Shanks a Lot

Most everyone has shanked a shot -- hit the ball off the hosel of the club -- in his or her lifetime. Here, PGA Apprentice Jeff Elliott offers a drill to combat this "weapon of mass destruction."

There has been a lot of talk in the last couple of years about weapons of mass destruction. Does, or did Iraq possess weapons of mass destruction? Is the threat of these weapons what ultimately sent the United States to war in Iraq?

Unfortunately I don't have the answers to these questions. What I can tell you, however, is that there is a weapon of mass destruction on every golf course. It is known as the hosel of your golf club.

Let me begin by defining "weapon of mass destruction." A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that when used or wielded not only affects its target but also the surrounding areas. So what makes the hosel of your golf club fit this definition? Fortunately I do have an answer to that question. The Shanks.

A shank is a shot where the hosel of your golf club strikes the ball, causing it to move off target. In addition, there is no other shot in golf that can affect those in the surrounding area, (other players in your group), the way a shank can. Many golfers can just hear the word and immediately start to worry about what may transpire on their next shot. This weapon of mass destruction is one that every golfer should learn to disarm.

The trick to disarming this weapon is to know what causes the hosel to strike the ball. The hosel of your club will strike the ball when your downswing comes off plane. Since the hosel is completely round, with no loft, a ball that strikes the surface of the hosel has no choice but to travel low and off course. The typical ball flight of a shot that strikes the hosel of a right-handed golfer's club goes low and right, what we know as the classic shank. I'm sure most amateurs have shanked a ball, or worse yet, had a case of the shanks.

Instead of going into the science of the golf swing, or the definition of plane, I would like to provide you with a simple effective drill that will help you prevent this treacherous shot, and keep this weapon of mass destruction under control.

Drill:

The first thing you'll need is impact tape. We have some in the golf shop and it is also available at all golf stores for a small price. Put the impact tape on whatever iron has the most worn hosel. Now take your normal set-up, and instead of putting the ball in the middle of your clubface, line it up on the hosel. Hit shots trying to get the impact patterns as far off of the toe of your club as possible. This drill will ingrain the opposite feeling of a shank.

Copyright 2004 by PGA.com. All rights reserved.

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