Conference 7.286::golf

    The best "explaination(?)" I've seen is in Paul Ruyan(sp?) book
    on the short game....Had the problem a couple of times at begining
    of year and went to this book to try and understand what to hell
    was going on...I believe I/anyone cannot fix the problem until they
    understand what the problem is or what causes it...but then again
    sometimes this only makes it worse
    

      GENE,
    
      I spent the last month playing very poorly, and shanking the ball
    often.  The frustration of playing 85-90 and suddenly playing 95-105
    was almost enough to make me quit.  My problem was essentially one
    of not returning my hands to the proper position upon impact.  The
    club face was coming through the ball open.  My left hand was ahead
    and on top of my right at impact.  UGLY golf.  I made a concerted
    effort to get my hands back this weekend, and what do you know,
    IT WORKED.  (88 on Sat., 86 on Sun.).  I also hooded the club face
    just a shade at set up time.  I'm convinced this is necessary with
    offset type irons.  (ala PING)  Shanks are hard to figure for me
    because the swing FEELS the same as always.  My regular partners
    could see nothing wrong with my swing and saw no difference after
    my correction last weekend.
    
    Definately a game of millimeters.
    
    Rick

    One cure for the shanks that I remember reading about is as follows:
    take a three foot length of two by four and place it on the ground,
    then place a golf ball as close to the wood as you can and still
    have the clubhead miss the two by four when you swing. Address the
    ball in the center of the clubface and swing, hitting the ball and
    not the wood. Some words of caution here. The first few swings should
    be made carefully and the wood should not be immovable! This drill
    should get the clubface moving on the correct path at impact. Good
    luck!

    
    	Thanks for the input, but what I am really looking for is
    	actually an answer to the following. When you "S" a shot is
    	it because the club face is very open at impact plus one
    	or two other factors or is it because the ball is being hit
    	off the hossel?? My partner and I had this discussion on the
    	practice range yesterday after I had "S"ed two shots on the
    	first hole on Saturday...
    
    	Thanks again
    	Gene

      
        It's a hosel shot.  A flat swingplane is sometimes the
        culprit.  A tense, fast, jerky swing doesn't help either.
    
    -rick_who_has_managed_to_go_the_whole_season_without_one_YEA!
    
      _and_who_has_probably_spoken_too_soon

    Wanna know how you can see where a shank makes contact on the club...?
    Get a ball with lots of paint on it (say red paint) and then hit
    it (hopefully it will shank) then look for the red mark on your
    club. I bet it is on the hosel (that's usually where shanks come
    from). You'll be amazed at your findings.
    
    Mike

    
    Well, I guess I learnt something new... I never new that a shank
    was hit off the hosel...!!! Sorry Peter, I stand corrected...
    
    Humbly
    Gene
    
    RE: .6
    
    Thanks for the tip Mike, but HOPEFULLY I WON'T be shanking them...!

    
    I believe that the previous responses were correct BUT I have seen
    the 'snap fade' hit off the toe of the club.  The flight of the
    ball (if you can call it flight) is the same.  However rather than
    lunging at the ball and catching it on the hosel, you pull away
    from the ball (like looking up on a chip shot) and catch it on the
    toe.  Perhaps this isn't a real 'snap fade', but it's just as ugly!
    
    
    						KO

    re: .6
    	YOU try it...it's not something I would ever go out and try
    to do...have enough trouble trying to hit the ball correctly on
    the sweet spot all the time as it is...!!!
    
    re: .5
    	It is definately a hosel hit...and it feels UGLY!!!!
    

    I have played for ~4 years and gotten down to a 14 handicap without
    a single case of the sh...s. Then out of the blue this past summer,
    
    CLANG!!!!  
    
    Every shot I hit that didn't require a full swing went screaming
    due right. Thank goodness for a timely hint in Golf Digest. My
    problem turned out to be a case of decelerating on the down swing.
    This kept my wrists from ever breaking through the ball. The hint
    was 1) play the ball back, 2) short back swing but definite
    wrist cock (my wrist cock was only half-hearted on the back swing)
    3) hit it firmly (since you have a short back swing you won't 
    over hit it).
    
    Worked like a charm for me.
    
    Alan

    re:10
    
      Thanks, reading the responses I was beginning to feel like I was
    crazy.  I know when I was attacked by "S"'s it wasn't hitting the
    ball off the hosel or toe.  (divot looked perfect, contact felt
    great.)
    
    Rick

    Boy, does this topic hit an open nerve-ending! I think I must have
    hit every possible variation of the aforementioned "S" this season
    (including a few that went 90 degrees LEFT, rather than RIGHT!).
    It was so frustrating last Saturday that I walked off the course
    rather than subject myself and my partners to more of the same,
    with potentially painful consequences. I've since visited the driving
    range, and have worked on many of the things discussed (my biggest
    problem is psychological...any time a "small" swing is called for,
    I get super tense). The trick, of course, is to relax; but to relax
    requires some positive feedback in the form of a good shot under
    pressure: CATCH-22! I do okay at the range, but with live ammo it's
    a different game...
    
    Anyway, the responses here have a lot of good info to be digested,
    and that may constitute the bulk of my off-season reading. Anyone
    got the name of a good sports psychologist who might be able to
    help?
    
    Frank
    

    
    Please!!!!
    
    In the future do not use the S word. Refer to them as "snap fades",
    "laterals", or what ever else does not use the S word.
    
    
    I have had nightmares since reading this note, and am now becoming
    paranoid about playing this weekend.......
    
    			Tongue in cheek,
                              Fred Deady

    Re .13:
    
    Don't forget "pitch out".
    
    Mike

    re:.12
    
    Try "Mind Mastery to Better Golf" by Dr. Bob Rotella.
    
    For what its worth dept.-I've about cured the short shot "S" by
    firmly establishing in my mind as I address the ball the LENGTH
    of the shot.  For ME, it automatically shortens the back swing and allows
    acceleration through the ball, both keys to success.
                           
                         

    Re. -1...Thanks for the book title. I'll see if I can get hold of
    a copy (couldn't possibly hurt!); and also for the technical tip
    regarding the length of the shot as the key to the backswing.
    
    Referring to another reply a few back: You can be quite sure I will
    never use the S word again in this conference! "Pitch-out" will
    be the euphemism from now on... 8>)