How to Stop Shanking the Golf Ball

Updated October 12, 2026 · Written by the Your Golf Plan team · Written for right-handed golfers; if you play left-handed, flip left and right.

A shank is when the ball strikes the hosel, the part of the club where the shaft meets the head, and shoots sharply to the right. It is the most feared miss in golf because it tends to come in clusters and shakes your confidence.

The good news is that it has a small number of causes and each has a simple fix.

What is happening

The ball is meeting the club closer to the hosel than the center of the face. That means the clubhead is travelling too far from you at impact, or the ball is too close to you. Almost every shank comes from the club moving outward or the body moving toward the ball.

Common causes

Weight on the toes: your balance moves forward so the arms and club go out and away.
Early extension: the body moves toward the ball and pushes the club out. See our guide to early extension.
An over-the-top swing path that brings the club from outside the ball.
Standing too close to the ball.
Tension in the grip and arms.

A quick fix on the range

Stand a little farther from the ball, with your weight on the middle of your feet, not your toes. Swing at about three-quarter speed and let the club pass inside the ball. Most shanks stop within a few swings.

Drills that help

Toe-of-the-club drill

Set the ball opposite the toe end of the club face at address.
Make smooth swings trying to strike the ball with the toe.
As the strike moves toward the center, return the ball to a normal position.

What you should feel: The club returns more from the inside and the strike moves to the center.

Balanced finish

Hit short irons at three-quarter speed.
Hold your finish for three seconds on your lead foot, balanced and not falling forward.
If you topple onto your toes, you were out of balance at impact.

What you should feel: Weight stays centered and you finish tall and balanced.

Not sure this is your problem?

Drills only work if you are fixing the right thing. Film your swing from down the line and face-on, and a PGA coach will tell you what is actually happening and give you one drill to work on.

Get a coach to look at your swing · $35

What a coach looks for on video

Distance from the ball at address and posture through impact
Whether the body moves toward the ball in the downswing
Swing path relative to the ball
Weight distribution on the feet through the strike
Grip pressure and arm tension

That is the difference between guessing from a guide and knowing from your own swing. Two short videos are enough for a coach to check all of this.

Keep going

Common questions

Why do shanks come in clusters?

Because one shank makes you tense or change something, which makes the next one more likely. Slowing down and checking your balance usually breaks the cycle.

Is a shank caused by the club or the golfer?

Almost always the swing. A very upright or offset club can make it a little more likely, but the path is the cause.

Have a coach look at your swing

Send two short phone videos and tell us what you are working on. A PGA coach sends back a video review and a drill built around your swing, usually within 24 hours and always within 48.

Get your swing analysis · $35