help.......got the shanks

over the last couple of weeks the "shanks"have been creeping in maybe 2 a round which is bad enough but yesterday i played at aldwark manor in york and must have lost 10 balls through shanks and no confidence in my swing.

has anyone got any "GOOD" suggestions to get rid of them because at the moment i am seriously thinking about putting all my clubs on e bay and taking tennis up

cheers matt,i normally hit a slight draw but i am trying that hard to miss the hosel i am hitting a fade or slice now so i think i will be coming over the top (slicers swing)

Neil, any particular club selection this occurs most with? Is it a particular shot you are trying to execute?

dave its mostly with sw 4 and 7 irons.not really changing anything.cannot understand it i was striking the ball lovely upto about 2 weeks agoand now my confidence is shattered

Neil, I was there at Aldwark yesterday also. On Saturday I had a good days practice and played 18 holes quite well (if I say so myself) only to hit three consecutive shank balls on th e 17th with an 8 iron. Now, I usually know why I've hit a draw/fade etc but shanks I'm not sure: I assume to keep the club on the same plane but is the some *astard force which makes you lean into the ball  which I think is the cause. My tip: keep your head still.

Neil, I am sorry to hear the dreaded words. I know how you feel because I was plagued with thisi affliction on all short shots requiring a bit of finesse. I never cured it so have had to resort to using a club that is completely shank-proof. I never shank full shots and I do not know an answer that would be correct, I have read about this subject over and over again and what I do know is that it is the nearest thing to a perfect shot, but of course that does not help us.

Patrick has come up with a solution that, on the face of it, is plausible, but who knows.

Neil, if the result of trying to fix it is causing you to slice it sounds to me as though your are changing your swing plane to compensate for being ever so slightly close to the ball. Try setting up as normal and then moving half an inch further away from the ball (maybe even less as it can make all the difference). The fact that it's the shorter clubs you seem to be struggling with, you may not really notice if you are too close to the ball - especially if you are trying to hit down for added spin. - I did this exact thing on the 18th at Aldwark, set up for an almighty whack with a PW to get the spin but got too "over" the ball and sh*nked it straight in to the trees on the right. 2nd attempt I took a 9, set up better (less hunched over the ball) and swung smooth - better result and still got the spin.

Neil, make sure you dont have to much forward press with your hands this will make you take the club up steep and coming in from the inside you will never have time to square the club face.Most of my shanks are when I try to keep the ball flight low so ball position is set futher back and you move your hands even futher forward. As for wedges I agree with Matt people confuse wieght to the left with moving closer to the ball,hold weight left and stay well balanced.

Matt, yes they are Marumans and yes the same model as Woosie used to win the masters.They are 21yrs old and came with a bit of Midas on them from the previuous owner.Mr Pettitt. I believe to purchase them know would be a special order wouldn,t like the bill i suspect.

thanks for all the advice guys much appreciated.

will give it another go at the range tomorrow

   cheers

been on the range today and tried the advice you guys gave me.and it worked only shanked 2 balls out of 2 basketfulls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

got my draw back(sort of)

but all in all feel alot better

many thanks

didn t want to take tennis up my legs have never looked good in a pair of shorts lol

Good news Neil, lets not hear that 'word' again

been on a charity day today and even though i only scored 28 points not 1 of the shots i have been doing all day(hope thats ok patrick)

so feel much better cheers

Good to hear Neil what solved it exactly??

think it was standing slightly further away from the ball.only trouble with that is my draw has turned into a fade but still better than hitting it sideways dave.at least my confidence is coming back and i can work on my swing abit to get a draw back

28 points was pretty good going given the weather and course Neil  30 points claimed third place.

Nice to see you back mate.

thanks james,great day yesterday.after seeing how hard you and your family worked yesterday i tip my cap to you mate......well done