A shank is not a nice experience for any golfer, but first let’s clear up why it happens and what it is. A shank is caused by hitting the ball off the hosel. Why does this happen? Well, simply it’s because the clubhead has gone out further toward the ball than it was at address. There are three main reasons this happens:
1. You are setting up too close to the ball,
2. You are moving your body toward the golf ball during your downswing, or
3. Your club is swinging out toward the ball on the downswing generally because of a too flat swing.
All of these result in a shank. So how do we fix it?
Well first of all, when you setup to a shot make sure that your hands are a good distance away from your body. When your hands are too close to your body at address you’ll have little space to swing the club back to the ball and this will sometimes cause a shank. A good distance to have the hands away from your body is about a hand-span between the butt end of the club and your body.
Another common reason why golfers shank a shot is because they are trying to keep their head down and end up exaggerating and moving the head towards the ball, which of course moves the entire body towards the ball and this means the club moves out towards the ball.
If you are “trying” to keep your head down then you’re asking for trouble, because when golfers, and people in general, “try” to do anything it causes tension. If you think you are doing this or even if you don’t I suggest you give this short exercise a try!
First of all don’t “try” to keep your head down, but what you can do is hit balls while being aware of any head movement. Simply watch and give a score to your head movement. Have 0 as the bench mark for no head movement during the swing, +10 as a lot of head movement towards the ball, and –10 as a lot of head movement away from the ball. Now hit balls and notice your head movement and score each swing as to how much head movement you have. Don’t “try” to stop it just be aware and score each swing. For reasons you don’t need to know or understand just by doing this your head movement will dramatically decrease without you “trying” to do it.
Another good way to reduce head movement is to setup to an imaginary shot with your head resting on a wall (do this without a club). Now simply make the motions with your arms as if you’re holding a club and swinging. Your head should stay where it was at address for pretty much the entire swing. Keep repeating this for as long a period as you like. You can never do this too much.
The second most common reason for a shank is because a golfer has a too flat backswing. And if your backswing is too flat it will be very hard for you to bring the clubface back into the ball on the downswing because the hosel will be leading into the ball. But probably the best drill I can give you to stop a shank is to place a shoe box or something similar just outside the toe of the club at address like this…
Shank Box Fix Drill
Once this is setup you simply have to hit shots as normal, but obviously if you come down into the ball with the clubface out towards the ball at all then you’ll hit the box. This drill is great because it gives you instant feedback as to whether or not you’re swinging down correctly. All you have to do is come on the inside and miss the box!
One last drill to fix a shank is to place a tee just inside the ball so it’s directly in front of your hosel. When you swing the idea is to make an effort to hit the tee and if you do you’ll hit the ball squarely, but if you miss the tee then you’ve hit the ball with the hosel, so aim for the tee. Here’s a summary of what you should do to get rid of your shanks once and for all.
1. Check how far you’re standing from the ball. Make sure it’s about a hand-span away from your body.
2. Do the head movement awareness exercise as well as resting your head against a wall and making imaginary swings at a ball with your arms while keeping the head where it was at address.
3. Test to see the flatness of your swing by swinging up against a wall. Keep doing this until you can consistently miss the wall with your backswing.
4. Place a shoe box just outside the toe of your club so it’s pointing at your target line and swing. If you hit the box on the downswing then that will give you instant feedback that you moved the club away from you. So all you have to do is keep swinging while attempting to miss the box.
5. Place a tee just inside the ball so it’s in front of your hosel and swing while trying to hit the tee on the downswing. If you miss the tee then you’ll shank it, so the objective is to hit the tee which will result in a well hit shot OR at worst a shot hit off the toe of the golf club.
If you follow these guidelines diligently then you’ll get rid of your shank. I wish you all the best and I know how disheartening shanking shots can be because I’ve been through it myself. Good luck and if you want any more help to fix a shank ask any questions below.
P.S. If you suffer from the shanks take heart because even the best in the world like Tiger Woods hit a shank now and then. Watch this video for proof. 
Tags: shanking, shanks, Tiger Woods
November 19th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Great tip. Thanks Nick. I suffer from the shanks occasionally. When I do next I’ll be sure to put your instructions to use. Love the site by the way!
November 20th, 2008 at 12:02 am
Thanks for the prompt response Nick,much appreciated.
November 20th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Hi nick,
Thanks for this very clear explanation of how to deal with what I think is the worst ailment in golf, the horrible shank. I went through a terrible patch last year with the shanks which I overcame (although still have the occasional shank but very seldom) but it was only with the wedges. Any reason for this? Now I’m ok with the shanks but the mental impact has resulted in me being afraid to hit my wedges properly and so my short game has deteriorated as a result. Any advice on this?
ps I hit my wedges fine at practice but not on the course, often coming up short or even hooking them….
cheers
Christo
November 25th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Thanks Nick for the information on how to stop the shanks.
Over the next few weeks I will put it to the test.
I have had the shanks for over 12 months and have currently changed my set of clubs to Hybrids which has gradually given me back some confidence.
November 25th, 2008 at 11:22 am
hi folks, great tips.
i suffer from something similar to christo – it usualy occurs with the wedges. my problem with the wedges is that i dont commit to the shot, so by trying to hit half a shot with the wedge i lose rythm and tempo and shank the damn thing. also the head thing comes into to play as i tent to look up too quickly on tentative shots.
always use a club that you know will get there easily rather than trying to smash a club thats not big enough -(look at garcia in the ryder cup – for some stupid reason he persevered with the sand wedge from 150 yards out and every single shot came up short, and twice into water – i was screaming at the telly “put it back in the bag and get your pitching wedge out” ) this will send your tempo well out of sink – remember smooth full swing.
statistics prove that the majority of golfers come up short of the green rather than over it so club up accordingly and get there easy !!
cheers.
kev
November 25th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Christo and Kev, I too suffered from shanks with wedges and lost some confidence with them until I realized I was trying to swing my wedges on a like swing plane as my long irons. My initial take away with my wedges was too much to the inside. That either caused my downswing to be too much inside-to-out and a shank, or a compensation at the top and an over-the-top move on the downswing, again causing a shank. As I’m sure you know the swing plane for your shorter irons is a bit more upright. Please consider your swing plane next time. Just a thought/recommendation.
Nick, define a hand span per your instructions above. Is that with the fingers spread out or together? If the fingers are spread out, do you measure from the index finger or from the base of the index finger (sort of like measuring if the fingers are together)? Recommendation everyone, take your normal stance and let your arms hang naturally. Then bring your hands together. That should give you a bench mark on where to start. This will also allow your arms to hang effortlessly reducing tension and allowing you to swing freely. Nick is right on having your hands too close; you could compensate on the downswing pushing the clubhead out which can cause the shanks.
Nick is right about the effects of moving your head, however the head can move in any number of directions which can cause bad shots. Just a recommendation, keep your eyes on the ball and let your back shoulder bring your head up.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Tiger didn’t hit the ball on the hosel, his club face was wide open at impact which is what I do on occasion. This is only with short irons which I also pull a lot.Thanks for the tips
November 25th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Yes, I agree with Alan, if that was a true shank that Tiger hit it would not have gotten the height that it did, or certainly not the distance, also. Shanks goes hard right about 5-10 feet off the ground. But with the driver they squib to the left.
November 25th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
My problem is not the shank with the wedge but I hit the ball off the toe of the club and it looks just a shank. My next try for a cure is to stand somewhat further from the ball, bend over more and take a wider stance. This doen’t sound logical, but you know golf, logic doesn’t always play a part in this game.
November 26th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Seth, it’s true….the swing plane with wedges needs to be more upright. And here’s a video I created to help golfers with the distance they should stand from the ball problem: http://consistentgolf.com/blog/posture-video/
As far as confidence is concerned…when you hit wedge shots your backswing should always be shorter than your follow-through. I see so many golfers almost stopping at the ball. The only time you want to do that is if you’re hitting a low punch shot. But even then you need to be accelerating at the ball. On your average pitch shot you should have a follow-through longer than your backswing. This will help you to accelerate through the ball.
-Nick
November 27th, 2008 at 5:47 am
Nick,
Thanks for the tips. Those dreaded shanks have been a part of my golf game for years and years and years. I tend to hit them with “all” irons except when hitting a 3-4 iron of the tee. I have been told and I feel — not releasing the club. I play a good game around 80 when hitting the ball but when the shanks come, I never know when the next will come and the psyche takes over. Does holding ( not releasing ) the club have an effect and what can be done to correct that.
I value your opinion and will continue to watch and refer others to your site.
Billyb
November 27th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Hi Billyb. I had a person email today that said this about the shanks…
Nick
Thanks for the article. I am an expert on the shanks because I gave up golf for 20 years because of it. I have tried all the remedies you recommend over the years but they are all temporary. The reason why most golfers shank is much simpler than you think, it is due to LACK OF RELEASE. That is why most shanks happen on half shots or when a golfer is trying to hit softly. I have helped countless golfers by getting them to release their hands instead of dragging the club head thru with their hands. A great drill is just hitting with 3 fingers on the grip and one can really feel the club head release.
And I replied to them by saying this:
Hi Warwick,
The only problem with that is that some golfers will flip at the ball. At impact you want your left wrist to be flat.
-Nick
But Billyb….give that three finger grip a go and let me know how you get on. As I say, you have to be careful not to flip at the ball but hey, if it fixes the shanks I’d rather have a bent left wrist at impact!!!
December 9th, 2008 at 4:13 am
Gentlemen,
First, I want to say Thank You for responding back to me email concerning the “shanks”. Since that time, I have tried all the exercises suggested. 1) Placing a shoe box … well, I got myself into a groove and hit over 70+ balls as well as I can. Two days later, I went to the course and on #3, guess what came back. A 8 iron that went directly left (I am lefty) and came oh so close to the couple on the next tee to the point where the elder man said he heard the whiz. It was close, to close. I have tried the 3 finger grip while shagging and found it difficult to hold on. Are ther certain fingers to hold the club with? One hand or two? Concerning the excercise with placing a tee on the inside of the ball. Is there a picture that can show this?
I ask this because those shanks just won’t leave. I will never play another round of golf on a course until I can play without that feeling of shanking. All of your videos Nick, I would love to try them BUT until the shanking curse is gone, that is my #1 priority.
Happy Holidays to everyone.
December 10th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Hi Billyb,
I have placed a picture of where the tee should be placed for drill number 5.
I think you should do that drill on the golf course. Play a quiet nine holes and put the tee in front of your hosel every shot. You need to get out of the fear of possibly hitting a shank on the golf course and the best way of doing that is by playing.
Now here’s something very important…after you hit a golf shot that is NOT a shank get excited. IF you hit a shot that is a shank do not act or get upset. This is very important! You need to be neutral when you hit a shank and very happy/excited when you hit a golf shot that is not a shank.
So do that and let us know how you get on.
-Nick
December 13th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Great advice! I finally got rid of the shanks by getting my off-the-shelf irons and wedges bent from regular lie to 2 degrees flat.
December 22nd, 2008 at 2:42 pm
The problem with shanking is the mental anguish it induces which literally makes it self perpetuative.
Confidence can be restored by finding a way to live with it while still having the technical fault.
I resolved a shanking problem which dogged me for over a year by the following.
When looking at the ball, we subconsciously pick a dimple right on top of the ball whereby the eyeline extension means we are not looking through the centre of the ball.
Pick a dimple no more than one-third into the ball on your side.
Address this dimple as if it was the middle of the ball.
Swing and hit through the dimple.
Worth a try.
August 26th, 2010 at 7:20 pm
The Shank? I hate it. I was having a practice session today really hitting the all well. On the third bucket the shank monster showed up with my wedge and I couldnt correct it, I will try the shoe box drill and see if I ;m moving my body toward the ball. My question is does the left wrist bent have anything to do with a shank? Thanks for all your tips.
Tony