What is a shank in golf?
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. If you’re left-handed, the ball veers ...
What is a hosel in golf?
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. If you’re left-handed, the ball veers to the left. To put it another way, a golf shank is the ...
What is the most dreaded shot in golf?
The golf shank may be the most dreaded shot in the game. You think you’ve got a good shot lined up, then the ball flies low and to the right. Now you’re off course, you’re irritated, and you just wasted stroke.
What is the difference between a slice and a slice?
The difference is that a slice is generally caused by delivering an open club face at impact. A slice happens as a result of the orientation of the club face , not the point of contact. You can still hit the ball in the sweet spot (or off the toe) and hit a slice. Now, this difference can be hard to feel.
What is the most common way a golfer shanks the golf ball?
This is a swing path where the golf club gets over the top of the swing plane with the golf club coming down steep in the downswing. As the swing speeds up in the downswing the clubhead moves outside of the golf ball before it gets to the impact zone.
Where is the sweet spot on a golf club?
The sweet spot is actually about 2 inches from the hosel which is not in line with the handle that you are holding.
How to get a shank in golf swing?
First, take a deep breath . Next, lighten your grip and try to stay tall during the swing. Most shanks are due to getting your weight out on your toes, so take a few practice swings with a lighter grip and stay tall through the swing. Finally, keep your hands close to your body through the impact area.
How to get rid of shanks in golf?
1. Try to miss the ball on the inside. The shanks are caused by an open club face and a cast pattern during transition and release 95 percent of the time. Close the club face and try to intentionally swing and miss the ball to the inside (closer to you) from a normal address position. This will get your contact away from the hosel and toward ...
How to fix shanks mid round?
The easiest way to fix shanks mid-round is to focus on a blade of grass to the inside of the golf ball. With your next swing make sure the middle of the clubface hits that blade of grass. This exposes the middle (or even toe) of the clubface and divorces your swing from the hosel.
How to get rid of anxiety when playing golf?
If you are playing recreationally, tee up the ball and focus totally on swinging the clubhead to the target . This can remove the anxiety out of your mind and body so you can free up your swing. If you are too far into that downward spiral, I would suggest you stop playing, look for the beverage cart and have a drink!
Who is Zephyr Melton?
Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF.com, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour.
What is the shank on a golf club called?
Otherwise known as the “better player” shank, or the “heel” shank. This happens when your clubhead swinging on a path that is too shallow, on a severe inside-to-out, which means the hosel is moving directly towards the ball
What is the outside in shank?
This severe outside-to-in clubhead path is the opposite of the first shank. Rather than being caused by a swing that’s too shallow, your swing is too steep.
What is the shank in golf?
For more information on Thomas Golf Irons: How to Solve a Shank. The shank is, by far, the most dreaded shot in golf . Of course, there are plenty of different kinds of shots that you can hit which will send your ball into bad places, but none of them are quite as nasty as the shank.
What happens when you hit a shank?
When you hit a shank, the ball will shoot sideways across the fairway without ever getting more than a couple feet off the ground in most cases. Not only is a shank sure to do damage to your score, but it is likely to be rather embarrassing as well.
Is golf a hard game?
Golf is a hard game, and an issue like the shank is something that you have to approach with ample focus if you want to successfully eliminate it. If you are fighting the shank currently, don't feel too bad - this is a problem that affects even some of the best players in the world.
What is the hardest shot in golf?
It’s often said the hardest shot in golf is the one following a shank . For most, the shank happens unexpectedly as we always expect to hit a perfect shot. So to have a ball seemingly fly sideways into trouble catches us off guard. There have been many people to quit the game of golf because they can’t correct the shanks.
Why is it important to have a good pre-shot routine?
If we have a great pre-shot routine that sees us committing to a process rather than dwelling on previous shots, it will help us create a quiet mind. When you start hitting a string of poor shots in a row, it’s important to remind yourself how many great shots you’ve hit in your life.
