GM Top 25 coach Andrew Jones look at some common reasons why shanks occur to help you get rid of them...
4 Ways To Beat The Shanks
1 Grip pressure
There are a number of potential causes for a shank, but one that is slightly overlooked is grip and grip pressure.
Some golfers who hit shanks lose their grip during the swing and then have to regrip, throwing the club out slightly.
To check if this might be the underlying cause of your shank, hit three to five golf balls consecutively without changing your grip, as here.
This can highlight if there’s any unwanted change in the relationship between club and hands.
2 Balance
Shankers often lose balance, getting too much on their toes because their posture’s too much that way to start with or they fall forwards on the downswing.
This drill encourages the opposite movement.
Pop a tee in the ground just outside the ball, then address the tee, not the ball.
Your goal is to hit the ball but not the tee.
This will give you the feeling of dropping the club on the inside to rediscover the connection between arms and chest.
Related: How to improve your weight transfer in the golf swing
3 Clubface
You can hit a shank with either an open or closed clubface and it’s important to know the difference. Face rotation in the takeaway can be an issue, with over-rotation – as in the photo – a potential cause.
However, people afraid of losing it right may be tempted to close the clubface down too much on the takeaway and that too can cause a shank.
Try to be aware of your clubface position halfway back.
4 Coming over the top
Shanks can stem from the club coming outside the line.
Place a headcover just outside the ball.
If you hit it, you’ve come over the top, increasing the risk of a shank.
For more tips and all the latest golf news, check the Golf Monthly website and follow our social media channels @golfmonthlymagazine on Facebook and @golfmonthly on Twitter and Instagram
This article 4 Ways To Beat The Shanks appeared first on Golf Monthly.