A shank occurs when you hit the ball off the hosel. The hosel is the socket connecting the shaft of your golf club to the clubhead. Here is a classic example of a shanked chip shot: When you hit the golf ball off the hosel, the ball travels super low and far to the right, assuming you’re right-handed.
Full Answer
How do you fix a shank in a golf swing?
May 22, 2020 · Chip Shot Drill Lay the alignment rod on the ground alongside your golf ball. The rod should point at the flag or target. Put a tee at each end of the alignment rod. Remove the rod. You should now have an imaginary straight line between those two tees with your ball at the …
Is there a cure for shanking a golf ball?
The shank is one of the worst (and most embarrassing) mishits in golf. A shank happens when the golfer hits the golf ball on the innermost portion of the clubface, so far toward the heel that the golf ball is contacted by the rounded hosel. Or, even worse, the golf ball misses the clubface …
How do right handed golfers shank the ball?
May 28, 2013 · A shank happens when you hit the ball with the housel (the intersection of the clubhead and the shaft) of the club. It doesn’t matter if the face of your club is open, closed or square, a ball struck on the housel of the club will exit almost directly to the right (left if you’re …
What causes a golf ball to Shank?
Make corrections to your swing if you are either cutting across the ball or taking an inside-out swing at the ball, because both can result in a shank. If you are cutting across the ball, try this...
What is a shank in golf?
A shank happens when the golf club contacts the golf ball on the rounded hosel portion of the clubhead, rather than on the flat clubface. Cleveland Golf. Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism. The shank is one of the worst (and most embarrassing) mishits in golf.
What causes a shank in golf?
The most common causes of a shank, according to instructor Roger Gunn in our Mishits Tip Sheets feature, include: 1 Standing too close to the ball in the setup; 2 Standing too tall over the ball or sitting back on your heels in the setup position; 3 Pushing your arms away from your body in the backswing or downswing; 4 Or leaning your head toward the ball or the target.
What does it mean when a golfer hits a shank?
One great golfer hitting a shank might cause the other tour golfers in the group to "catch a case of the shanks.". Sam Snead once said this: "Shanks are so contagious that even watching them is risky, and that includes the pro players.". The shank is something that gets into a golfer's head.
Do all golfers hit shanks?
Everyone who plays golf has or will hit a shank. This is true of recreational golfers, but even of professional golfers. (Although obviously a high-handicapper is far more likely to hit a shank than is a tour golfer). Even the greatest golfers on the planet hit shanks—rarely, but it does happen.
Who said shanking is the most outrageous disease in golf?
Roger Weathered , a top amateur golfer in Britain in the early part of the 20th century who once lost in a playoff at the Open Championship, wrote in a 1931 book that "of all the golfing diseases, shanking is by far the most outrageous in its devastating results.".
What does "standing too close to the ball" mean?
Standing too close to the ball in the setup; Standing too tall over the ball or sitting back on your heels in the setup position; Pushing your arms away from your body in the backswing or downswing; Or leaning your head toward the ball or the target.
What is the name of the golf ball that rockets off the hosel of the club?
The most common alternative name for a shank is " hosel rocket ," because the golf ball rockets off the hosel of the club.
What does a shank mean on a golf club?
What it is: A shank happens when you hit the ball with the housel (the intersection of the clubhead and the shaft) of the club. It doesn’t matter if the face of your club is open, closed or square, a ball struck on the housel of the club will exit almost directly to the right (left if you’re left handed) with no height and no distance.
What to do when you get a case of the shanks?
In some instances it may be beneficial to take a couple days off from the game. Work on your putting, read some golf books, do anything that can take your mind off your swing for a little while. It will pay off.
What direction does a golf ball exit if struck on the housel?
It doesn’t matter if the face of your club is open, closed or square, a ball struck on the housel of the club will exit almost directly to the right (left if you’re left handed) with no height and no distance.
How does it happen when you slice a golf ball?
How it Happens: In order to make contact with the ball on the housel of the club, your swing path has to be too far from the inside or too far over the top. With amateur golfers it’s usually the latter. If you’re slicing the ball a lot, you’re coming over the top.
How to make contact with the ball on the housel of the club?
How it Happens: In order to make contact with the ball on the housel of the club, your swing path has to be too far from the inside or too far over the top. With amateur golfers it’s usually the latter. If you’re slicing the ball a lot, you’re coming over the top. If you consistently hit more of a hook, you come from the inside.
How to stop a shank in golf?
How To Stop Shanking a Golf Ball. A proper setup is the first step in avoiding a shank. There is hardly anything uglier in golf than a shanked shot. That means you have to hit the ball off the hosel, or neck, of the club and it travels aimlessly and uncontrollably to the right if you are a right-handed golfer.
What to do if you cut across the ball?
Make corrections to your swing if you are either cutting across the ball or taking an inside-out swing at the ball, because both can result in a shank. If you are cutting across the ball, try this drill.
What happens if you don't hit the ball?
If you don't, it is likely that you will come over the top and lead with the heel of your club into the ball. Also, try to keep from having the so-called “flying elbow,” a major cause of a shank. Keep your elbow closer to your side and you will be more likely to hit the middle of the club.
How to stop shanking the golf ball?
Set up properly (as discussed above), flex your toes upward as you begin your swing and keep your chest high (maintain your spine angle) throughout the swing. Other than those focal points, keep your brain free of any additional chatter, which only exacerbates shankitis.
How to get rid of shankitis?
Set up properly (as discussed above), flex your toes upward as you begin your swing and keep your chest high (maintain your spine angle) throughout the swing. Other than those focal points, keep your brain free of any additional chatter, which only exacerbates shankitis.
What does it mean when a player's weight gets too far onto the toes?
More often than not, a shank occurs when a player’s weight gets too far onto the toes, causing a lean forward. Instead of the center of the clubface striking the ball—as you intended at address—the hosel makes contact with your Titleist, and—cover your ears and guard your soul—a shank occurs.
Can you shank your golf ball into the lake?
No more shanking your ball into the lake or the housing development. For those of us that have ever had the shanks (most of us)... You know it's hands down the worst shot in golf. You've experienced the incredible frustration and embarrassment that comes with squirting the ball out of bounds. But before you throw your clubs in the lake...
Can you catch a shank in golf?
That’s absolutely not true, not close to an ideal golf shot, but better players tend to catch the shanks, because they tend to get more to the inside, too much to the inside, and then hosel’s headed out for the golf ball, and it’s very easy to start catching it too much on the hosel.
