Date Published: 23/11/2023
Nothing can ruin a hole (and make your playing partners silently smirk) quite like a golf shank. You aim for the flag, take your swing, and the ball sets off at a 90-degree angle.
To stop the shank, you first need to understand where your club is making contact with the ball.
In most cases the shank occurs when your weight is too far forward, causing you to lean on your toes. Because of this, the face of the golf club doesn’t make contact with the ball – the hosel does (the part of the club where the shaft meets the club head).
Follow these three steps and never shank a ball again:
Step one: understand what kind of shank you have. The most common cause is a swing coming too far from the inside (where the club is too close to the body), or an overly-aggressive downswing.
You can use a golf analyser to help determine your swing path and see where you may be going wrong. While swinging, focus on keeping the club straight from back to follow through. This will help to avoid an out-to-in or in-to-out swing, a result of holding the club too close or far away from the body.
Fixing a shank is a combination of the correct swing stance and the correct position of the club. If you know where you might be going wrong, pay attention to practising that. Otherwise, following the below steps may help to iron out anything causing your shank.
Fixing your stance:
Fixing your swing:
Read more on how to swing a golf club
Start slowly when training to fix your stance and swing. By working your way up to a full swing, you ensure that you are keeping everything in the correct position every step of the way. Try to make the perfect swing a habit so that when you’re on the course, every shot goes exactly where you intend it.
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