Still Shanking-My Observation of why

[priceunderpar]

I have a problem of hitting shanks. It's more than a problem... Like 8 balls out of 10 with a 7 iron at the range when I've got it bad...

I know Brian says the only reason anyone hits a shank is because they lag the hosel and not the sweet spot. I'm not debating his view, but I do want to post the observations of my swing, and my own belief as to why I shank. Most importantly, I'm looking for a fix, which has alluded me.



In a good swing the club will travel down on a slightly inside the target line path to the ball. It will impact with the ball on the target line, and then travel back inside and up in relation to the target line.

HERE IS MY OBSERVATION OF MY SWING

I have watched tons of video on V1 of me hitting a shank. In each video of my shank swing you can see my club coming down on plane, (it appears I am lagging the sweet spot and not the hosel). Through impact however you can see the clubhead travel across the ball on an in-to-outside the target line path and not an in-to-on-to inside the target line, and there is a large gap between my arms and my body.[/U ]


HERES WHAT I THINK

I believe I shank because I lose the connection of my arms to my body. My arms fly away from my body through impact, and my clubhead travels across the target line with them. First what do you think, and second, how can I fix this problem?

 

[thefuture37]

Measure yourself from the ball with your arms fully extended. Try to have them both fully extended at impact like Tiger or Mickelson hitting a driver.

 

[teacherfitter]

Right on

I have a problem of hitting shanks. It's more than a problem... Like 8 balls out of 10 with a 7 iron at the range when I've got it bad...

I know Brian says the only reason anyone hits a shank is because they lag the hosel and not the sweet spot. I'm not debating his view, but I do want to post the observations of my swing, and my own belief as to why I shank. Most importantly, I'm looking for a fix, which has alluded me.



In a good swing the club will travel down on a slightly inside the target line path to the ball. It will impact with the ball on the target line, and then travel back inside and up in relation to the target line.

HERE IS MY OBSERVATION OF MY SWING

I have watched tons of video on V1 of me hitting a shank. In each video of my shank swing you can see my club coming down on plane, (it appears I am lagging the sweet spot and not the hosel). Through impact however you can see the clubhead travel across the ball on an in-to-outside the target line path and not an in-to-on-to inside the target line, and there is a large gap between my arms and my body.[/U ]


HERES WHAT I THINK

I believe I shank because I lose the connection of my arms to my body. My arms fly away from my body through impact, and my clubhead travels across the target line with them. First what do you think, and second, how can I fix this problem?

I see this in others and the right arm especially loses connection early and travels across the target line. Another interesting thing about this is I quite often see, closed rather than open clubfaces through impact!
You can verify this with face tape, wrap some face tape around the hosel and then also have some face tape on the face. If you hit one of those shanks you will see a mark on the inside hosel and then a mark or smear on the face.
Set a plastic range pail just outside of a straight line back from the ball about 15", if you disconnect early you will hit the pail.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

$10 says that you lay the face off in transition and because you swing too in/out and you aren't flipping at it, you shank.

Send me some video

 

[priceunderpar]

What do you mean when you say lay the face off in transition? Open the face? I'd like to post my video or screen shots on the site so you could see what I'm talking about but I don't know how. I've tried before.

Any tips?

 

[shortgamer]

For photo's become a member of a hosting site such as photobucket. Then upload photos to site(they have a upload icon which will open up your picture files). After your pictures are on their site they convert them to 4 different codes. This site uses IMG so you simply" copy" the img code of the picture you want and "paste" it in your post.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

What do you mean when you say lay the face off in transition?

During the transition, at some point you are allowing your left arm to rotate more towards the plane. So yes opening the face but not via the wrist but more rotating the whole left arm wedge more towards the plane. Essentially, "pop-out" but later in the swing; at this point you are so under the sweetspot not much you can do but swing in/out and get lucky or shank.

have you tried the manzella stock "right thumb off" drill?

 

[jpeck]

an interesting thing...

I see this in others and the right arm especially loses connection early and travels across the target line. Another interesting thing about this is I quite often see, closed rather than open clubfaces through impact!
You can verify this with face tape, wrap some face tape around the hosel and then also have some face tape on the face. If you hit one of those shanks you will see a mark on the inside hosel and then a mark or smear on the face.
Set a plastic range pail just outside of a straight line back from the ball about 15", if you disconnect early you will hit the pail.

May I ask what shot pattern you would expect to see with a driver swing for this "right arm disconnect"?

Thanks.

BTW, I've seen the closed face shanks as well, and they can be a very confusing thing for the golfer.

 

[teacherfitter]

Driver shot pattern

May I ask what shot pattern you would expect to see with a driver swing for this "right arm disconnect"?

Thanks.

BTW, I've seen the closed face shanks as well, and they can be a very confusing thing for the golfer.

Can be a low ugly hook!

 

[wedgeplay]

Hall of Fame Post

During the transition, at some point you are allowing your left arm to rotate more towards the plane. So yes opening the face but not via the wrist but more rotating the whole left arm wedge more towards the plane. Essentially, "pop-out" but later in the swing; at this point you are so under the sweetspot not much you can do but swing in/out and get lucky or shank.

have you tried the manzella stock "right thumb off" drill?

Jim,

Isn't this basically the vertical hinge action?

Great out of bunkers and around the green.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

Jim,

Isn't this basically the vertical hinge action?

Great out of bunkers and around the green.

No, you can create the concept of "vertical hinge action" with a little, a lot or no left forearm rotation in the backswing

 

[bigjoe110]

check your clubface and make sure it's not open at impact. the shank is closely related to a slice as it to has an open club face at impact. on the downswing around your hip area make sure you're nice and loose don't tense it could be preventing you from properly releasing the golf club. also failure to uncock or late uncocking of you wrists during the downswing. the last thing is make sure your arms don't get past your body, turn your body and then your arms will follow through nicely.

 

[afrohawk]

KEEP TURNING YOUR SHOULDERS. TURN THEM BACK. TURN THEM THROUGH. ABT- Always Be Turning.

You are shanking because you don't turn through the shot. You probably are throwing your hands at the bottom while your lead shoulder has stopped turning, mostly because you are scared of shanking yet another one. It becomes self-reinforcing after a while, thus the consistency of the shank.

IMHO, shanking and hitting fat are almost always caused by slowing/ stopping the shoulder turn.

TURN THOSE SHOULDERS BIG TIME!!!!!