Don't Drop The Club! Keys To Avoid Golf Shanking
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"Golf Shanking" is not a term you will hear often when you are making your rounds on a golf course. The first time it occurs it can explode into nightmarish proportions: After a shank has happened many feel the game might as well be called because it will not be the last time it occurs that day.
It can be quite the embarrassment for beginners and veterans alike, as it is a very obvious and ugly swing that is visible to all. If a golf ball is struck well both the sound and sight of the swing will be a thing of art. In contrast, a golf shank sounds as bad as it looks when it occurs. There is no masking the horrific sound of a badly-executed move like a shank.
Golf shanking generally is the result of an uneven distribution of weight during the swing. The downward part of the swing is where this will occur, and it happens when the player puts all of his weight forward. The ball will then be vulnerable to being struck by the shaft - not the head - of the club, This ruins the arc of the shot, instead sending the ball out like a bullet. Worse yet, the shot flies straight, but not true. It goes out at a right angle to where the player is aiming. Quite embarrassing.
To avoid the golf shank the player has to keep the majority of his weight on his heels. Stability is a key ingredient throughout the swing. This proper footing can keep you from shifting your weight to your toes. Leaning into the ball is something that a lot of newcomers to golf do. This incorrect action ultimately leads to the golfer's weight shifting to his toes. This mostly occurs when the player is using his irons rather than his drivers, so expect it to occur in the middle of a round. It can also occur with the golf swing for driver, but usually it's not so bad with drivers.
Veteran players are not immune to shanking syndrome. If they have too narrow a swing arc, they will be just as likely to develop this problem as a newbie. The only way to make good contact with the golf ball with a narrow swing arc is to lean into the swing. Once you do this, you begin to shift all of your weight into your toes. This results in the nightmare of the shanked shot.
Incorrect shoulder turn leads to a narrow swing arc. A cure for poor shoulder turn is to make sure your left shoulder is in the proper position. That is, insure that it is sitting over your right knee once you are at the top of your backswing.
Golf shanking is a result of one of two things: a poor golf path, or a poor golf swing. A golfer who makes extreme inside-out swings can also end up being on the shanking hit list.
This is a simple matter to fix, according to golfing instructors like Rick Grayson. His solution: place two golf tees into the ground. Let them be at least six inches apart so that they form a gate of sorts. You should then take short practice swings with an iron until your club head passes through the "open gate" without hitting either tee.
Golf shanking does not only happen on full swings, Grayson warns. It can happen on a short shot, and is called "chip-shanking". A chip-shank is worse than a full shank as a short swing is easier to make than a full swing. When the club is taken too far inside the takeaway the player risks becoming the victim of a chip-shank. Grayson recommends putting the ball about an inch behind the club before you go through the motions. He says, "If the ball squirts toward you, not straight back, you're too far inside." He says the golfer should repeat this drill until you can push the ball straight back.
Once you shank it can then become a nightmare as you fear you will repeat. This can quickly become a habit, one that could destroy your enjoyment of the great game of golf.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
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