Why does a shank happen

My natural shot shape is a draw, but a few months prior to getting the shanks my draw had been verging on a hook. It was becoming unplayable and I was having to aim way right to get the ball to finish on the target line. I started consciously opening the clubface in my backswing. In other words, I was lagging the hosel. It was only when I filmed my swing in slow motion that I could see exactly what was happening at impact. And for me the fix was simple.

In the short term, I had to feel that I was actively closing the clubface on the downswing. A reverse motorcycle move. If your hands move too far away from your body during the downswing, your strikes are going to start getting closer and closer to the heel.

Your hands will be further out, but the steeper shaft will mean that the clubface is closer to the hands relatively. And the higher the swing speed, the higher the outwards force. Even Tour players hit the occasional shank. The key is understanding why you shanked so you can prevent one from happening again. And to do that, you need to understand that there are two ways that golfers hit the infamous hosel rocket, each with their own causes.

This happens when your clubhead swinging on a path that is too shallow, on a severe inside-to-out, which means the hosel is moving directly towards the ball.

If you consistently hit more of a hook, you come from the inside. In any case, shanks are caused solely by the path of your swing and they have nothing to do with the angle of your clubface at impact.

Chances are you probably just had a mishit and everyone has those. Then grab a bucket of balls and go to the range. Lay the board or the cardboard box down with one of the sides aimed directly at your target. Neil has worked for Golf Monthly for over years. Originally working with the best coaches in the UK to produce instruction content, he is now the brand's Digital Editor and covers everything from Tour player interviews to gear reviews. Neil is currently a 2-handicap golfer who has played the game for as long as he can remember.

In his role at Golf Monthly, he has covered equipment launches that date back well over a decade. He clearly remembers the launch of the Callaway and Nike square drivers as well as the white TaylorMade driver families, such as the RocketBallz! Over the years, Neil has tested a vast array of products in each category and at drastically different price-points.

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