You're Correct!

We have all hit a shank on the golf course and it stays with us much more than that sliced shot out of bounds does. It makes us question every single part of our swing because it can be done with different swing paths and angles of attack into the ball.

A common fault of the shank is an out to in swing path with such an open club face that the hosel leads into the ball, however, an in to out swing path can also cause the shanks because with an open face, the hosel leads the golf club into the ball.

Shanks can also be caused by simply standing too close to the ball and this is the first aspect of the fundamentals to be looked at because even a good golf swing can be affected by this.

To combat the shanks, make sure your fundamentals and in particular your distance from the ball are correct. Learn more about your swing path by figuring out what shape the ball flies when you are not shanking it. Learning this about the ball flight and your swing is the first step to eradicating those dreaded shanks.

Also whilst practising, put some impact tape on your clubs and try to hit the ball from the toe. This will encourage a different angle into the ball without even knowing the actual fault in your swing.

When a golfer is struggling they will often think I will swing easier on the next one or I will slow my swing down or I will just swing half way.

These theories are fantastic when you want to hit the ball less distance but they will not have much of an impact on your swing path. If you are shanking it or hitting the ball in such a way you are not happy with then the issue needs to be identified and then corrected. Two wrongs could make a right for the next few shots and then things will generally go wrong again and then the vicious circle of making another tweak continues!

So how do you identify your swing path?
Film your swing from down the line and then figure out from there which side the golf club approached the ball, then work hard on correcting and improving this angle. The results will be faster and long lasting as opposed to shortening your swing and just shanking it less distance!

The rapid speed manufacturers like to release golf clubs nowadays and may claim that the latest set of irons will completely change and improve your game, however this is not always the case.

For a player who is slicing it, offset or closed face clubs will help to minimize the left to right shape but will not fully solve the issue. For a player who is shanking it, new clubs certainly will not help you improve because there arent any anti-shank clubs out there, just hard work and swing changes, but the rewards will be cheaper and longer lasting than new clubs!

One shot you just cannot hide from is the shanks and shanking drivers will certainly be more difficult but the alternative to the shank is the slice or push slice depending on your swing path.

If you have an issue, you need to tackle it head on and not find short term alternatives to get you round the course from week to week. Your love for the game may start to deteriorate and you may have no chance of reaching your full potential.
Go and see you local pro and identify what is causing the shanks and look to eradicate it from your game and enjoy golf again.