There isn’t a golfer out there who hasn’t experienced a case of the shanks — and it sure is nervy anytime they occur.
While having the shanks is frustrating, what’s scariest about them isn’t just the shot results, but the uncertainty about when they might finally disappear. Since the shanks are caused by all sorts of wonkiness in the swing, fixing them can be a long and winding road.
Alas, there are ways to cure your golf shanks, though, but it requires patience and trust in the process.
For me, my experience with the shanks came last summer when I just couldn’t hit a drive to save my life. My golf grip was messed up, my swing path was awful, my attack angle was all over the place — and I needed some time away from golf to regroup and recover.
But if you’re looking for an easy way to gradually cure your golf shanks, take a look at the video below (courtesy of LPGA’s YouTube channel), where top teacher Cathy Kim shows how four tees can improve your ball-striking ability in no time.
How 4 tees can fix your golf shanks
For those who can’t quite shake the shanks, Kim says a 4-tee drill is the way to fix the problem — and talks through how it works.
“Take four golf tees and set them down [into the ground], sort of making a wall of tees,” Kim says. “Then take a club, I’ve got a 7-iron, and I’m going to set it down on the front side of the tees [seen in the image below].”
Now that you’ve grounded your club, Kim says place the ball down in the middle of your clubface and confidently address your ball, avoiding any anxiety about mishitting or still shanking it.
“If you’re feeling anxiety about this drill, don’t worry, you won’t hurt anybody,” she quips. “The objective of this drill is to make sure we don’t strike the ball with the heel of the club — hence, the tees being on the other side.”
Kim then demonstrates the anti-shank drill, showing how the wall of tees provides a visual for you to maintain a solid club path.
By avoiding any contact with the tees in the ground, you’re able to make contact away from the heel and near the center of the face — which will cure your golf shanks and lead to better ball-striking. So try this quick, easy, and effective drill to produce better results instantly.
Discover more great golf content on the official LPGA YouTube channel.
