How can I stop hitting shots off the clubs heel? (Video) - Lesson by PGA Pro Pete Styles
How can I stop hitting shots off the clubs heel? (Video) - Lesson by PGA Pro Pete Styles

So hitting the golf ball from the heel of the golf club this section here is often described as a shank. Now the issue with the shank is its very destructive golf shot, it’s a shot that would often produce a ball that shoots quite aggressively right of target for the right handed golfer, not very high and quite often a long way aggressively to the right side. Now the problem with a shank because it is actually pretty close to being a good shot, literally half an inch difference between hitting a nice straight iron shot and a shank.

So we’ve got to be very careful with our correction. Now there are a number of different reasons why people shank the golf ball. But one of the most common elements that causes a shank is not having enough room to swing the club. So let me just turn side on so that you can see the difference here. During my set up position here if I get a bit too near my hands and arms get very close down towards my legs therefore as I turn my body to hit the ball my hands have got no room, my hands will instinctively move away from my legs to create my space and now I have got a problem with shanking the ball. So what I would encourage you is to check that you’ve got enough distance between your yourself and the ball at the set up position and make sure your hands and arms are nicely extended. So as I address the ball this time I’m going to use a little checkpoint of lowering the handle down. If I lower the handle down onto my left thigh it sits just two inches above my knee, that should tell me I’ve got a good distance away from the ball and I can use that checkpoint with every club be it a driver or be it a wedge, as long as the club sits nicely on the ball and I’m not over flexing or locking my knees out to change the shape of my knees I'm dropping my club down just above my kneecap there. Then my hands and arms can hang nicely with plenty of room so I can turn my hips and still have lots of room. I keep my hands and arms nicely extended in the set up phase and then during the swing return back to the same extended position and I should get a decent strike on the ball. I do stress there are a number of other reasons why you may be shanking the golf ball but that’s a great place to start. Look at that fundamental first and then if that doesn’t help research and do some other looking around about why else you might be shanking the ball. 2015-03-26

So hitting the golf ball from the heel of the golf club this section here is often described as a shank. Now the issue with the shank is its very destructive golf shot, it’s a shot that would often produce a ball that shoots quite aggressively right of target for the right handed golfer, not very high and quite often a long way aggressively to the right side. Now the problem with a shank because it is actually pretty close to being a good shot, literally half an inch difference between hitting a nice straight iron shot and a shank.

So we’ve got to be very careful with our correction. Now there are a number of different reasons why people shank the golf ball. But one of the most common elements that causes a shank is not having enough room to swing the club. So let me just turn side on so that you can see the difference here. During my set up position here if I get a bit too near my hands and arms get very close down towards my legs therefore as I turn my body to hit the ball my hands have got no room, my hands will instinctively move away from my legs to create my space and now I have got a problem with shanking the ball.

So what I would encourage you is to check that you’ve got enough distance between your yourself and the ball at the set up position and make sure your hands and arms are nicely extended. So as I address the ball this time I’m going to use a little checkpoint of lowering the handle down. If I lower the handle down onto my left thigh it sits just two inches above my knee, that should tell me I’ve got a good distance away from the ball and I can use that checkpoint with every club be it a driver or be it a wedge, as long as the club sits nicely on the ball and I’m not over flexing or locking my knees out to change the shape of my knees I'm dropping my club down just above my kneecap there.

Then my hands and arms can hang nicely with plenty of room so I can turn my hips and still have lots of room. I keep my hands and arms nicely extended in the set up phase and then during the swing return back to the same extended position and I should get a decent strike on the ball. I do stress there are a number of other reasons why you may be shanking the golf ball but that’s a great place to start. Look at that fundamental first and then if that doesn’t help research and do some other looking around about why else you might be shanking the ball.