No shanks I've had enough

Golf Digest, March, 1999 by HANK HANEY and Hunki Yun

There's no doubt the ugliest shot in golf is the shank. The shank seems to defy all the laws of golf geometry, shooting almost perpendicular to your intended target line. But it does more than add strokes to your score-it puts you under a huge psychological cloud. It's been said that the hardest shot in golf is the one right after you've shanked the ball. But by understanding what causes a shank, you can fix the fault and hit the ball solid and straight.

First of all, let me clear things up. A shankisn't caused by hitting the ball off the toe. It occurs when the ball hits the hosel, as shown to the right.

Why do you hit the ball on the hosel? It's simple, really: The clubhead is farther out toward the ball than it was at address. That happens for one of three reasons: (1) you are setting up too close to the ball; (2) you are moving your body toward the ball during the swing; or (3) your club is swinging out too much toward the ball. Whatever the cause, the effect is a shank. On the next two pages, I'll take you through these causes, then offer some practical solutions to cure your shanks.