Curing The Shanks: Part 2
IN: Golf Instruction | by Peter Croker | 18 Dec 2007
In Part One we looked into the first two root causes of the dreaded shank. The first was the static “set up to fail” with the ball being set up to close to the hosel and standing too close to the ball with a reminder of that look in Figure 1. In Part Two we will look at the third demon and then how to tame the shank and banish it for good.
Fault: The Wayward Downswing Pivot
When a golfer has a faulty pivot, especially at the start of the downswing, an incorrect right hip movement can cause the clubhead to travel outside its intended downswing path and contact the ball in the shank of the club. By this I mean you must consider where your hands will travel if your right hip is in the way of your hands path back to the ball.
Figure 2 shows how the hands initially had some room but by Figure 3 they flew out to go around the hip. Failure to clear the right hip is doom to nearly ever golf shot you can imagine.
Correction
You could consider that the hips turn in a barrel. This basic image allows golfers of all levels to be more stable and to centre their swing.
1. The Downswing Through Impact Section
In winding up the hips in the backswing the right hip turns to a point where it feels anchored – Figure 2. We say that you have the feeling of being “set at the top.” From here the correct downswing hip action can easily occur when the correct hand and arm action starts the downswing.
2. Master Downswing Drill
At the start of the downswing, drill in the correct “uncocking” of the wrists so that the club shaft moves into a line with the lead arm as the clubhead is released down, out, and through the ball – Figures 4, 5, and 6 show a drill for training in the correct hand and arm action from the start of the downswing.
By gripping down on the club for this drill it makes the golfer aware of the correct alignment of club shaft to left arm during the start of the downswing and so is a self help monitoring drill.
The club must fully pass the right hip before the right hip and right knee move through to their finish position.
Figure 7 and 8 show the initial takeaway with room and Figure 9 the downswing moves which result using this correct start to the downswing nearing the “moment of truth – impact.” Here the right hip has been checked from moving too much to the outside. In contrast the hip action in the downswing as shown in Figure 3 will lead to the golfer shanking the ball.
Practicing this “Master Downswing drill” will restrict the right hip from rotating out too soon in the downswing, which if remaining unchecked would throw the clubhead outside its intended downswing path.
As an extra benefit from this drill, we can cure the faulty downswing path which can lead to causing a shank shot. Golfers quite commonly start their downswing with a faulty wrist action that throws the club head from the outside – in and therefore tending to have the club head make contact near or on the shank of the club.
Postscript
Jerry Barber, a well known American short game expert from the
1960’s who played on the US Tour with moderate success,
designed a wedge with a goose necked hosel. It had the shank area
of the club removed and more clubface designed into this
dangerous area of the clubhead. This does not stop a golfer from
hitting shots on the neck of the club but does stop the ball
shooting off in an unpredictable way.
By using such a wedge, a golfer may relax more and this can contribute to more confident shot making. Cleveland Golf built a set of clubs with a similar hosel configuration. Corey Pavin won the US Open at Shinnacock, Long Island using a set of these “shankless” irons.
Please find your way into the iseekgolf forums where we will be happy to discuss the shanks and clarify any of the above for you.
Many thanks to Paradise Palms in Cairns for the magnificent backdrop for parts 1 and 2 of these articles.
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