Golf Shanks - Why?
April 15, 2008
Can you give me some info on why a golf shank happens? I have a general understanding of it but I don’t know the specifics. - Carl in Grants Pass, OR
Sure I can explain why golf shanks happen.
Go grab your golf club and take a look at the part of the iron where the club face and hosel meet. If you where to take a swing and make contact with the ball in this particular area, the golf ball will shoot off in what is known as a shank.
Now, the interesting part is that in the mind of the golfer, a good reason why a shank golf shot can happen is because the person is making a “push” at the ball rather than driving through it. If you make this pushing stroke with the club, only the grip portion of the club proceeds forward and the club head will lag behind the stroke.
As this happens, the club face will open up which makes it possible for the hosel to make impact with the ball. Basically, when a player makes a shank golf shot, their hands will be in front of the ball as the club head makes contact. This is like a safety move, stemming from a lack of firm confidence in a player’s stroke.
A good analogy would be trying to take a swing at somebody with a club or baseball bat and not believing that you can really hurt them with it.
So you end up making these small timid strikes that do nothing but really piss the other person off. That is pretty much the same thing that is going on here. A shank in golf happens because you have angered the ball and it whizzes off into the blue yonder out of not hitting it with the proper focus and intention.
Now you know Carl, and knowing is half the battle. Refer back to my post on Say Hello to the Golf Shank Fix and learn the steps necessary to banish this demon shot into the bowels of hell for good. Happy strokes!!
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The Mental Side of Golf
February 24, 2008
You brought up “performance fear” and I have to admit that when I know that someone is watching, it’s just nerve racking and I continually slip up and make really stupid mistakes. But when I’m out there by myself on the course or driving range late at night, everything flows naturally. Would you give me some pointers on the mental side of golf? - Dave in Memphis, TN
Dave, good for you that you’ve recognized you need improvement on the mental aspect of golf and that you really want to get over this block towards playing consistently. The most important thing you can do to have the best possible chance of success is to focus your will and and intention exactly on what you want to make happen. In essence, golf is mental, it’s that simple. Here’s a mind shattering thought. What if the entire scope of what we experience as “reality” was just a mental image of our own creation and that this image is constantly projected before us as the result of each consecutive thought?
Now if we were able to grasp that simple concept we would realize that we have the control to make happen what ever we so choose and bring into the definite experience of what we call “reality” our hopes and dreams. All by simply focusing on bringing these goals in line with our will and intention. Have you noticed that when you have done something new for the first time, you got it perfectly right without even trying? You simply did the task, whatever it was and you were successful at it.
Yet when you tried to repeat it, no matter how many times you did it. It never approached the ease and grace that you performed this task with on the first time. You know why? Because of the simple fact that you were trying and thus you were attached to the end result. The bizarre thing about bringing your goals into this strange term called “reality” is by having the burning will and intention to make these goals happen but at the same time not becoming entangled in the desire for your intended end result. Sounds contradictory doesn’t it?
To put it simply, you directly experience exactly what you focus on because it is what you truly want to make happen. How could it be otherwise? If your complete attention is upon other people watching you and then you follow up with: “I’m probably going to miss this shot and look like a total freaking spaz while doing it.” or “Wow, all these people looking at me, what if I slice, hook or shank this shot and everyone sees??
If you just take a step back, focus on your goal while simply doing it and without regard of the outcome, you will be amazed at the end result because you will have achieved what you intended to do… all without being attached. However, if you focus on screwing up then guess what, more than likely you will miss the shot and fulfill your own fear which then becomes a negative self-fulfilling prophesy. Ever listen to someone say “Oh that good thing will probably never happen to me or I would like for this to work out but I bet it won’t?” Basically these people are talking themselves out of exactly what they want. Horrible isn’t it?
Honestly, it is truly up to you what you focus your will upon. Your mind will give you many times over exactly what you choose to plant inside it. If you plant success and are sincere, then strangely enough success will follow. If you plant fear and negativity, you will get back exactly what you give. Now, the next time you are about to take that shot or make a putt… relax… imagine in your minds eye exactly what you want to happen and say the hell with it and simply do it.
If it doesn’t work out the first time DO NOT give up, keep honing and refining your will and intention. Constantly keep in mind to not be attached to the result and you know what? You just might surprise yourself and truly improve your mental game in golf and playing in general.
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Say Hello to the Golf Shank Fix
February 23, 2008
Golf Virgin, I don’t know what to do. I’m at my wits end. When I go to swing, I almost always shank the damn ball. It’s horrible and I’m sick of listening to my buddies razz me about it. What can I do to find the golf shank fix and cure the golf shanks for good? - Jeffrey in Albuquerque, NM
Jeffrey, oh Jeffrey, you poor poor… thing. I truly do feel your pain. As the Golf Virgin, I’ve seen this many times and I know how bad it hurts when you’re out there giving it your best, getting so close and then all of a sudden you just can’t hit and your club basically hangs there in the breeze, useless due to “performance fear”. But no worries, I will show you the perfect fix. For a lot of the less inexperienced players out there who may not be familiar with what a shank golf shot is or what causes a shank in golf, here’s the definition.
A shank is simply when you hit the ball with the hosel of your club instead of the actual club face. This occurs because you are not using a good stance and distributing your body weight evenly and also means you are more than likely standing too close to the ball. Heres how you fix it. Do not over flex your knees when you’re about to swing. This shifts your weight to your heels, instead of in the middle of your feet were it belongs.
When you start off with too much weight on the heels this causes the body to seek out a balanced position during the swing. So when the club head makes contact with the ball your weight gets transferred from your heels to your toes. This results in the hosel being closer to the ball and all of a sudden your buddies are laughing out loud as your ball shoots off in search of it’s own kind. You see, a good address position which is a proper stance is absolutely necessary for a great golf shot to take place.
For this stance you must align your body square to the target line. This position entails having the shoulders, hips, knees and feet aligned parallel, but left, of the line that runs from the ball to the target. Even if you have this stance down, if you are standing too far away from the ball, you will unconsciously move your weight onto your toes and thus ruin your balance.
Keep in mind that standing too far from the ball can cause the knees to stiffen. More than likely this will increase the chance of hitting the shot thin where the ball will bounce off in yet another unintended direction and again you get to enjoy roars of laughter.
The width of your stance should be a shoulder-width apart when you’re taking full swings. Be sure to keep your knees flexed with a slight bend in your waist and remember to keep your weight on your heels.
This will allow you to maintain your knee flex from takeaway to impact, so you will develop a stable, even stance that will enable you to put your buddies to shame. If you spend the time and effort training this way you will never have to worry about the dreaded golf shanks again.
So remember to keep an proper, balanced stance and back up just far enough so you can hit it. Relax, don’t be afraid, it’s just a teeny white golf ball… and from here forward you will have the last laugh as you get to watch your buddies balls fly off of their own free will and disappear into the wild blue yonder.
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