Wedge Shots 50 yards and in

Question
Hi
I have been trying for two years now to stop my wedge shots (from 50 yards in) flying straight right!  This only happens to, say, 1 in every 20 shots but when it happens I seem to get a run of them.  It is also worse and more common during a round than at the range and gets more pronounced the nearer I get to the green!  I have tried keeping my elbows in, head over the ball, turning the left hip out of the way and hundreds of other ways but it still creeps in!  Any suggestions of cause and remedy would be great?  Thanks in anticipation.  Matt

Answer
Hi Matt:  The shot you're describing is called a shank; it's when the ball is hit by the part of the club where the club face meets the hosel.  The shank is caused by one of two, or a combination of two things.  1.  The player is sitting back on his heels, and/or 2.  the player is too close to the ball.  The reason I say it can be a combination is because when you crowd the ball, you sometimes will set back on your heels to get away from it.

If you'll picture the end of the swing for a minute, you'll see yourself facing the target.  In order to get into that position, your weight must shift forward which means it must come off the back foot.  It's nearly impossible to shift forward with the weight on your heels which means the weight must move to the balls of the feet before it can shift forward.  The problem here is that while you're coming off your heels, the club is coming towards the ball which means that instead of shifting towards the target, you're actually shifting towards the ball.  This means the path of the club head changes and puts the hosel of the club closer to the ball so when it moves far enough, you'll shank it.

The remedy?  Stand far enough from the ball so that you can feel the weight on the balls of the feet (those pretty good sized lumps at the beginning of your big toes)and far enough from the ball to allow your arms to hang which puts your hands directly under the shoulders.  Starting with the weight on the balls of the feet allows it to shift towards the target in the downswing and that keeps the club's path where it should be.

I don't know why and I do this myself occasionally, but when the distance gets shorter, we sometimes like to get closer to the ball.

Good luck Matt, let me know how you do.

Fairways and Greens,

John
www.golfnutts.com