Practice Drills to Cure a Bad Case of the Shanks

There are plenty of ‘dirty’ words to be heard on the average golf course.  While most golfers are no stranger to muttering a few four letter words as they play, there is no word on the course that is dirtier than the one included in the title of this article…the Shanks!

If you are an experienced player, you already know this to be true – the word ‘shank’ is one that you never want to cross your lips.

The shank is perhaps the worst problem that can be had on the golf course.  Sure, the slice is probably more common in terms of issues faced by the average amateur player, but the slice pales in comparison to the damage that can be done by a serious case of the shanks.

Simply put, the shanks can make it hard, if not impossible, to play the game.  In fact, you could even find yourself driven away from the game altogether if you can’t manage to shake loose of this frustrating and embarrassing problem.

A Profile of “The Shanks”

So what is a shank, exactly?  By most definitions, a shank is a shot that comes off of the hosel of your golf club.  The hosel being the part of the club where the club head connects to the shaft.

You won’t really be able to shank a driver or fairway wood due to the way they are designed, but your iron set is a different story.  The hosel on a standard iron or wedge is just waiting to shank the ball when given the chance.

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Many golfers make the mistake of thinking that a shank is coming off the toe of the club.  After all, the ball does shoot to the right (for a right handed golfer), so it does make some sense that it could be the toe that it is the guilty party.  However, in almost every instance, it will be the hosel that is to blame for this ugly shot.

Drill #1 – Right Hand Only

So, to stop the shanks, you need to move your point of contact out away from the heel of the club.  If you are able to make contact on or near the sweet spot with each swing, you will no longer need to worry about hitting a shank.  The first way you can work toward that goal is by working on your swing while using your right hand only (again, this is for a right handed golfer, as is the rest of the instruction in this article).

Without hitting any balls, you can work on eliminating your shanks simply by making some practice swings using only your right hand.

Why does this work?

One of the contributing factors to the shanks is a lack of release through the hitting area.  When you fail to release the club properly, the hosel will ‘hang’ to long through impact, and you may catch the ball with the hosel before the club face has a chance to square up properly.  When you swing with only your right hand, however, that isn’t going to be a problem.  The club will release without a problem when making one-handed swings, which should help you to feel how the swing is supposed to work when two hands are on the club.

As mentioned above, you don’t need to hit balls when doing this drill.  Make as many one-handed swings as you would like in order to reinforce the idea of releasing the club aggressively through the hitting area. As long as you swing through freely without any hesitation, you should be moving in the right direction.

When you put both hands on the club once again, focus on continuing to make a great release through impact.  For most players, the addition of a full release to the swing will be enough to get rid of those pesky shanks.

Here’s an excellent demonstration of the “right arm only” drill:

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Drill #2 – Hit Some Hooks

For this drill, you will need to be at the driving range.  This is a drill that is somewhat a continuation of the previous drill working on the release, but this option is based on results rather than process.  By trying to hit some hooks on the driving range, you will be forcing yourself to release the club while using an inside-out swing path – which is a great combination for eliminating the shank.

When you hit a shank, you are not only having trouble releasing the club, but you are also likely swinging down on an outside-in path.  This is why many players who fight the shank also have trouble with the slice.

So, in order to get rid of the problem, you need to alter your swing path to the point where it is coming from the inside rather than the outside.  That’s where this drill comes in.  Producing hooks on the range is going to force you to make some changes to your technique, and you should soon find that the shank is the farthest thing from your mind.

To produce a hook, you can make a couple of pre-swing adjustments.  First, close up your stance to encourage the inside-out path necessary to impart hook spin. Also, try standing a bit farther away from the ball to promote a rounder, rotational swing.

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With these two adjustments made, hit a few shots will working on aggressively releasing the club through the ball.  If you do a good job of using your hands at impact, you should see the ball curving quickly to the left in the air.  While these shots won’t be particularly pretty, they will serve the purpose of moving you away from the shank.

After a few hooks, gradually work back toward your normal swing.  With any luck, you will be able to get back to your usual swing without a recurrence of the shanking problem.

The Final Word on Shanks

Nobody wants to talk about the shanks, and nobody wants to hit a shank while they are on the course.  If you are stuck fighting this problem at the moment, work on both of the drills above to get out of your funk.

Here’s to a shank-free future!

Cover Photo via Flickr