The prospect of hitting a shank is terrifying enough already, but one of the scariest things about it is that there are actually two different ways to hit a shank: You can swing too far from in-to-out, which means the hosel of the club is moving too close to the ball throughout the swing, or you can do the opposite and hit a shank by going too far from out-to-in. This is how most golfers shank the club, and it requires shallowing-out your golf swing.
But thankfully, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Andrew Rice has a handy box drill that can help with both.
The way it works is pretty simple: You simply place some obstacle just outside the toe of your golf club as you set up to a golf ball. Make sure the object is disposable. The goal is to create something for you to swing around, not hurt yourself if you do happen to hit it. Boxes work especially well.
And from there, you simply start hitting balls, with the goal obviously being to not hit the box.
If you tend to come over the top, you’ll be worried about hitting the box before you hit the ball. By avoiding the box, you’ll be coming more in-to-out.
If your tendency is to swing too in-to-out, however, the box will work just as well: If your club flings out to the right too much, you’ll be worried about hitting the box after you hit the ball.
Avoid the box all together, and you’ll be swinging from the inside, to square, and then sending the club back around your body. There won’t be a shank in sight.
You can watch Andrew’s full video below:
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