Shanks are about 90% more likely caused by coming inside out with an open clubface, not over the top (though it can be in some situations, but it’s rare in golfers that are serious enough to keep a handicap). If you are serious enough to keep a handicap then you probably go by the idea that an over the top swing is bad and inside out it good. You can tell if this inside-out shank is your problem if you start hitting the “ANTI-SHANK”

The problem is we can be fooled time to time on the range thinking we straightened the shot out when really we are just hitting the ANTI-SHANKS which are pull hooks that can look like slight draws if you don’t practice on the range with a percise target. It’s cause by an early release of the lagged clubhead resulting in a slightly over-the-top swing with a closed clubface. It’s a pretty ball if you tend to aim way right which is a huge tendency in the mediocre golfer. The problem is you won’t see much distance improvement in lag if you start hitting this shot because by releasing the club early you loose a lot of energy by swinging the club outside the target line.

Have you ever heard the saying “You couldn’t shank a ball if you tried to?” In order for a shank to happen the club face needs to be way open to whatever swing path you have, unless you’re new to the game. Like I said before, if you are serious enough about golf to keep a handicap then it is most likely that if your clubface is relatively square to your target at impact you will not shank the ball.

KEY POINT: It is extremely likely, especially with people who have or have worked extesively on faster hips, that by encorporating lag into your swing you will develop a case of the shanks… at first.

WHY THIS HAPPENS: This is because the club is so far behind the player’s hands on the downswing than what their used to. Their timing doesn’t allow them to get the club face around to square into the hitting area in such a short time. Instead it stays very open and doesn’t allow the club face to even touch the ball, evidently you are leading with the hozel.

HOW LAG WORKS: The hands need to travel a short distance to their hitting zone while the club needs to travel longer to enter it’s hitting zone. Resulting in a faster release of the club into the ball for more power.

THE FIX: FIX 1. Don’t break the angle on the back of your leading wrist throughout the swing. (lead wrist for righty is the left wrist) Example: Hold your hand at your side with your thumb pointing foward. Bend your wrist up and down, not left and right, this is the only break in the wrist that should happen for a proper lag in the swing in order to keep the club square with such a fast swing.

FIX 2. Don’t drop the back shoulder (Right Shoulder for a Righty). I’m sure you have been told to rotate around you’re spine. Could not be more important if you want more lag in your swing, dropping the right shoulder through the ball with lag causes a huge inside-out swing resulting in a shank or a snap hook but rarely a fade.

Ideally the lag is simple. Set your hands at the top of the swing and RIP!!! the butt of the club into the back of the ball. But don’t forget STAY IN TEMPO.

Wow, thanks for all the great info Justin. Very interesting. The thought that I could be coming from out-in was a little strange to me, as I generally do feel like, if anything, I come from too far inside. Could this move also lead to occasional low violent slices? I wouldn’t really call it a shank, off the hosel, but may feel like I’ve hit the ball with such an open face that it just peels off way right and low.

Re: FIX 1. I do try to avoid this and keep a flat wrist, but I’m not sure if that is ALWAYS the case. Perhaps I should give the ‘comb drill’ another try to see if that’s my problem.

Re: FIX 2, I have a feeling this may be the more likely culprit. When I get lazy, say after hitting a bunch of balls at the range, or later in the round, this shanking or pull shot happens more often. Sometimes, I feel as if I may have dipped my shoulder more than rotated. Other times, especially with the pulls, I just feel as if my hands have gotten out in front of my body. Have any drills to work on for this?

The good news is, I played 12 holes this afternoon at a local par 3, and hit 12 very nice low-mid iron shots. No shanks, no thin/fat shots, just nice high soft draws or fades, as I had setup for. I really concentrated on smooth tempo, and staying in balance. My practice swings emphasized smooth acceleration, and the hand shake idea proposed in the video in this post. Almost more like I’m trying to throw a bowling ball side armed.

I just hope I’m not doomed to get a case of the shanks anytime my timing is off.

A shank is a low violent slice. If you think it’s not really a shank but kind of feels like one then it probably is, just a lesser shank. Like I said before “You couldn’t shank the ball if you tried.” It’s because they are a divine force, if you lie to yourself and say you don’t have them when you actually do, they will continue to haunt you. You’ll also never find a way to fix them.

As for the wrist - there is a training aid out there which is great for this. It’s a glove with a plate in the back of it. I’m not sure what it’s called.

As for the shoulder turn - Take your stance, address the ball, now bend your body straight up and work on a swing as if the ball is on a tee-ball tee. Your shoulders should turn level to the ground and the club face should be pointing straight up and down at the impact point. Then just bend at the waits and repeat the turn you have groved into your body through months and years at the practice range.

The lagged swing is for the Most Competative golfers. Guys who have the time to make it work, or for guys who pull hook the ball. This is never a quick fix to the golf swing. And to try and swing like Ben Hogan - or to try and get someone to swing like Ben Hogan - is not a good idea. This guy spent countless hours on the driving range, more than any of us can ever. He was happy in the course of a round if he hit three balls exactly the way he wanted. Yes, he had a great swing, but think about what it would take for you to mimic it…

FYI, I think at this point I have gotten over my case of the hosel rockets…and I am indeed hitting the ball better than ever. Broke 80 twice in the past couple weeks.

Two things I did:

1) Bought a Swing Glove, and practiced with that for a couple weeks. Hit hundreds of balls in the back yard with the shag bag. I really don’t worry about my wrist position now, and am back to playing with a normal glove.

2) I had read about addressing the ball at the hosel or at the toe, and trying to hit balls that way. For me, addressing the ball off the toe eliminated the shank, and eventually got me in on the right path. So, I suspect what you were originally saying was true, I was simply coming too far inside->out. Lining up off the toe, I seem to have a better swing path. I do still occasionally come way too inside->out and the result is a big push hook, but I’m slowly losing that as well.

Thanks!