You cure the shanks in golf by fixing the main cause, which is usually an outside-in golf swing path that forces the ball off the hosel of the club. This often happens because of an over the top golf swing move. Fixing this requires working on grip, posture, and learning to swing the club from the inside.
The shank, or “offense,” is one of the scariest shots in golf. It happens when the ball strikes the hosel (the neck part) of the club, sending the ball flying sideways, often at a 90-degree angle to your target line. This is a very frustrating fault for any amateur golfer swing faults list. But take heart! Modern teaching methods and a clear focus on golf swing mechanics make curing the shanks easier than ever before.
Deciphering the Shank: What Is Actually Happening?
To stop the shank, you must first know why it happens. A shank is not random bad luck. It is the direct result of a flawed sequence in your swing.
The Mechanics Behind the Mishit
When you hit the hosel, the clubface is usually very open, and the club is coming across the ball sharply.
- Swing Plane Error: Most shankers have an over the top golf swing. This means the club starts moving outside the target line on the downswing.
- Body Movement: Often, the hips spin out too fast. This pulls the hands and the clubhead outside the intended swing line.
- Arm Dominance: Instead of letting the body rotate, the arms take over. They swing wide and shallow, leading to a steep, outside-in angle of attack.
- Impact Position: Because the club is traveling outside-in, the low point of your swing arc hits the ground too far outside the ball. This pushes the shaft toward the ball at impact, forcing the clubface to hit near the heel or the hosel.
This entire sequence is the root cause of a severe golf slice correction. Fixing a golf slice often solves the shank problem simultaneously.
Step 1: Adjusting Your Setup for Success
Your setup dictates your swing. If you start wrong, it is very hard to finish right. These changes promote an inside path, essential for combating a slice in golf.
Grip Check: The Foundation
A weak grip is a massive contributor to an over the top golf swing.
- Stronger Grip: Ensure your left hand (for right-handers) is rotated slightly more to the right (seeing two to three knuckles). This makes it easier to square the clubface at impact naturally.
- Pressure: Hold the club firmly, but not too tight. Gripping too tightly locks up your forearms and wrists, preventing the necessary rotation needed for an inside path.
Ball Position and Stance
Where you place the ball affects your low point in the swing.
- Ball Forward: For irons, make sure the ball is not too far back. If it is too far back, your body tries to rush forward to meet it, causing you to stand up and swing out.
- Foot Alignment: Check your alignment. If your feet are aimed far right, your body naturally tries to bring the club back over the top to compensate, leading to an outside approach. Use alignment sticks religiously. Aim your feet parallel to your target line, not where you want the ball to go initially.
Posture and Post-Impact Readiness
Good posture keeps your swing on the correct golf swing plane.
- Knee Flex: Maintain a slight flex in both knees. Do not slouch, but also do not stand too stiffly.
- Spine Tilt: Tilt slightly away from the target, keeping your spine angle consistent throughout the swing. This helps keep your hands in front of the clubhead on the downswing.
Step 2: Mastering the Takeaway and Backswing
The first few feet of the backswing set the golf swing path for the entire rest of the motion. If the club goes too far outside early, the shank is almost guaranteed later.
Keeping It Inside (But Not Too Far!)
The biggest mistake here is lifting the club straight up or throwing it outside immediately.
- The One-Club-Length Rule: Focus on keeping the clubhead outside your hands for the first three feet of the takeaway. Do not let the clubhead get inside your hands too early.
- Wrist Hinge: Hinge your wrists naturally, not forced. The goal is a wide, controlled takeaway that sets the club on a good plane, perhaps slightly below or on plane, as you reach waist height.
Avoiding the “Stuck” Position
Some players go too far inside. This leads to the opposite problem, but they often try to correct it by jerking the club “over the top” on the way down.
- Visual Check: At the top of your backswing, the club shaft should generally point toward the target line or slightly outside it. If it points significantly right of the target (inside), you need an adjustment.
Step 3: The Secret Sauce: Transition and Downswing Sequencing
This is where most shanks are born. The transition from backswing to downswing must encourage an inside path to correct the over the top golf swing tendency.
Feeling the Drop, Not the Throw
The feeling that causes a shank is usually “throwing” the hands out at the ball. We need the feeling of “dropping” the club onto the golf swing plane.
- Lower Body First: The downswing must start from the ground up. Shift your weight slightly to your lead foot (left foot for right-handers). Feel your lead knee move slightly toward the target. This initiates rotation before the arms move aggressively.
- Shallowing the Club: When the lower body moves correctly, the upper body lags slightly. This lag allows the clubhead to drop down behind you, moving from the inside. This is the key golf swing mechanics concept here.
Drill Focus: Feeling the Inside Move
To combat the outside approach, you need drills that force you to feel the inside path.
The Towel Drill
This drill directly attacks the over the top golf swing fault.
- Place a rolled-up towel between your trailing armpit and your side.
- Make half swings, focusing on keeping the towel tucked throughout the swing.
- If you swing outside-in, the towel will fall out immediately during the transition. This forces you to keep your arms connected and swing more around your body, promoting an inside path.
The Gate Drill (For Path Correction)
This drill is excellent for golf slice correction and path awareness.
- Place two headcovers or alignment sticks on the ground.
- One stick should be just outside the ball, slightly between you and the target (this acts as a barrier for an outside swing).
- The other stick should be slightly inside the ball, on your target line (this marks the desired inside path).
- Your goal is to swing the club between these two sticks, ensuring an inside-out or neutral path through impact.
Low and Slow Drill
This drill trains the proper low point for better contact.
- Take your normal setup.
- Focus only on hitting the ball with a smooth, slow tempo (about 50% speed).
- Imagine brushing the grass after the ball. The feeling should be that you are sweeping the ball away, rather than hitting down sharply on it. This often prevents the steep, outside chop that leads to shanks.
Step 4: Impact Position and Release
How you release the club at impact determines if the hosel gets involved. A shank often results from holding the face open too long, leading to a manipulation to square it up late.
Maintaining Forward Shaft Lean
To hit solid shots and promote a draw shape (which naturally fixes slicing), you need forward shaft lean at impact.
- Hands Ahead: At impact, your hands should be slightly ahead of the clubhead. This keeps the leading edge pointing down slightly, de-lofting the club and ensuring you hit the ball before the club dips too low outside the line.
The Role of Rotation vs. Flipping
The instinct for many struggling golfers when they feel they are coming in steep is to “flip” their hands at the ball to try and square the face. This flipping action throws the clubhead out wide, often leading directly to a hosel strike.
- Rotation is Key: Instead of flipping, trust your body rotation. If your lower body initiated the downswing correctly (Step 3), your body rotation naturally pulls the club through the hitting zone square to the path. You should feel the grip end of the club lead the way slightly into impact.
| Swing Fault | Common Feeling | Impact on Shank Risk | Recommended Fix Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Over the Top | Throwing hands out | High | Lower body lead, dropping the club |
| Standing Up | Rushing posture | Medium/High | Maintaining spine angle through impact |
| Weak Grip | Trying to square face late | Medium | Strengthening the lead hand grip |
| Casting/Early Release | Scooping the club | High | Feeling hands lead the clubhead post-transition |
Step 5: Practice Protocols for Lasting Change
Stopping a deeply ingrained fault like the shank requires specific, quality practice, not just hitting hundreds of balls aimlessly. These golf slice drills must be performed with focus.
Tempo Training
Tempo is critical. A fast, jerky transition almost always results in an over the top golf swing.
- Rhythm: Practice a slow, deliberate rhythm, perhaps a 3-1 count (3 seconds back, 1 second transition/impact). Use a metronome app if needed. Smooth rhythm allows the correct sequence to happen naturally.
The Step Drill (For Path Correction)
This is a fantastic exercise for teaching the correct weight shift, which dictates the golf swing path.
- Start with your feet completely together, holding the club across your chest.
- Begin your backswing.
- As the club reaches the top, step your lead foot out to your normal stance width, aiming toward the target.
- Immediately start the downswing with the lower body shift.
- This drill forces you to initiate the downswing with your lower body weight transfer, ensuring the club drops in on the desired inside path. It directly addresses how to stop slicing the golf ball.
The One-Handed Follow-Through Drill
This drill helps solidify the feeling of the club face squareness post-impact without the risk of the hosel strike.
- Hit short shots (half swings) using only your lead hand (left hand for righties).
- Focus only on accelerating the lead arm through impact and holding a balanced finish.
- If you flip or throw the club (causing a slice or mishit), the one-handed swing becomes uncontrollable. This emphasizes proper release mechanics.
Diagnosing the Root Causes: More Than Just Swing Path
While path is the biggest culprit, other golf swing mechanics issues can contribute to the shanking tendency in amateur golfer swing faults.
Can the Ball Position Be the Problem?
Yes. If the ball is too far back in your stance, you have to lunge forward to reach it. This lunge forces your body to stand up, steepening the angle of attack and pushing the club outside, increasing the risk of a shank. Always check your standard iron setup first.
Does Tension Cause Shanking?
Absolutely. Tension, especially in the forearms and shoulders, kills the natural rotation required for an inside swing. When you are tense, you tend to hold onto the club and try to guide it, leading to the outside-in move. Relaxation promotes fluidity and allows the correct golf swing plane to be maintained.
Fixing Poor Wrist Action
If you are fixing a golf slice by trying too hard to turn the face over, you might be “rolling” your hands too early. This causes the club to get “stuck” behind you. When you get stuck, your reactive move is often to throw the hands out wide to save the shot, which sends the club outside and causes the shank. The key is controlled rotation, letting the body pull the arms through, rather than the arms leading the body.
Long-Term Success: Preventing Relapse
Shanks often return when confidence drops or when a golfer reverts to old habits under pressure.
Video Analysis is Your Friend
If you are serious about combating a slice in golf, filming your swing is non-negotiable. You might feel like you are swinging from the inside, but video reveals the reality of your golf swing path. Compare your downswing sequence to professional models focusing on the shallowing move.
Embracing the Draw
The natural antithesis of the shank is a slight draw. A draw requires an inside path and a slightly closed face relative to that path. Focus your practice on hitting slight draws. If you can consistently hit a small draw, you have virtually eliminated the outside path that causes shanks. Learning how to stop slicing the golf ball is often achieved by learning how to draw it instead.
Consistency Over Power
The faster you swing, the harder it is to maintain proper golf swing mechanics. Until the inside path is automatic, dial back your speed. A controlled 80% swing with perfect path contact is infinitely better than a jerky 100% swing that results in a shank or a massive golf slice correction nightmare.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Can I cure a shank just by changing my grip?
A: While a weak grip certainly contributes to poor sequencing that leads to shanks, it’s rarely the only fix. You must address the swing path, but strengthening your grip (turning it slightly more to the right) makes squaring the face easier and supports an inside attack angle.
Q: Why do I only shank my irons and not my driver?
A: This usually points to a difference in setup and attack angle. With irons, amateur golfer swing faults often involve trying to hit down too steeply. This steepness forces the club outside, causing the shank. With the driver, players often try to sweep it, naturally encouraging a shallower, inside path. Focus on shallower contact with your irons.
Q: What is the most common cause of an over the top golf swing?
A: The most common cause is initiating the downswing with the upper body (arms and shoulders) instead of the lower body (hips and legs). This throws the club outside the target line immediately, setting up the outside-in path that leads to both slices and shanks.
Q: How long does it take to stop shanking?
A: For a persistent fault, expect focused work to take several weeks of dedicated practice to retrain muscle memory. If you only practice once a week, it will take longer. Daily, short practice sessions focusing on specific golf slice drills yield the best results.