Hitting a shank is bad enough, but they tend to come in bunches. That can really mess with your mind – and your score. Anyone who tells you to forget you just rocketed one into the trees on the right has never lived with the shanks.

Consider the cause. Typically, the clubface is wide open at impact, and the swing is out to in, with the clubhead coming from the far side of the strike line and cutting to the inside. Those two conditions expose the hosel, which hits the ball, shooting it right.

First, fix the face. Square the clubface, then place both your hands on the grip in what’s called a strong position – turned dramatically away from the target [top]. Don’t just grip the club and turn your hands back; that only rotates the face open. The combination of a square face and strong grip is what helps you close the face through impact.

Michael Breed: ShankNext, fix the path. Swing back, making a full shoulder turn, and as you start down, keep your back to the target a beat longer [left]. The club will drop to the inside of the target line. From there, you can swing out to the ball without worrying about the hosel being exposed from an out-to-in path.

These changes should do the trick, but if you need a maximum dose of shank-proofing, here’s one more: try to hit the inside-back portion of the ball with the toe of the club. That will keep your path coming from the inside and prevent the hosel from moving closer to the ball. Shank solved!   
                     


– Michael Breed is our Chief Digital Instructor and he spoke with Peter Morrice