How to Eliminate Shanked Golf Shots from Your Game Once and for All

There’s about a three inch margin of error between striking your ball with the club face, and striking it with the shank of your club. Identifying the problems that are causing you to shank the ball is half the battle won. To eliminate this common problem from your game, be sure to follow these easy guidelines.

A word on mental preparation

If you find yourself developing a new habit of shanked golf shots, don’t let that get in the way of improving on it. A sure way to perpetuate the problem is by worrying about it every time you take a swing. Rather try not to focus on it too much, and exercise your muscle memory to correct the error.

Over, not under

The first thing to make sure of when taking a swing is to keep your club straight on both the upswing and the downswing. Any rounded deviation of your club will cause your entire swing to lose its balance—directly resulting in a shanked shot.

Rolling your wrists too late

If you start rolling your wrists during the actually connection of the ball, it’s likely that you will hit the ball with the shank of your club instead of with the face. The reason for this is because your clubface will twist the wrong way at the wrong time and it’ll be too late to correct it. You can prevent this by consciously rolling your wrist about an inch before the clubface connects with the ball. This will ensure the correct angle of the club which will result in the ball travelling higher and further.

Keep your weight balanced

Shank shots are often caused by an error in weight distribution during the swing. If your weight is being distributed onto your toes on the downswing, a shank shot is very likely. Instead, try to maintain your weight onto your whole foot, most of which will be distributed to your left foot by the time your shot has culminated.

If you find yourself in a pattern of shanking the ball, get out of that habit by practicing a simple drill. Aim to hit the ball with the toe of the clubface instead of the centre. Take note of how far off your connecting shot is and then simply work towards correcting it.