Robert, Texas
Handicap: 10 or below: age: 50 or older

First understand what is actually happening when you shank a golf ball.Your hands are passing the ball before the club head. This invariably creates an open clubface as the club head is lagging behind your hands at impact. Address the ball with your hands at or ever so slightly behind the ball and relax your grip. This will allow your wrists to free up and let the club head release through impact.A slow smoothe tempo is a must for ball striking consistency.

Larry, Washington
Handicap: 10 or below: age: 50 or older

I gave up on irons 4 years ago because of shanking. Discovered my cure one wk. ago and I have not shanked one time since (four rounds). Solution: 1)When addressing the ball, place the club head totally to the side of the ball, i.e. not behind it. 2) Focus your eyes on the back of the ball throughout the swing. 3) Stand relatively straight throughout the swing.

Simple, easy, effective. Obviously irons are much more accurate than hybrids, which I have been using instead of irons for these past years.

Socketset , United Kingdom
Handicap: 10 or below: age: 50 or older

II have played golf for 40 years and had bad bouts of shanking throughout that whole period.

First poit is that Laura may think it's simple but of course it isn't if it was just a question of stepping further away from the ball everyone would soon figure that and then problem solved. Unfortunately there are many ccauses of a shank and therfore one should accept that what works for one person might not for another that's why a site like this is well worth visiting because you may just find a suggestion their that relates to you particular cause.

In my own case I have identified 4 factors which contribute sometimes two or three come together which really make things difficult other times it's just one of the faults so a cure can be effected which can last a whole season or even a year or two.

Have a look at all of these and don't think you will only have one of these faults you may be harbouring two or three !

Bad posture in particular not enough of an angle at the hips blocks the arms and causes the hosel to be pushed out - cure bend more from hips stick butt out.

The next tip relates to the first in that often the weight is to far forward on the balls of the feet which causes loss of balance forward towards the ball as the outward pull of a descending clubhead itself creates a force pulling in that direction - gain a good posture with a protruding rear helps greatly with this problem.

Third cause which I hardly ever see mentioned but is a regular problem for me is letting go with the left hand in particular with the last three gripping fingers- best tip here is focus on gripping fairly tightly with the last 3 fingers not so much at set up but right through the strike area and on up into the follow through.

Fourth already mentioned by others is get balanced so that your centre is not swaying in particular towards the ball - earlier suggestions about posture and balance help here.

Fifth and last . If your sweing is too flat it can be difficult to get into the correct position at the top of the backswing and almost impossible to get back to the ball because the passage of the arms is blocked by the body - get as upright as possible Jack Nicklaus is a good model in this respect.

Hope some points here help but you might be one of the unlucky ones whose problem is caused be something not already listed -if so you have my sympathy but keep at it you will conquer it.

Will, British Columbia
Handicap: 10 or below: age: 18 or younger

Keep your right elbow close to your body

Tom, Texas
Handicap: 10 or below: age: 50 or older

Keep your head behind the ball and create a feeling that the club head releases to the ball ahead of your hands .

This tip works if your normal ball flight is straight or a draw. It does not work if your normal ball flight is a fade or slice.

Robert , New York
Handicap: 10 or below: age: 50 or older

For me (a 3 handicap), I've cured the occassional shank by remembering to clear out my left side (for right hand golfers) prior to impact. My shank is caused by my shoulders and hands coming over the top because my left side has not moved - or cleared out - by impact. Stay calm, keep the hands from tightening.

John , North Carolina
Handicap: 30+ ; age: 50 or older

Posture is very important, but mainly one must keep the arms and hands "soft" swinging back with shoulders first (one piece takeaway) and initiate the downswing with the hips. Turning not swaying is the real key. Once you get the shanks a subconscious fear creeps in so try to relax, swing through the ball; never hit it.

Kelly , Georgia
Handicap: 10-20; age: 19 to 49

My problem with the "shank" dealt mostly with my low irons- 8,9,PW, and SW. I cured the "shank" by placing the iron in the middle of my stance with the ball just barely past the toe of my club. I just take my normal swing, as I would with any other shot, and the club would make a square impact at the ball. Do not try and lung at the ball on the downswing, just take your normal swing making contact with the ball. It works for me and I have not "shanked" in quite some time.

Lou , California
Handicap: 10-20; age: n/a

One pro told me that shanking is mainly because your are off balance. Your weight at finish should be on the leading edge and heel of your front foot. If you end up on the balls of your feet, you get a shank. Also, the hands being too far ahead of the ball at impact will cause it.

I have had a shank that would pop up with short irons and it got so bad that I couldn't hit anything more than an 8 oclock pitch.

Klay, Texas
Handicap: scratch golfer; age: 18 or younger

I have been playing for a few years and i just starting shanking. One of the first steps i do is to narrow my stance, then i put more weight towards the heels, the magic move is to ease the tension at address in your arms , i also try and swing more with my shoulders. i hope this helps your dreaded shanks!!!

Dave , United Kingdom
Handicap: 10-20 ; age: 50 or older

You can see from all the tips that are often contradictory (i.e arms in, arms out etc) that it is really a confidence thing. Notice the word "fear" cropping up. That, I'm afraid is the cause. Overcome the fear and you'll overcome the shanks.(P.S - I haven't!)

Jason, Michigan
Handicap: 10 or below: age: n/a

" The Dreaded Shanks " I was a 4 handicap in my early 20's when i first got the shanks.It got so bad I quit playing for 5 years nobody seemed to be able to help me. I took the game back up 2 yrs. ago, and just this year they came back. Before quitting i started gathering information anywhere I could, internet, books, videos ect. There were 2 things i was doing, first was having too much weight on the balls of my feet. This was causing my arms not to clear my body on takeoff forceing them to take the club back way outside. Second I was getting way to much hip sway in my shot, which was causing my head to move all over the place. Keep your right side straight as possible ever since I started doing this my head is so much stiller and I'm hitting the ball farther now too. And the weight on your feet should be no more than 60% on the balls of you feet. I try to keep it 50 / 50.

Adam, Florida
Handicap: 10-20: age: 19-49

Definitly think of keeping your arms close to your body. I suffer from the shanks

New York
Handicap: 10 or below: age: 19-49

To cure the shank almost completely, I have discovered the following setup. I use this on all my shots, except chips and putts. Basically, setup normally with good posture. Think Tiger Woods for a good posture picture. Address the ball with the iron face toed, ie, the toe of the club behind the ball. Might look a bit strange, but there's more....stay with me....Now as you begin the backswing, refocus your eyes not on the ball....you heard me right, not on the ball but for the club to cross an inch or 2 inside the ball. Somehow, I do not know how, but from hitting thousands of balls this way, the clubface meets the ball squarely. Try it, it really works. If you need validity to the thought of "taking your eye off the ball", consider Hank Haney. Hank is one of the greatest golf teachers in the world, and once had the "driver yips". He solved this completely by actually looking at the tip of his golf cap through the swing. The ball for him was almost a! distraction and perhaps as resistance thought for a smooth swing. Likewise what I am suggesting here. Good luck to all!!

Vincent, Florida
Handicap: 10 or below: age: 19-49

To Laura from Las Vegas... You're a 20-30 Handicap and you don't think that shanking is a big deal... Understandable, but please don't EVER belittle the Shank. It is the most feared shot in golf and for those plagued by it, it is the most wretched thing that could happen on a golf course. I'd rather shove toothpicks under my fingernails than to see the Shank. No magic cure here but here is what has worked for me... Tempo, slow it down, keep it smooth. swing thought, keep your right shoulder back when you come through the ball. The intent with this thought is to not come over the top. Alignment... Because I have an aggressive upper body swing, if I have an open stance and I come over the top, I'm more likely to expose the hosel, resulting in the shank. My deepest empathy to all that suffer from this... If it helps, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!! anded golf

John, UK
Handicap: 10 or below: age: 19-49

Right handed golfers who shank,allow the right arm to come away from the body in the backswing, this awful start whether you are chipping pitching using wrists or no wrists will create havoc ,this is a number one tip that does not come round often .

Gus, Illinois
Handicap: 10-20: age: 50 or older

I had a problem shanking short pitches and chips from 50 yrds. to just off the green.

I scoured golf magazines for articles and bought many books which really didn't help. I had this problem off and on for years, cropping up when I least expected it, getting to the point where I contemplated quitting. But the game is too great not to overcome this debilitating disease.

I found that on the short chips, as I brought the club back my head went forward and moved my swing path out an 1 1/2" or so, enough to hit the hosel To correct, have someone put their hand on your head to keep you from moving your head. Once you're aware that this is the problem you can practice using your shadow to check your head position.

Unfortunately I had another problem. At address my left arm was bent, (maybe I was copying Fred Couples, whose left arm is pronouncedly bent at address). Anyway, as the downswing started my arm would naturally straighten, again moving the swing arc out to nail the hosel one more time.

If you really think about it, you can only hit the hosel if your swing center moves forward or your clubhead moves forward.

I know it's preached not to have a ridged left arm but this will correct the problem. If your clubhead can't go beyond the line produced by your left arm and shaft, how can you shank? You can't if you don't move forward with your head. As your head goes, your body follows. When the shanks go away and as you practice, everything will feel more comfortable. Don't worry about your lower body, keep your same swing and work on the above. It works.

Chad, Wisconsin
Handicap: 10 or below: age: 18 or younger

Checking your backswing at the 90 degree angle is also a good idea. I had a steady short iron shank for 2 weeks, tried everything in arms and hips to come to find i was opening up my hands and having the face open through impact

Albert, Quebec
Handicap: 10 or below: age: 50 or older

There is no magic cure, but I find that shanking is caused by the downswing getting out of sync. To avoid it, I pause at the top, and make sure to start the downswing with the lower half of the body. You can use a move like re-planting your left heel, or bumping your hip toward the target - anything, as ling as you clear your hips out of the way so that your arms and hands can drop down close to your right hip on the downswing.

Tony, New York
Handicap: N/A: age: 19-49

I would like to thank Wayne from South Carolina for the tips he posted blow. I have suffered from shanking and topping the ball since I started playing golf 8 years ago. I have tried drills, lessons, you name it. They would work for a little while, but I'd end up going back to shanking and topping. I always felt that there was something fundamental that I was doing wrong. I read your tip, not realizing that you had to keep your arms that close to your body. None of the instructions or instructors caught the flaw in my swing. For two weeks now, I have been hitting the most consistent shots I have ever had. The only time I have shanked is when I forget to keep my arms close to my body. The move is not muscle memory yet, but I'll get it there. Thanks a lot for the tip.

Sam, United Kingdom
Handicap: 10 or belowe: age: 50 or older

Soften the hands, forearms, elbows and shoulders. Keep the head from moving towards the target. Mentally divide the ball in two, address and hit the near half. This is very different from trying to hit the ball off the toe which is manipulative. This has to be a fully committed strike.

Joel, Iowa
Handicap: scratch golfer: age: 18 or younger

Shanking is caused from 1) getting to much weight on the balls of your feet 2) to much arms and hands and not enough shoulders 3) sliding through the ball ... and obviously the one who said she doesn't see the big deal about shanking, obviously you've never had them!

Brian, New Hampshire
Handicap: 10-20: age: 19-49

It's amazing how a swing can go from so good to so bad. I shot two rounds of pretty good golf to start the year and on the third round I couldn't stop shanking. And then I remembered a VERY basic swing tip when I first started taking lessons. At the top of the backswing your thumbs should be up and on the follow through they should be up as well. So, thumbs up to thumbs up on the swing and that gets your swing on the proper plane. Also, standing further away does help and so does just watching the ball and not worrying about the swing (A Harvey Penick tip). Hope these help

Ray, United Kingdom
Handicap: 20-30: age: 19-49

I have had problems shanking chips and pitches < 100 yards, but not on full swings. I tried curing the problem by trying to recreate it and noticing the difference between that swing and a full swing. I discovered that I tended to lead with my left hip causing the club face to open out. By concentrating on keeping my lower body quiet and swinging as before the shanking problem vanishes. Hope this helps someone as this problem can be very disheartening!!

Jon, Georgia
Handicap: 10 or below: age: 19-49

You're setting up too close to the ball...back away a little.

Wayne, South Carolina
Handicap: 10-20, age: 19-49

I saw an old Bobby Jones instructional short which has helped me...Simply keep your left arm (if you are right-handed) close to your body as you as you swing through the ball. This helps the upper body from opening up.

John, CT
Handicap: 10 or below

I was shanking every other shot with my wedges at the beginning of the season. I tried everything but the fear wouldn't go away. The one thing that finally saved me was that I moved my hands farther away from my thigh at address. This automatically gave me a feeling for swinging more on plane and it gave me enough room to clear my body on the downswing. It has made quite a difference.

Bill, Toronto
Handicap: 10-20

Make sure you have a good posture. I know many of us were taught to keep our weight over the balls of our two feet at address. But I think to avoid shanking the ball, it is smart to tilt our weight slightly (very slightly...do not over-do this) towards the heels, which can help us to eliminate our tendency to dip during the down swing

Laura, Las Vegas
Handicap: 20-30

Frankly, I do not understand why people make such a big deal out of shanking. To me, it is just another common swing problem. Whenever I shank, I just step a little bit further away from the ball (to create more distance I guess), and it works every single time!