good luck getting it squared away.

[DrvFrShow]

Shanks were so bad today I started hitting punch shots with my hybrid to avoid hitting my irons. Drives were going a mile, but the next shot was always a shank. Something I need to work out at the range.

[Rainmaker]

One thing that has helped me cut the sway out of my swing has been adding more torso rotation.  I used to have this thing where my head would move back in the backswing and then forward in the downswing.  If I focused really hard on not letting it move back and forward, it would move up and down, instead. 

I eventually came to realize I was not really rotating my torso at all. 

This might or might not be related to your issue . .I'm not sure . .but I do think adding more torso rotation is a general fix for swaying of various types.  If you can - post a swing of you hitting a real ball - it makes a huge difference.

Hope it helps.

 

edit:

as far as shanks go . .I'm *convinced* that a shank is just another miss.  When we have a lot of compensations in our swing, those compensations depend on precise timing and synchronization.  If you mess that up - you can have just about any sort of miss - including a shank.   

Edited July 16, 2016 by Rainmaker

[gregsandiego]

  On 7/14/2016 at 12:59 AM, clthack said:

Two parts here:

1.) I've always had an issue of leaning into the ball on my back swing -- notice the head drop. I've taken lessons and none have really given me much help here -- have had a hard time keeping my head still. Either way, I've managed to be OK as is. Index dropped to a 5 last summer but its creeping its way back up in part due to the aforementioned issues.

2.) For the past month or so, I've averaged a shank per round. Unlike a lot of people, mine tend to be on full shots. I have not had a problem with them or around the green. But, two days ago on the range I had at least 10 in a row ... and then yesterday I did the same. It keeps getting worse and worse. After each one I try to change something and that just compounds the issues. I've attached the not-so-good swing, albeit without a ball as I forgot to film at the range the other day. At least it wasn't a shank.

I've made such a conscientious effort to attack the ball from the inside that it might have really made things bad? On top of the shanks, my divot seems to be more to the right of the target than usual.

Any help and all responses are greatly appreciated.

Note: said file was over 2.5MB for some reason so here is the Google Drive link to it.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1F8PXWH-333Z2pjTDdaOFp2YTA

Expand  

I'm afraid I'm not qualified to offer swing advice either. But one question: was that just a practice swing without a ball?

 

[Gator Hazard]

  On 7/15/2016 at 2:41 AM, DrvFrShow said:

Shanks were so bad today I started hitting punch shots with my hybrid to avoid hitting my irons. Drives were going a mile, but the next shot was always a shank. Something I need to work out at the range.

Expand  

Isn't it crazy when feel better with a longer hybrid punch shot than a lower or equal iron?  I've been doing the same. Odd that my irons were coming around but practicing last few times I am sending everything left of my aim. I check my feet for alignment and having diffucty figuring out why doing it. I also have been shanking driver and long woods off tee recently as well. Golf is crazy!

[DrvFrShow]

What I'm thinking is that my moveaway is fine. My position at the top is fine. My downswing is fine until I get to A6, then my club head starts going outside the plane and continues on that line through the ball. 

It could also be caused by a closed clubface. I play with a strong grip and cup my left wrist at the top to square the club face with my woods, driver and hybrid. I hit a beautiful little fade with my driver and FW. And I'm supposed cup the wrist with my irons, too. If I'm not, the club head gets delivered on the correct line except the face is closed, and hosel time. 

[EMC2144]

So I recently I just corrected my shanks (and with the correction gained 15 yards on my irons and 30 on my drives). I found that if I felt as though I was putting weight towards my heels and brought my shoulder blades together (opposite of rounding them), I got rid of it. Then I concentrated on keeping my head "up." What I mean is giving more room for my shoulders to rotate below my chin. Now I have a beautiful draw or dead straight drive, and my iron ball striking has improved immensely. At first with these changes I was playing a pull-draw (and a heavy draw at that). Now that I don't have to exaggerate it for my brain to remember to do it subconsciously, I can balance it out and 90% of my shots are what I want. Although my short game has suffered a bit, I'm now hitting 40% of greens or more in every round.

So all in all, exaggerate some corrections. But have you been playing baseball or anything? That's where my issue started, when I started playing corporate softball.

 

Good luck though, I almost quit for a few months to forget about it, I was that frustrated. So don't do that. 

[tshapiro]

Looking at your vid I can see that your poor lower body action forces you to get creative getting the club head back to the ball. And, your swing finish looks decent but forced. Your weight is still back away from the target through impact.  The fact that you sort of snatch it from the top means you are all arms with a central rotating body - this can give you shanks as you swing more powerfully. But, as you've learned, you can finesse some body positions and make the whole thing work - at least during practice. I'd like to see you swing more athletically. At address, establish a better right leg brace that can later be used early in your transition. Be looser as you approach your transition. Flow into and out of your transition (don't dominant the downswing with a pull from your arms.). As you get to the top allow your weight shift and hip turn get an ever so slightly head start to your swing. With tour weight and hips turning ahead of your swing you will have more power coming from your large muscles - which will begin urging you to relax your wrists. All of this will naturally allow you to swing more inside out without you forcing it. The big problem with forcing positions is you don't gain the power benefit had you done the proper preceding action. In a nutshell: reach the top leisurely, give yourself time to begin the weight shift and right hip turn. As your weight reaches your left foot and your right knee is approaching your left knee swing away. Make sure your ball position is forward just off the inside of the left heal - this will prevent you from feeling jammed up with you new forward weight shift (drift). 

Edited July 18, 2016 by tshapiro

[DrvFrShow]

Shots in the shoulders on Jul 22nd. First time hitting the ball today since the 14th. I've been doing slow work indoors going through the motions. I mentioned that I have a strong grip and cup the wrist at the top to straighten the club face, then on the downswing when I tuck my right elbow and everything and release through impact and it goes a mile with a fade or dead straight now instead of a draw. I've taken the left side of the course out of play.

What I was forgetting to do was cup my wrist at the top. Combine that with an inside out path and the result is a shut club face and a hosel rocket. But with my hybrids and woods I was making the proper amount of cupping and relaxed downswing. 

I straightened this out on the range today. Zero shanks. My primary piece is the inside > outside club path, but I have to remember to do things to properly present the club face and not try to kill the ball. When I try to kill the ball I forget to do the proper things. Did I hit all good shots? No. But I was making solid contact.