Swing Upright to Cure the Shanks, Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles
Swing Upright to Cure the Shanks, Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles

So the shanks--the dreaded word the shank. I know some golfers that won't even say the word never mind actually talk about it or telling me they're actually suffering from the shanks. And that's the problem with the shanks because people suffer from it. It's like people catch the shanks and once they’ve got the shanks, it's very, very difficult to get rid of the shanks. So here's a great little exercise I have set up to stop you shanking the golf ball.

The shank is a shot that hits the heel of the golf club. So often the ball sets up in the middle of the club when you start your swing but by the point of impact you've shifted the club out further and it's hitting the heels. So the club's moving out this way. So here's a great exercise to stop you doing that. We've taken the golf ball here. My target line now is this way across the mat just so you can actually get a good view of the tee pegs here. And then from this position and then to my normal swing but I've got to be careful if I'm not going to push out too far and hit one of this row of tee pegs.

Now the problem with this swing is often that if he comes down too much from the inside, particularly people who are trying to draw the ball quite aggressively on an in-to-out path. If you swing in and then out too early or too far there's a real risk that you'll push the heel towards the ball and actually catch a couple close to the neck or even on the neck for the shank shot.

So if I was swinging too aggressively in-to-out, the club might be going out this way knocking some tee pegs over as I swing through. So try and get the feeling that as you make your swing it would be a slightly steep and more upright down swing that would allow the club to come onto the ball and travel in a straight line. And if you're really struggling with the shanks maybe even favor a little bit of a fade shape where the club comes from out and then in a little bit more pulling in, lining the toe up with the golf ball a little bit earlier rather than letting the ball get close to the heel.

So be careful of the shanks. It's one of the most destructive shots in golf. It sounds funny, it feels funny and it shoots violently right very, very quickly. And using the little four tee pegs here should encourage you to swing a little bit steeper to stop you getting too flat, too much from the inside line and then knocking one of these tee pegs over in the follow through after you have hit the golf ball.

 2012-04-16

So the shanks–the dreaded word the shank. I know some golfers that won't even say the word never mind actually talk about it or telling me they're actually suffering from the shanks. And that's the problem with the shanks because people suffer from it. It's like people catch the shanks and once they’ve got the shanks, it's very, very difficult to get rid of the shanks. So here's a great little exercise I have set up to stop you shanking the golf ball.

The shank is a shot that hits the heel of the golf club. So often the ball sets up in the middle of the club when you start your swing but by the point of impact you've shifted the club out further and it's hitting the heels. So the club's moving out this way. So here's a great exercise to stop you doing that. We've taken the golf ball here. My target line now is this way across the mat just so you can actually get a good view of the tee pegs here. And then from this position and then to my normal swing but I've got to be careful if I'm not going to push out too far and hit one of this row of tee pegs.

Now the problem with this swing is often that if he comes down too much from the inside, particularly people who are trying to draw the ball quite aggressively on an in-to-out path. If you swing in and then out too early or too far there's a real risk that you'll push the heel towards the ball and actually catch a couple close to the neck or even on the neck for the shank shot.

So if I was swinging too aggressively in-to-out, the club might be going out this way knocking some tee pegs over as I swing through. So try and get the feeling that as you make your swing it would be a slightly steep and more upright down swing that would allow the club to come onto the ball and travel in a straight line. And if you're really struggling with the shanks maybe even favor a little bit of a fade shape where the club comes from out and then in a little bit more pulling in, lining the toe up with the golf ball a little bit earlier rather than letting the ball get close to the heel.

So be careful of the shanks. It's one of the most destructive shots in golf. It sounds funny, it feels funny and it shoots violently right very, very quickly. And using the little four tee pegs here should encourage you to swing a little bit steeper to stop you getting too flat, too much from the inside line and then knocking one of these tee pegs over in the follow through after you have hit the golf ball.