The dreaded pitching wedge shank (or perhaps yips)

[Troll_Inc]

So over the last 3-4 weeks, all the sudden I inexplicably shank about 33% of my wedge shots at 85-100 yds.

It always goes like this. I hit a great drive right down the middle to 85-95 yds, or a straight drive and second shot on a par 5. Then I pull out the correct wedge and 1/3 the time the ball literally goes 45 degrees to the right.

WTF, I'm hitting my longer irons fine. And I've never been better with short wedges under 50yds or pitch/chips.

In the past every aspect of my game could fall apart, but I was pretty solid with my wedges.

Somehow is seems the better my drives, the more likely this is to happen, so I'm thinking it's something completely mental.

[BadBoyBenny]

You should be able to feel whether this is the result of an open face or the result of hitting it with the hosel.

If it's the hosel, then make sure you are standing the correct distance from the ball and striking down on it.

If your face is coming through open, make sure your stance isn't really opened or closed, and that your grip is consistent.

BTW I'm not an expert or anything but this happened to me and I went through 6-8 months of hell before I fixed the problem. It gradually worked it's way up until all of my irons were affected.

[dizong]

Shanks are going to be caused by one of at least three things:

1) Club plane too out-to-in
2) Club plane too in-to-out
3) Stiffening the wrists too much on the downswing, not allowing the club to turn over and thus leading and hitting with the hosel

I was doing too much of 2 and 3 in combination. Fortunately I think I've fixed it; unfortunately, figuring out what's going on can take a while unless you take a lesson.

[Troll_Inc]

I'm pretty certain that I'm hitting the ball right near the hosel, FWIW. I've put tape on the club face and been able to replicate the shank on the driving range. And it does feel like it's hitting the hosel.

And I'm pretty certain that I'm standing far enough away.

I'd go with the explanation of getting too tight because it seems like the likelihood of this happening greatly increases after a good tee shot where I'm now all jacked up too hit the green for what should be a certain par of a shot at a birdie.

LOL that it turns into a double when the ball goes under a bush or OB.

[roy_miami]

For me, a quick fix for the shanks is to look at an imaginary ball an inch to the inside of the real ball, ie at the spot where you want the hosel to go. After a few rounds of doing this I usually start hitting it more on the toe at which point I look at the ball again.

[Butcho22]

"Put all your change in your left pocket,
put a tee in your left ear,
turn your visor around backwards."

[Evan]

[ QUOTE ]
Shanks are going to be caused by one of at least three things:

1) Club plane too out-to-in
2) Club plane too in-to-out
3) Stiffening the wrists too much on the downswing, not allowing the club to turn over and thus leading and hitting with the hosel

I was doing too much of 2 and 3 in combination. Fortunately I think I've fixed it; unfortunately, figuring out what's going on can take a while unless you take a lesson.

[/ QUOTE ]
I don't think 2 will ever cause a shank if you're not doing 3.

[DrCool]

I do this occasionally. The swing overall feels good but the problem I have is I keep my back elbow (I'm left handed so it is my left elbow) tucked into my ribs which doesn't allow the club face to close properly.

It is a bit hard to explain but my elbow stays buried in my ribs and doesn't let me complete a full swing.

[Troll_Inc]

Thanks for the ideas - I've somewhat solved this problem on the range at least (i.e. for the time being/maybe not at all).

1. I set up my wedges very consistently a bit further away than my longer irons. I use tape on the clubs to see where I'm striking the ball.

2. Since this largely seems mental, i.e. happens after a good tee shot, I'm working on a more choke proof shot. Instead of 85 yds carry = use full swing with a 52 degree wedge, I use a GW and a knockdown 3/4 swing.
95 = PW
105 = 9

This is a much more accurate shot; at least currently on the range. I'll take a more accurate knockdow shot with some roll over a high full wedge shot with backspin that stops for me.

[ClubChamp04]

I went through this two years ago and it really wreaked havoc on my game. I was getting ready to go to the State Am. and shanking every 4th shot. It was a nightmare that was impossible to fix at the time. They showed up midway through the front nine and I was toast [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Needless to say,that turned out to be a one round event.My confidence was shot and I was scared to play/practice for the first time in my life. Scared to hit balls on the range b/c I looked like a total jackass. I'm pretty sure my problem was coming way too far from the inside and leading with the hosel plus too much weight on my toes so on the downswing I was swaying forward into the ball. That combination is death so I would recommend staying back through the ball and make sure you're not coming into impact too much from the inside.