Shanks - A familiar topic again

[bergsey]

Firstly thanks Brian for the Flipper video - great stuff.

I've been practising chipping a lot lately and have got the flat left wrist working well.

Occassionaly i shank the ball however - i've eliminated all of the possible causes and have come back to the theory that in my case my hands are getting closer to the ball than they are at address. I've even seen it happenening on video - the clubface is aligned to the target but my hands have moved out ever so slightly from my body.

If i setup with my hands a lot further out from my belt buckle and the ball addressed off the toe of the club (compared to the distance i think Brian mentioned somewhere - e.g. extended thumb and pinky to belt buckle) I don't shank it

If i address the ball off the toe but have my hands a bit closer to the body e.g. the 'normal distance' the shanks creep in here and there.

So the question is is there a problem having my hands further away from my body than normal so that i've got room to drive down and out without fear of hitting the hosel ?

If at impact fix i extend both arms straight is that the correct distance to be from the ball?

Cheers

 

[rbaumgolf]

Some things that helpded me in my early days:

If you are chipping just moving the hands back and forward with the pivot will help. Don't try to use the hands to "help" the chip. At impact ensure you are not looking down the shaft of the club. Pick out the aiming point for the hands prior to the chip

 

[Tom Bartlett]

quote:Originally posted by bergsey

Occassionaly i shank the ball however - i've eliminated all of the possible causes and have come back to the theory that in my case my hands are getting closer to the ball than they are at address. I've even seen it happenening on video - the clubface is aligned to the target but my hands have moved out ever so slightly from my body.

Sound like you are swinging the shaft and not the sweet spot.

If i address the ball off the toe but have my hands a bit closer to the body e.g. the 'normal distance' the shanks creep in here and there.

Again, with ball closer to you...if you are monitoring your lag pressure point you would just have your hands further forward at impact. IE, distance from ball, unless to the extreme, shouldn't cause a shank.

So the question is is there a problem having my hands further away from my body than normal so that i've got room to drive down and out without fear of hitting the hosel ?

Moving further away should cause your hands to be less ahead of the ball at impact (less forward lean) and cause higher ball flight (this might cause some debate among hardcore TGMers) but there is no problem doing that.

If at impact fix i extend both arms straight is that the correct distance to be from the ball?

If right handed, the right arm should still be bent at impact. Both arms aren't straight until follow through.

 

[Tom Bartlett]

A Great drill is to have an Authorized Golfing Machine Instructor or a friend put their fingertip on the sweet spot at the top of your swing and you have to keep their finger on the SS all the way back to the ball. This will help you feel your lag pressure point.

 

[bergsey]

Sound like you are swinging the shaft and not the sweet spot.

Thanks Tom, so if i understand correctly you are saying that i could be losing lag pressure on the downstroke?

 

[Tom Bartlett]

That would be my guess.

 

[shootin4par]

weight may be too much on the balls of the feet at address, causing poor weight transfer maybe a feeling of falling on your toes, and cutting across the target line

 

[Tom Bartlett]

I can still fall towards the ball and not shank it, and have done so with an awkward stance against a tree or hanging over a water hazard.

 

[bergsey]

Ok did some more practice today. Took me quite a while but i got to a point where the shanks disappeared (at least for now )

This is what i did - took out the SW as that was the club i was shanking the most. Rather than take a "low and slow" backstroke i concentrated on picking up the club - straight up almost with the right hand. I then just visualised the grip of the club coming down on a straight line into the ball. (i could understand how this worked on full shots but i'm talking only half shots with a SW here..)

Wow this made a huge difference - i could even stand really close and not shank it at all. Also got the nice ball / turf contact.

To me this feels steep compared to what i was used to.. given the results though i really don't mind !!...

Thanks for the help

cheers

 

[Tom Bartlett]

Look, Look, Look. What it FEELS like you are doing and what you ARE doing are very seldom the same thing. If you aren't shanking it anymore you are probably doing it right. The proof is in the pudding.

 

[shootin4par]

quote:Originally posted by Tom Bartlett

I can still fall towards the ball and not shank it, and have done so with an awkward stance against a tree or hanging over a water hazard.

because you can do that it means it is not a possible cause of someone else shanking?

 

[LSH]

Tom and or Brian
As you know I had a little trouble with this in Orlando. I had a chance to hit a few chip shots in the yard yesterday afternoon. I bent over more, narrowed my stance a bit, played the ball a bit more towards my right foot, and more or less turned my shoulders back and forth using little to no arm motion making sure my hands let the way. I hit nothing more than 10 yard and 20 yard shots.
I know one of the problems you guys pointed out to me was bringing the club too far to the inside on the backswing. Bending over more and rocking seemed to eliminate that.
The results were good almost every time. Based on my sketchy description does this sound like the correct procedure?

quote:Originally posted by Tom Bartlett

quote:Originally posted by bergsey

Sound like you are swinging the shaft and not the sweet spot.

I think this was also an issue with me. Is this where having someone put their finger on the sweetspot came in?

Steve

 

[Tom Bartlett]

quote:Originally posted by shootin4par

quote:Originally posted by Tom Bartlett

I can still fall towards the ball and not shank it, and have done so with an awkward stance against a tree or hanging over a water hazard.

because you can do that it means it is not a possible cause of someone else shanking?

My point is if your mind is in your hands you should be able to hit the ball even if...

 

[Tom Bartlett]

quote:Originally posted by LSH

Tom and or Brian
As you know I had a little trouble with this in Orlando. I had a chance to hit a few chip shots in the yard yesterday afternoon. I bent over more, narrowed my stance a bit, played the ball a bit more towards my right foot, and more or less turned my shoulders back and forth using little to no arm motion making sure my hands let the way. I hit nothing more than 10 yard and 20 yard shots.
I know one of the problems you guys pointed out to me was bringing the club too far to the inside on the backswing. Bending over more and rocking seemed to eliminate that.
The results were good almost every time. Based on my sketchy description does this sound like the correct procedure?

Sounds pretty good. As the shots get longer incorporate more body.

quote:Originally posted by Tom Bartlett

quote:Originally posted by bergsey

Sound like you are swinging the shaft and not the sweet spot.

I think this was also an issue with me. Is this where having someone put their finger on the sweetspot came in?

Steve

YES

 

[LSH]

Update:
The foul weather held off long enough for me to try again this morning. This time I found if I kept a little pressure on the inside of my right foot and my knee flexed and almost feeling kicked in a bit I hit the ball very crisp. However I was hitting about 5 - 10 degrees left of target. At this time I don't know if its a swing path or club face issue. Probably be my last outdoor session for a while

 

[Brian Manzella]

Steve (LSH):

Never let your neck bone get ahead of your tailbone through the ball.