Jerry, New York
Handicap: 10 or below: age: n/a

Another idea to cure shanking for sure is to use an entire set of hybrids, each club with no protruding hosel. A few brands are out there with hybrids right through the sand wedge loft of 55 deg. (None of the "major" brands, however. But top quality can be found in my favorite which is the "Power Play System Q". This is a clone of the TaylorMade Rescue hybrids. Also, grab yourself an f2 52 or 60 deg wedge also. Can't shank those either! Only problem with this approach is that it won't fix a faulty swing. But no matter, I promise you, you CANNOT shank a shot with these clubs. Good luck and happy golfing to all!

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!