The shanks?

[yungwoogie]

Golf is a funny game... I remember watching the movie Tin Cup, and then commenting on the part when Costner gets "The shanks". I was explaining to my wife that it's stupid b/c no one gets "the shanks". Ppl with a good swing will rarely shank the ball, much less shank every shot.
Lo and behold, my next time at the range, i shanked the first 5 balls... after which i too had "the shanks" for about a week. it was terrible!
The more i tried to practice the worse it got. the worse it got the more it stressed me out. the more stressed i got, the worse i shanked the ball.
I found the only cure for the shanks was to put the clubs away for about 2 whole weeks and then start practice with a "clear head". it was almost like rebuilding a swing all over again! (what an ordeal!)

My question: has anyone ever had the shanks? if so, how did you get rid of them?

[nearace]

yes ,3 lessons:)

[hoganapexplus]

In the last 3 years I have had them on about 4 different occasions, where I just could not hit a wedge to save my life. I ended up using a different club than I usually would for that distance and it seemed to go away in that round.
I would suggest moving away from the ball a bit and if that doesn't help use a different club just to get you thinking about something else, like how hard should I swing instead of I hope I don't shank it.
Good luck

[northernpro]

shankers tend to thro the club outside the targetline..place a piece of 2X4
a couple of inches away from ball but parallel to target line..you should
start swinging inside out again!!!

[Weightshift]

shankers tend to thro the club outside the targetline..place a piece of 2X4
a couple of inches away from ball but parallel to target line..you should
start swinging inside out again!!!

Shanking is hitting the ball with the hosel and is more likely to be caused by standing too near to the ball.

Your remedy would only correct an outside-in putting problem! Outside-in is largely caused by leading with the left shoulder at start-down. The shoulders should only follow in the downswing.

[sharkhark]

This subject comes up on a regular basis. After having it affect me in the past I found I had to take lessons for it. It was difficult to fix. You will never lose it for life, it will reappear.
Although standing too close and/or coming outside and back in the target lines are most common, I discovered in lessons that there are many different problems and fixes, so I recommend lessons to fix.
I don't think if you were sick you would rely on people guessing the problem and cure? right?
So don't treat the disease 'shanks' any differently.

[Knockz]

I've only been playing for a short while. But practicing a lot. In this short time I have gotten this. For a few days i would be hitting pretty good. Then all of a sudden I start slicing or topping or all sorts of other things I don't care to remember.

The one thing I do is go home... think about what I was doing wrong and then go back to the driving range and start from the beginning. For me that was a 7 iron and the basic fundamentals. I find after I've done that I get back into the swing.

I also do a lot of practice into a net in my backyard with different clubs. I don't practice distance or accuracy. Basically just hitting the ball consistantly into the back of the net. Once I am able to hit the ball with a club I've had problems with I focus on the rest.

[Biffm1]

I get the shanks when my too much of my weight is on the back foot on my backswing. With a wedge in my hand my first thought at address is to make sure my weight is slightly shifted more to my front foot.

[torontodude]

I too have suffered from this and it is the most horrible feeling in golf. I have studied it a lot and have for the most part been able to get rid of it.

I believe the problem can occur for any of the following reasons:

1. Swing Path is too outside on the backswing or other swing path problem
2. You are not allowing your wrists to break and return to address position naturally
3. You are not rotating, transitioning fast enough through your swing
4. Too much weight is forward on your toes

Solutions:

1. When you are at the range, place a long object (I use the plastic ball holder or shaft of a club) in front of your ball =o| (equal sign are your feet, o is your ball | is your object). When you swing, you will do anything to avoid hitting the object. This will help with your swing path. In fact, soon enough you may feel like you're hitting the ball better than you ever have.

2. Loosen up and let your wrists break. Keep your wrists loose so they can move back to your initial position at impact.

3. Be agressive and get your body facing toward your target a little faster but keep your eye on the ball!

4. Make sure you are not leaning over the ball so much. Your feet should feel as though the weight is centered.

For me, the problem is #1 and #2. I've made some changes with my swing that I think have helped including allowing my arms to drop at address so that they are almost at 90 degrees. When I swing, I also try to maintain the feeling that the heel of my club is facing downward.

I'm always trying to lock into a 'feeling' during my swing that is repetitive. When I achieve this 'feeling', I know I am going to hit a good shot. I am at the point now that I know just from my takeaway if I am going to hit a good one.

Good Luck!

[owenmxz600]

I think EVERYONE has had the shanks at some point, I had them for 9 holes this year... wow it sucked, don't really know what I was doing different, must have been standing to close to the ball, or lifting my head.... How I got rid of them... Well if was myself the Bun, and another buddy, we were on the 15 hole, the beer cart came around, I got 3 beers and shotgunned them all in a row.... NO MORE SHANKS! give it a try! ( might get a pretty good buzzz on:) )

[3whack]

A pox on you for starting this thread. Just seeing the "s" word gives me the shakes.

[woof]

The first session out each season is my "shanks period". Ocassionally I'll shank the ball on the first few strokes at the driving range too. It takes a few strokes until I get into the rhythm again, i.e. when everything "gels".

[Feherty Fan]

Occasionally, I get the "hooks" where everything I hit is a hard pull hook that never gets more then 10 feet off the ground. That would be the extent of my shanks.

To combate this, awhile ago I wrote down how to do my golf swing. From my pre-shot routine, to how to stand, swing thoughts etc... So, when I get the "hooks" I just take a moment to read over my notes and that usually gets me back on track.

[golfingoalie]

Titleist75 often gets the shanks and continues to have them...it frustrates him.

[Titleist75]

Titleist75 often gets the shanks and continues to have them...it frustrates him.

Thanks :) I also wear boxer breifs as well. Anything else you would like to disscuss about me?:confused: ....lol

Yes I get something that resembles a shank. My clubface is WIDE open and I come in with an outside to in swing path and the ball just goes to the RIGHT HARD. It's not coming off the hosel but it might as well be. When this happens I found out over the last few years that I go to the range and work on a few things:
1. Make SURE my weight is not too much on my toes.
2. Work on getting my swing path straight(ish) through or an inside to out forcing my hands to automatically release the club instead of leaving it wide open.
3. SLOW YOUR SWING THE F!#@#$ DOWN (Pardon my French but this part is brutal for me as well)

When this god-awful swing rears its UGLY head it lasts for a few weeks to a month and my confidence has to be built up from square on. It's like my golf swing gets a bad cold and it takes a while to get better again. It sucks but I have learned to accept it and not give up but rather to try and understand it and deal with it as best I can. I am sure there are some that came out to burlington last /DecemberJanuary to Burlington and witnessed me almost taking out the driver's side window of a BMW with that god-awful swing. It happens.:rofl:

[torontodude]

I hear if you practice doing it on purpose it will help you understand why you do it and therefore you will be able to fix it.

[Bellyhungry]

I had a case of the shank that plagued me for a good 1.5 to 2 years. I got advises from magazines, websites, fellow golfers, etc but still couldn't get rid of it.

One technique I employ to combat the shank is to keep my right elbow close to my body while maintaining my spine tilt as long as possible in my down/forward swing. This prevents me from throwing the club with an arm swing and also avoid swinging from outside in.

This technique I use It still does not prevent shanking 100%, but it reduces it significantly.

[barry stevens]

I had the shanks, although I could never tell if I was hitting off the hozzle or the end of the toe of the club. It would show up for a few shots during a round and then disapear. I think I have fixed it as I have not shanked for about a month. In fact the change I made has improved my game so much that I am shooting scores I have never really been able to. a 76 a 78 and 2 79's all in the last 3 weeks. So this is what I did to combat the shank. On my take away I brought the club back slower and about 2 feet back in the swing I change the angle of the takeaway to a steeper plane. I guess it might feel like something Jim Furyk might be doing although I am not sure how it looks. The result is a more accurate shot although I have lost some distance on my irons, thats OK with me so long as I don't see that SOB shank.

[Flamingo]

Thought this was a clean forum -

Shouldn't be using the vulgar "S" word:hush:.

There may be golfers reading this forum.

[Bellyhungry]

Thought this was a clean forum -

Shouldn't be using the vulgar "S" word:hush:.

There may be golfers reading this forum.

To conquer one's fear, first one must face it head on. Denial is just gonna prolong the healing process. :$

[xander.uk]

i thought this was like the "Scottish Play". for actors ie you couldnt actually say the word?

Brings me out in a cold sweat everytime thinking about it.

[esidirop]

please dont say the S WORD!!! it brings back too many memories and is highly contagious.

i used to suffer madly from the shanks until i stopped hitting the range 2 x week, and trying so hard... someone this year told me "over analysis leads to paralysis" and man were they ever right.......As a result the only cure for me was to play more golf, and remove all swing thoughts before my shot, only focusing on my target...The body took care of the rest...



Now if i could just cut down the 40+ putts per rounds ... conquest #2.....As my friends say, i have the short game of a blind baboon.. :hyper:

[nearace]

i thought this was like the "Scottish Play". for actors ie you couldnt actually say the word?

Brings me out in a cold sweat everytime thinking about it.you are a sick person bringing this thread back:nono:

[Bellyhungry]

Sear both sides till the skin turn brown to sear in the juice, then cook it at low heat for about 2-2.5 hours (veal or lamb shanks are both great choices) with red wine and tomatoe sauce with some oregano. Then add salt and freshly-grounded pepper to taste when ready to serve. You can serve it with bone or de-boned.

Get some fresh Italian bread to soak up the sauce.

Any red wine with a hint of rosemary will do fine served with the shank.

Given the richness of the shank, I recommend having a light lunch, and a 30 minute walk after the meal.

Now, enjoy your shank.

[hamiltonhacker]

My recipe is with lamb, 1 28oz can of diced tomatoes,1/2 bottle of red wine, 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, a couple of bay leaves, rosemary, salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Combine together.

Dredge the lamb s*****s in flour and brown in vegetable oil. place in a pyrex baking dish and cover with the liquid. braize uncovered at 325 for at least two hours turning the S*****s occasionally and add water if the liquid level gets low.


that's how I deal with the s*****s.

[xander.uk]

Lamb shanks are fantastic..............personally i dont like the veal.......but slow cooking is the secret with shanks and red wine is the basis of all good shank sauces ( imo )