Semi Shank/Block

Question
Play(ed) to a 14hdcp.  Live in snow country.  Practice swing and stretches during winter.  Not sure what I've done but have picked up severe Semi Shank/Block.  Grip/stance/alignment and weight at address is good.  I sense in down swing I'm not getting my hands to release and the club face I feel is coming into impact way behind where it should be and is open I think.  For sure if I manipulate hands to square club face its a dead pull.  I can not regain the feel of releasing where hands and arms rotate properly at impact.  Casting/coming over the top on the downswing I'm sure is at the root. Very frustrating.  Almost quit.  Would appreciate some input.

Answer
Hello Rats:

It is frustrating, in fact, one of the most frustrating.  But, I'll bet your balance is off at impact.  If you shift your weight towards your toes on the forward swing, you'll shank it.  I would rather have your hands quiet versus active.  Very seldom is the face open when you shank it.  It usually is the last ditch effort to close or square it up.  In your attempt to close it quickly, you'll force the head out and around the ball, thus catching it on the hosel, and hitting your pitch out to the right.  And if you looked at the grass spot on the clubface in your dead pulls, I bet it's real close to the neck as well.  If you are casting from the top, the club will be approaching the ball from outside in and it could be a contributor to shanking it.  So here is what you check Rats.  One:  balance.  Check to make sure that when you start the forward swing (you say downswing), that your weight is moving into the outside of the left foot towards the center of the foot back to the heel.  If you plant your left toe in the ground, then you are moving your weight out onto the toes.  This could cause the clubhead to move out and around the ball just that much and you'll shank it.  So check your balance at impact and at the finish.  Two:  too handsy.  If you are too handsy in an effort to square or close the face, you could send it out and around the ball.  Quiet your hand action.  Three:  Swinging too far to the inside on the takeaway.  Make a better backswing, so it's more on plane.  Less work.  If the club moves too far to the inside on the takeaway, you'll have a tendency to loop it up and around on the forward swing (the opposite of the backswing).  This puts the club on an out to in path which could shank it.  This is what you feel as casting.  Four:  The obvious one.....are you simply too close to the ball at address.  Check it.  Set up as normal, put the clubhead down behind the ball and then back up one to two inches.  Make some swings and see what happens.  And finally, for my students with shanks, I bring out a 2 x 4 and place it a half inch outside the toe of the club at address on their target line.  If they hit the board, then they know their club moved outside the target line.  It doesn't take long at all for them to get the feeling of the correct path to the ball with good balance.  They get sick of hitting the board and making that noise.  So go to work Rats and say good bye to that dreaded shank forever.  

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member