Help cure my SHANK!!!!

I have been playing golf now for about 18 months and have a handicap of 23,now when iam on the driving range 80% of the time i can hit the ball as sweetly as a low or mid handi-capper,but then out of nowhere the shank appears and once one has happened it stays in my mind and every shot from then is downhill,what can i do to stop this from happening in future?

Are these shots shanks or slices? Does the ball shoot off sharp right in a straight line out of the hozel? Or does the ball take off forward and bend sharply right in a violent arc?

The ball shoots off at a straight line sharply to the right.

Your clubface is too open. You are either opening it too much on the backswing or on the downswing. Either way, you are leading with the hosel of the club instead of the sweetspot. You must fix the clubface during the swing, and the earlier the better IMO, by turning the clubface off of the plane. (At the halfway back 90 degree position, try to feel that the clubface is looking away from you). Another way to think of it, is to try and feel that your right palm is facing away from you.

Shanking is caused by the hozel (where the shaft is connected to the club face) striking the ball.

There can be a few causes but first make sure your weight is not too forward on your feet, get it evenly distributed between the balls of your feet and the heels. A swing path that comes from out to in can also be a cause, have a look at this video for help.

http://www.ritson-sole.com/golf-tips...shank-no-more/

I used to have a problem with shanking so I know how you feel. My problem was related to my swing plane. My swing was too flat and I came in too much from the inside. I doubt if that will help you much since I don't think that is a common reason for shanking. However, I believe that if you don't worry so much about fixing your shanking problem and work on your swing your shanks will go away. With the help of a pro I am now in a good position at the top. If you are serious about getting better I would get the help of the best instructor you can afford. Take it from someone that read more books and watched more videos than I would like to admit. The odds are that you won't be able to shoot in the 70's without good instuction. For 10 years I tried on my own and finally reached 79 once or twice. After 3 years of lessons by a highly rated instructor last year I shot my first subpar round.

Good luck!!

hi in basic terms the shank is caused when at impact the club is further away from you than it was at address, therefore you strike the hosel. As a PGA pro myself i would suggest you check your posture and also the distance between the end of the grip and your body - which should be a palms width. There are always numerous reasons for faults in the swing, you should always check your setup first to see if its the cause.

YO! MATTEACHINGPRO!!
You hit it in a nuttshell and I have respect to your credentials. The comment was straight forward and it should be referred to when shanking comes into play.
I have been having the shanks too. But that is when I have commited to hitting down at the ball and getting rid of the sweeping shot all together.

Yes, good advice.

The only exception I would make is when an out to in path causes the shank, the club is cutting across the ball but not really further away. Another good drill is to try and deliberately hit the ball with the hozel, this gives a clearer understanding of what happens in a shank and what to do to avoid it.

Hi burnie24 there could be few things 1 check your lie angles on your irons
2 check you are not palming the the grip in your hands 3 check balance hit shots with feet together and see if your body feels quiet by comparison 4 dont lock right elbow in during backswing will cause club to get trapped behind your body fix exercise is split hands . i have a couple more but I would almost bet holding fault or lie angles too upright. goodluck!