Fixing the nasty shank

If you are afflicted with the shank when hitting pitch shots, then today I will show you how to rid yourself of this horrible shot once and for all.

The shank is caused when the hosel of your golf club strikes the golf ball and causes it to shoot off to the side.

Once you hit a couple of these shots, your confidence drops and your swing becomes tentative, which nearly always compounds the problem.

The following exercise will help you find the centre of the club face and re-build your confidence.

Place a cardboard box parallel to your feet with the golf ball positioned towards the front end and the toe of your club only around an inch from touching the box.

Now swing back, moving your shoulders and arms together until you reach around chest high (pic 1).

As you swing down and through, focus on missing the box with your club head.

To do this, you will have to rotate your body through to the left, which will prevent the socket of the club being pushed out to the ball (pic 2).

If you push your hands at the ball, then you will find that your club head strikes the box and the hosel will strike the ball (pic 3).

Having an‘external’thought of not striking the box, tends to help in this situation much more than an‘internal’ technical swing thought.

The more golf balls you hit without striking the box, then the more your confidence will build.

As you feel more comfortable, try hitting some balls without the box in place and with a little time, you will be back pitching the ball confidently. If you need a box, I have plenty.