Brian Manzella on Poulter's Shank

Golf Digest posted a short article about Ian Poulter's shank last week at the Honda that I thought was very informative. It includes some instruction from instructor Brian Manzella (whose tips have graced this blog many times) that may help many of you who struggle with yips from time to time.



Manzella agrees with Poulter that shots like this often happen when a player tries to "take something off" a shot, to hit it a little easier than normal. But for the average player, he says that shanks often result from opening the club face, which changes the way the shot feels. The comment I found most interesting was WHY if feels different.

The most common shank for the average player comes on a shorter shot, or one where the player consciously opens the clubface a bit more in an effort to produce some height. "Take a wedge shot," says Manzella. "If you open the face, it can make it so that it feels like the shaft itself--and the hosel--is the sweet spot. Then you swing down feeling like the point for center contact is at the end of the shaft, when really it's offset from that."

"If you open the face, it can make it so that it feels like the shaft itself--and the hosel--is the sweet spot." He means that when you open the club face, the weight in the club head -- you know, all that extra metal in the bounce area -- shifts closer to the shaft and makes it feel as if the sweet spot has moved closer to the shaft.

Manzella's solution is to "focus on turning your lead arm down, toward the ball." In other words, feel as if you're trying to square the club face. Think about trying to get the back of your lead hand pointed toward the ball during your downswing. Then you'll feel as if the weight in the club head -- and consequently, the sweet spot -- is trying to move back out toward its normal position and you're less likely to shank.

If you're shanking your pitches, it's definitely worth a try.