The Golf Thread
- Thread starter Fine Vol
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So I've been fighting the shanks for about half a year now. I bought a hitting next to stop spending so much money at the range trying to work out out.
Anyways I started lining the ball up slightly on the toe with my hitting net, and it feels like I am absolutely flushing my shots now. Has anyone else ever done this or had to do it? It feels great but I want to make sure I'm not doing something wrong. From looking it up online, apparently there have been some tour players that do it too.
Anyways I started lining the ball up slightly on the toe with my hitting net, and it feels like I am absolutely flushing my shots now. Has anyone else ever done this or had to do it? It feels great but I want to make sure I'm not doing something wrong. From looking it up online, apparently there have been some tour players that do it too.
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I think there are shanks from bad players and good players for different reasons. Sounds like you play enough to not have the bad player shanks. I would look first for your body getting closer to the ball on the downswing in early extension. Film yourself with your phone from behind, down the target line and look at your butt line. Replay your swing holding a piece of paper on the phone screen to see If your butt line moves toward the ball too much in your downswing. Another way to check. Just back your butt up to the kitchen counter and take your address stance. Then, move off the counter a fist width. Make a little swing (without a club) doing what you normally do. Your lead hip should pull back into the counter top as you get into your downswing and weight shift. A slight exaggeration but will be the proper feel when real. Second, you might have transposed the feeling of the hosel in place of the sweet spot in the clubhead. A lot of instruction today focuses on body rotation with less hand movement. I think its overdone. Hold the club up like an umbrella in your lead hand. Make little relaxed circles until you feel the weight of the clubhead. Don't lose that feeling when making a swing and release the toe of the club. Don't pull the heal of the club into the ball.
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I definitely considered that possibility, or maybe that I'm just shifting the weight onto my toes. Neither yielded much fruit. I will try to post the video here but I still don't think VN supports it.
Edit: it does not. But I can at least show my initial setup. Apparently there's something about if your arms are super relaxed at set up, you should line up a little more on the toe, because the weight of the swing is going to carry your arms out a little. Conversely, if your arms are very stiff at set up, you should line up a little more on the heel. Mine tend to be relaxed at setup. You can see in the two pics I'm lined up in the center, then just before contact the hosel is heading right for the ball. Shank city.
Edit: it does not. But I can at least show my initial setup. Apparently there's something about if your arms are super relaxed at set up, you should line up a little more on the toe, because the weight of the swing is going to carry your arms out a little. Conversely, if your arms are very stiff at set up, you should line up a little more on the heel. Mine tend to be relaxed at setup. You can see in the two pics I'm lined up in the center, then just before contact the hosel is heading right for the ball. Shank city.
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Ernest T. Vol
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Just looks like some goat hump, more on your right side, not too bad, some pivot stall. I would try to not push with the right side of the body. Feel like you are banking the right foot over instead of up on the toe. Let the left side lead...would be more of a pulling feeling with the left side from the ground up. When you are approaching the ball in the downswing feel as though your left shoulder is pulling up and behind you (feel like you're pulling the grip off the shaft through the hit). Get a cardboard box and set it outside the target line on the toe of the club. Swing and try to miss the box. If you hit the box before the ball, then it's an over top, outside path shank (a bad player problem). If you hit the box on the target side of the ball, you have swung from the inside correctly (maybe too much) but have not started the path of the club left on the arc soon enough. Pull your left side back to miss the box sooner and tighten the arc. You should be able to look down during a practice swing and see the blur of the arc or curve of the clubhead. Some folks use a 2×4 block, but I would use some cardboard box for safety, cause you're going to hit it. I suspect you're just not swinging the clubhead left enough at the right time. Look at the blur of the clubhead on a practice swing to see if you have an arc similar to this drawing.
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Just looks like some goat hump, more on your right side, not too bad, some pivot stall. I would try to not push with the right side of the body. Feel like you are banking the right foot over instead of up on the toe. Let the left side lead...would be more of a pulling feeling with the left side from the ground up. When you are approaching the ball in the downswing feel as though your left shoulder is pulling up and behind you (feel like you're pulling the grip off the shaft through the hit). Get a cardboard box and set it outside the target line on the toe of the club. Swing and try to miss the box. If you hit the box before the ball, then it's an over top, outside path shank (a bad player problem). If you hit the box on the target side of the ball, you have swung from the inside correctly (maybe too much) but have not started the path of the club left on the arc soon enough. Pull your left side back to miss the box sooner and tighten the arc. You should be able to look down during a practice swing and see the blur of the arc or curve of the clubhead. Some folks use a 2×4 block, but I would use some cardboard box for safety, cause you're going to hit it. I suspect you're just not swinging the clubhead left enough at the right time. Look at the blur of the clubhead on a practice swing to see if you have an arc similar to this drawing.
I did this with a head cover and definitely was hitting the head cover. No idea how this all started, this has never been a problem of mine. I just can't naturally create that arc. Maybe I need to work on keeping my right elbow tucked to do it?
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Vol freshman Surratt is Monday qualifier for the Farmers this weekend. Watched him in the US Jr. Am last summer. He's a good one:
Monday qualifiers: Farmers Insurance Open
Monday qualifiers: Farmers Insurance Open
Saudi-Backed Fund Owns Stake in Fanatic, PGA Tour Fan Shop - Pro Golf Weekly
Hmmm. But the PGA is so American. And so Anti-LIV.
Hmmm. But the PGA is so American. And so Anti-LIV.
Based on those two pics, I'd say you got a case of being too open which can get your transfers ahead of your club. Could force your arc out and back in accross the ball sometimes catches the hozzle for that lovely shank we all adore. I'd go back to square and work out the transition timing and weight balance. Maybe also put a club behind your feet to see how your rotation is finishing.
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Fantastic golf course. Amazing views. Spacious fairways and the greens were fast. Not too long, played around 6700 at the tips because it was wet. Would absolutely do it again. Other great golf in that area as well.
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