Leone’s Lessons: What’s a shank? Golfers believe it’s a shot
that’s struck off the toe of the club, when it’s actually hit off
the inside area of the clubhead
— the hosel. The hosel is the rounded part of the club where the
shaft meets the clubhead. When the ball strikes that part of the
club, it ricochets off to the right, for the right-handed
golfer.
The dreaded “S” word.
What’s a shank? Golfers believe it’s a shot that’s struck off the toe of the club, when it’s actually hit off the inside area of the clubhead — the hosel. The hosel is the rounded part of the club where the shaft meets the clubhead. When the ball strikes that part of the club, it ricochets off to the right, for the right-handed golfer.
This commonly occurs on short-iron shots because you’re standing closer to the ball. This makes the swing path more vertical. When addressing the ball, you’re favoring your weight on the heels; when the weight is too much on the heels, you tend to rock forward toward the toes, causing the face of the club to slide close to the hosel. SHANK!
If you start shanking, try this drill.
Using a short iron, 9-iron or pitching wedge, place a head cover an inch just outside the toe of the clubhead parallel to the target line. Making a few practice swings, the objective is not to hit the cover. This will produce a more inside swing path, resulting in a more center-face contact. If you hit the cover, your swing path is either too vertical or your weight is moving forward, causing the club to move outside the target line. This gives you instant feedback on what your swing path is doing.
Another tip is to put face tape on the face of the club to see where you’re making contact.
With a little practice, the shanks will soon be gone.
