Intro and question - shanking the wedge

[thomas_m]

I've been lurking a while now soaking up the info but have a conundrum...

Background - my first golf lesson was 22 years ago when I was 18 and it was a TGM lesson from the pro at the club my parents had a membership(they were tennis players). Dear old mom bought me a set of lessons the summer after my senior year of highschool after I took up the sport. I was smitten and ended up working part-time in the cartbarn and bagroom while in college as much to be around golf as for the crappy pay.

I bought a yellow book and studied quite a bit and improved rapidly, generally scoring in the low 80's, high 70's. After college, when I actually had to pay to play, I drifted away from golf and quit the game for good when I moved to Asia for a few years. Fast forward to last summer when I hadn't touched a club for 10 years. Once again dear old mom was the catalyst - tennis was now bothering her joints so she took up golf and wanted me to give her some 'tips'. I went to the range with her and whacked a couple with her Pings. I caught the third one pure and thought "Man, that felt pretty good..." Within a week, I had a new set of forged blades and I've have been playing since.

My first handicap posted was 20ish, got down to 16 by the end of last season. I've gotten back into TGM this season and the HC should drop to 13-14 the next revision. My goal is single digits by the end of next season.

The problem - I hit it fairly long off the tee: 280-300ish with the driver so end up with a less-than-full lob wedge into greens quite often. I'm usually thinking 'birdiebirdiebirdie' and then I SHANK the wedge...!

I don't shank any of my other clubs and tend to miss toward the toe if anything. I usually hit a straight-to-draw. If I miss badly, it's a humongous hook. Without seeing my swing (I'm a swinger), any idea why I would shank half wedges and nothing else?

TIA,

Thomas

[comdpa]

Among other things, like standing too close to the ball, shanks are caused by the sweet spot not rotating around the hosel.

[birdie_man]

Exactly..."lagging the hosel" at some point.

i.e. possibly opening the face too much on the backswing and not ALLOWING it (you cannot force it or else you will likely try to HIT- remember a Hitter's Angled Hinging- from driving/hitting with the right forearm- OPENS the face MORE....this is important if you're a Swinger) to roll closed and Horizontal Hinge naturally. Keep PULLING, no PUSHING- if you're a swinger. Centrif. Force.

Setteing up for Swinging with startup swivel (clubface opens) then Hitting = no good.

.....or you could be coming off balance somehow....too much weight on heels could tend to keep the face open I think (lagging hosel, possibly).....too much weight on toes = over the top.

Good luck.

[annikan skywalker]

Shaft rotates around the sweetspot not vice versa...Shanks are caused by...Off-plane motions due to 1.) Throwaway 2.Excessive Clubface motions and/or alignments 3.) Running out of right arm 4.) Incompatible right elbow/right hip motions 4.) the swing center changing from the left shoulder to something else????

[Martee]

What annikan skywalker said.

I know the two most obvious ones I have seen are swingers rotating on the back stroke as though they were swing and then do a hitter's motion into the ball.

The other I have seen is bent plane line resulting from usually taking the club too deep, it also matches the depth when they are at the top but yet they are only waste high.

Analyze your stroke with what he pointed out. It will probably pop out at you.

Welcome aboard...

[thomas_m]

Analyze your stroke with what he pointed out. It will probably pop out at you.

Welcome aboard...

Yep already did... Taking the club back as a swinger and then trying to hit. As soon as I read it, it was obvious. Went out this AM and concentrated on making a complete hitting stroke on the inside-100yd shots and had no problems at all.

Thanks!

Thomas

[archie swivel]

I had the same problem with wedges and it took me awhile but I determined with 100% certainty that MY shanks were caused by my body moving ballward as the backswing reached the top. The fix- make sure ye ole buttocks stays on the 'tush line' and that your head is still. Most people when thinking about keeping the head still, concentrate on not letting it move toward the sky or toward the target, but you need to make sure that it does not move any closer to the ball as well. You can shank from both under plane and over-the-top if your body moves toward the ball and puts the hozel 'in line' with the ball.

[Yoda]

No doubt, many Members look at Archie's Signature above and recall its origin: Anthony Ravielli's inimitable illustration from Ben Hogan's classic, Five Lessons.

But...how many think the fourth illustration in the series -- the Arched left hand and vertical left arm -- occurs opposite the middle of the Body?

See that dotted line there?

It isn't in the middle of the Body.

It is beneath the Left Shoulder.

Get it there....

And change your Golfing Life.

[phillygolf]

I'm usually thinking 'birdiebirdiebirdie' and then I SHANK the wedge...!

I don't shank any of my other clubs and tend to miss toward the toe if anything. I usually hit a straight-to-draw. If I miss badly, it's a humongous hook. Without seeing my swing (I'm a swinger), any idea why I would shank half wedges and nothing else?

TIA,

Thomas

One shank is a bad shot. No biggie, right? Yeah right!

Two shanks is an issue. Three is life threatening. Four...just bury me.

How do I know? Been there, done that.

First, in my opinion, technically shanks are cause by an offplane motion. However...I dont think that is your only issue.

I think your issue is my issue.

Mental.

When I learned (and have to relearn alot!) to 'let go' and 'not worry' about the shank itself...it became alot easier and the shanks went away.

So...

In my experience, it was two fold.

1. Correct my motion to be onplane.
2. Mentally, reduce my anxiety with my 1/2 wedges.

Clear key may help.

Think this fits you???

-Patrick

[rchang72]

No doubt, many Members look at Archie's Signature above and recall its origin: Anthony Ravielli's inimitable illustration from Ben Hogan's classic, Five Lessons.

But...how many think the fourth illustration in the series -- the Arched left hand and vertical left arm -- occurs opposite the middle of the Body?

See that dotted line there?

It isn't in the middle of the Body.

It is beneath the Left Shoulder.

Get it there....

And change your Golfing Life.

That picture seems to illustrate the finish swivel beginning at impact, but I thought it doesn't occur until after low point.