No, it’s not the word you think, it’s a shank!!! If you have never seen one, here it is in all its glory…

There you have it, one of the most embarrasing shots in the game and there is nowhere to hide when you get them!!

If you are on the golf course you seldom hear the word golf shanking uttered among the patrons. It can be a nightmare the first time it happens; however, for some golfers once it happens it might continue throughout the course of their round because it gets in their head to the point of obsession…

It is an embarrassing situation for beginners as well as the most experienced golfers because it is quite an ugly result of a golf swing.  A well struck golf shot sounds pure, looks beautiful and everyone admires the perfection of the swing.  A shank, on the other hand, is a hideous sounding car-wreck of a shot that looks as ugly as it gets when it comes to a golf shot.

Golf shanking generally is the result of an uneven distribution of weight during the swing. Generally too much weight it put on the toes during the downswing. This causes the ball to impact the club where the shaft meets the club-face. This results in an embarrassing shot straight right. The ball travels almost at 90 degrees as to where the player is aiming.  Quite embarrassing. 

To avoid the nightmare of a “golf shank” it is important to remember to keep more weight on the heels during your swing. Stability is a key ingredient throughout the swing. This stability helps prevent the weight shifting to the toes. Sometimes beginning golfers lean forward toward the ball when addressing it. This is the cause of their weight shifting to their toes during the swing. This can happen with the golf swing for driver, but mostly happens with your irons.

Experienced players can sometimes develop the shanks if their swing arc is too narrow and too steep. This means that your swing arc narrows and the only way you can make good contact with the ball then is to lean into it. This then causes the weight to shift to the toes. This results in the nightmare of the shanked shot.

The swing arc happens when you do not make a good shoulder turn. To cure the “shoulder turn” you need to have your left shoulder over your right knee at the top of your backswing.

Some golfers believe the “s word” is a result of the swing path while others believe it is the wrists in your golf swing for your driver or irons. If the golfer has an extreme inside-out swing or an outside-in swing, along with the open clubface, this can also cause the shank shot.

Golfing instructor Rick Grayson explains that this can easily be solved. He suggests the golfer put two tees in the ground. They should be about six inches apart in order that they form a gate. You should then take short practice swings with an iron until your club head passes through the “open gate” without hitting either tee.

Grayson explains that “chip-shanking” can feel worse to a golfer than a full blown shank. He says this feeling is a result of knowing that the swing is so simple. The reason for a shank on a short shot is usually due to taking the club too far inside in the takeaway. Grayson says you can check this by placing a ball an inch behind the club then make your motion. He says, “If the ball squirts toward you, not straight back, you’re too far inside.” He says the golfer should repeat this drill until you can push the ball straight back.

Once you shank it can then become a nightmare as you fear you will repeat. It is important to remedy the situation so that your fear does not become a reality.

There are a number of different grips that exist and are used to excellent effect by professional golfers. In golf, there are three ways to grip the club. The most popular way to grip the club is the Vardon grip which is also known as the overlapping grip. This grip has the pinky of the right hand overlapping the left hand between the index and middle finger for a right handed golfer. This grip works well for the vast majority of players regardless of the length of their fingers or the strength of their hands.

Here is the legendary swing coach Hank Haney demonstrating the grip:

The second most popular golfing grip is the interlocking grip which has the right pinky interlocking with the left forefinger for a right handed golfer. Many great players including Tiger Woods have used this grip but it is typically popular with women and players with small hands and weaker hands as the fingers keep the hands locked together. The ten finger grip, a grip where all fingers hold the club, is also a popular choice for players with small hands, weak hands, or arthritis.

Having a good golf grip is vital to making good shots and getting the proper amount of distance out of your swings. Because the grip is the only contact between the body and the club, if the grip is not correct the rest of the swing will need to be adjusted in order to hit the ball which will result in less distance and problems hitting the ball straight. Having the right grip allows your wrists to hinge properly on the back swing and it allows your wrists to release in the downswing. The proper grip also helps to assure that the club face will be square at impact which will prevent nasty slices or hooks.

When your wrists hinge correctly, thanks to a proper grip, you get more power out of your swing. On the downswing, the smooth release of your wrists will generate greater club head speed. A square club face at impact will hit the ball straight. These three things will combine to give a player a long, straight, and powerful shot that can be replicated again and again. The basics of a golf swing begin with a proper golf grip because without one, consistent ball striking is all but impossible.

The dreaded slice caused by mainly because the club head cuts across the ball from the outside path to the inside in almost a slapping motion.  And it is a sure-fire way to make sure you will not hit the ball solidly, you will lose significant distance and you will spend a lot of your time searching for it in the right trees (or left trees if you are a lefty). 

Nevertheless, you will be glad to know that a number of ways can correct it.

Simple physics has proven that when the ball is spinning clockwise after being hit with the backswing in golf, this causes the air to be pulled to its left, which can cause the ball to travel in the opposite direction of the air, and thus the ball travels way right.

You’ll see a lot of people on the range simply try to close their club head down at address and they think this will solve their slice.  This is like treating a cold by buying tissues to wipe your nose!!

The most common reason that golfers slice is that their backswing starts off on too much of an inside path.  This then cause the effect of the golfer then redirecting the club at the top of the swing and come across the ball on the outside to in path.  This cause the slapping motion described above and Voila, slice-city…

A cure for this would to make sure that your take-away is straight back and on the outside path.  This will make it very difficult for you to have a downswing on the outside path.  It will encourage you to swing more from the inside on the downswing, thus causing you to not slash across the ball but actually hit the ball on the inside which should produce a draw!!! 

Hey how about that!!!

What you want to do is go to the practice range stand behind the golf ball and pick the target you want.

Place a tee at least two feet in front of the golf ball and 2-3 inches right of your intended target line, known as your picked target. Now what you need to do while you are practicing is to swing and see if you are following through directly at that tee.

This will encourage you to swing on the inside path on your downswing and follow thru to the outside thus causing the desired draw swing and encourage the right to left ball flight. If you are lefty, please reverse the directions (you guys are used to that right???).

The worst results of this drill will be that it significantly reduces a slice, if not produce a full out draw!! 

The best results I see are golfers changing their weak-ass slice swing into a powerful draw swing which produces as much as 75-95 extra yards off their tee shot!!!  This tends to make golfers very giddy and running to the first tee to try out their new swing…

The slice is a bad problem that most golfers never truly address.  If you understand the root causes of the problem and develop a drill or exercises to correct it, you will enjoy the game immensely and start hammering the ball down the fairway with that draw that every golfer desires!!!

We put this list together because I often find that most amateurs use the wrong ball.  Most of them believe they “need more spin”, thinking this will help them hold the green on their approach shots.  However, 95% of golfers should be looking for less spin and more distance.

Why is that you ask.  Well, for one most amateurs rarely hit the green with their approach shots and are often running the ball up to the green which requires no spin at all.  Actually, the spin hurts them here.

Another reason is too much spin off the tee will make a bad shot worse.  For example, if you tend to slice the ball or fade it, a high spin ball will turn a fade into a slice and a draw into a hook.  Whereas a high distance, lower spin ball will produce a straighter, longer shot every time.

Determining the right ball to use can be tricky but we have compiled list of the top ten golf balls for distance that can help you find the best ball to use that gives you maximum distance, but still offers enough spin to help you on the greens.

  1. Taylor Made Penta TP: The Penta does everything well. It provides amazing distance, soft feel, great spin, total control, and great launch all in one ball.

Off the tee, it will provide massive distance while it is perfectly suited for short shots with enough spin to score lights out.  I have used this ball and compared it shot for shot with my Pro V1X and it did not disappoint at all…

 2. Titleist Pro V1x:   This is the ball I use and I absolutely love it.  The Pro V1x is an extremely strong all around ball and is second only to the Penta in terms of versatility and distance for the average handicapper. The Pro V1X is a ball designed for the lower handicapper to professionals.  Although all levels of players love to say “I use ProV1X”…

With a soft feel and plenty of spin and distance, the Pro V1x is great on the tee, on the green, and everywhere in between.  Since I like a lot of spin for some specialty shots I hit around green, I really love the “bite” the ball has.  The average to high handicappers usually get tripped up on this aspect because there approach shots do not “run out” like they expect and they come up well short.  The ProV1X is not the ball I recommend for the average player.

This is the only reason I didn’t rank my ball #1.  But overall, you really can’t go wrong with this ball once you know how it reacts and adjust accordingly.

3. Titleist Pro V1:  Like its bigger brother, the Pro V1 is a great all-around golf ball. This ball is about 1.4 yards shorter than the Pro V1x which is why we dropped it to #3 on this list for best distance balls.

However, it is a little more durable than its bigger brother and has higher launch and less spin than the Pro V1x, which is a little better for the higher handicapper.

4. Callaway Tour i (z):  The Tour i (z) is multi-layer ball with a unique hex-shape dimple design to reduce drag and increase distance. The ball is soft yet durable while providing great distance off the tee and high spin with scoring clubs.

Overall a solid distance ball for all levels if you prefer Callaway products.

5. Taylor Made Burner:   I tried this ball out this past summer and was quite impressed.  The burner has low drag characteristics combined with a soft low-compression core for unbelievable distance for players with a wide range of swing speeds.

It was just as long as my ProV1X and the feel around the greens was comparable as well..

6. Callaway HX Hot Bite: This three piece ball is designed with hex aerodynamics to provide amazing distance and lots of spin for a strong all-around performer for players with average swing speeds.

7. Bridgestone e6: I have friends who swear by the e6 and they say they prefer it over the Titleist ProV’s.  With an anti-spin inner layer, the e6 provides great distance and straight flight for the low-to-average swing speed golfer.

 8. Srixon Z-STAR: I tried this ball and after hearing all the hype, was somewhat impressed with it.  I played awful that day, so I am sure it skewed my review, but overall not bad…

The Z-STAR features a low compression core for greater ball speed and greater distance for the average player.

9. Callaway Big Bertha Diablo: This ball goes and goes. The Big Bertha Diablo is an aerodynamic low-spin ball for astonishing distance off the tee.  So, if distance is all you want – a solid choice.

10. Titleist DT SoLo: This golf balls compression statistics are extremely friendly to players with low swing speeds providing great distance for the low-to-average swing speed golfer.

Many factors determine what golf ball is good fit for an individual player. For example, golf balls compression statistics is an important factor. This is how much club head is required to activate the ball’s specific layer, typically the core for distance, in order to get the desired characteristics. Of course, the only way to know which of these top ten golf balls will perform for you is to tee it up and swing.

However, before you pass judgment on a ball, play an entire round or two with it at a course you are familiar with and compare the shots you hit with your regular ball to the new one you are testing.  It is the only way to truly know if that ball is the one for your game.

New 2011 Titleist Pro V1 Golf Balls available now at Golfballs.com! Order today for Same Day Shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.

So, there you have it, go out and try some new balls.  Big John just gave you another excuse to play more golf!!!!

I don’t mean to vent, but one of my biggest pet peeves on the course is when we get to a par-3.  Say the hole is 150 yards into a slight breeze and a little uphill.  Now I say to my partner that I think “it is playing 157 yards, so I am going to hit a 9-iron”…

My partner agrees it is playing 157 (all variables factored in) and he proceeds to say, yeah, I think 9 is the club!!!  Now, I know because of my life-long work at hitting the ball a long way, that I am a longer than average hitter.  You might even say I am a very long hitter.  So why would he hit a 9 just because I am??

I tell you a lot of it has to do with pride and testosterone!!!  No way he is going to hit a 9-irn 157 yards…  And sure enough, short-city in the trap and he proceeds to bogey the hole…

This is why it is soooo important to have your own Golf Distance Club Tracker and know exactly how far YOU hit each of your clubs.  It is so annoying how guys will just assume they hit a 7-irn 160 yards when they really have never measured it to the yard.

Before setting foot on your local Public Links, Country Club or TPC – sanctioned course, hit a few buckets of balls at the local driving range. Although the range is open, there a fewer cattle to get in the way of your slices or hooks or worm burners.

The time spent on the range will help you determine two things – how straight you are hitting the ball and, if you are hitting it straight, how far.
The more buckets of balls the more you learn about yourself and what steps to take to improve how you strike the ball.
It’s like zeroing in a new rifle at the start deer season. You can judge your distance and accuracy with any given club to create your own Golf Distance Finder. It’s always good to take along a small notepad (you know one of those with the spiral wiring on the top that’ll fit in your shirt pocket). Record the clubs you hit and record how far you just hit them.  For example:

5-iron=170 Yards

6-Iron=155 Yards

Pitching Wedge= 110 Yards

 As so on and so on for all your clubs construct your Golf Distance Finder in a way to allow for improvement. It’s a good idea to track your Golf Distance Club every three months.

You can find a club distance chart her on my site by clicking here…

On the chart, you should try to hit 10 shots with each club in your bag and the spreadsheet will average them out for you and give you the avg. distance you hit each club.  It will also compare your averages with fellow amateurs and pros, so you can see where you fall in the big scheme of things.

This will be a critical exercise in your development as a player and you should never fail on a shot because you thought you hit a certain club a certain yardage and were wrong.

So, once you see your averages, you will take these numbers on the course with the full confidence that when you get a yardage, you know if you execute the shot, your percentage that you will have a favorable result improve 10-fold!!!

And with practice, practice, practice and more practices, those distances will improve and you can go and do the exercise again to adjust your numbers.

So when you finally get to your favorite cow pasture, you will be able to pull out your trusty distance chart and plot your moves through the mine fields of sand, water, trees and any other obstacles on to the ball yards that may have been erected to test your patience and proficiency.

They tell how the New York Yankee baseball Clipper Joe DiMaggio would examine his space in centerfield before every game at a ball park. He would check the height of the grass, hardness of the surface and strength and direction of the wind before every game. Those practices are good habits to form for any golfer.

Before beginning your round, check the hole’s distance on the course’s score card. The course layout is like a GPS: On it are each hole’s length, its configuration, and location of hazards on the fairways and positions of the holes on the greens.

You’ll probably drive your golfing buddies crazy, but they’ll get over it. If the exercise improves your game, they’ll be asking you how you did it, and they’ll figure you are a genius or something and want to copy your routine.

If you want to know the secrets that all long hitters know, remember to sign up for the FREE Email Mini-Course below: