[Nesskissabe]

I haven't been able to golf the past few weeks so I've been going to the driving range after work trying to get some good practice in. I've been watching some videos on the backswing and keeping the club on plane and was trying to implement this into my swing (a long with hitting down into the ball, I would consider myself a scooper which I'm trying to get away from). Well, I would set 5 balls aside and for some reason I could not get the ball in the air as well as normal and everything was slicing bad off to the right with a very low flight. Anything else would just duff about 20-30yds in front of me. I maybe hit 10 good balls out of 60. This has been my past 3-4 range sessions.

Fast forward to yesterday and I decided to go walk 9 and everything bad from the range was now on the golf course. I usually manage to shot high 80's low 90s but that day, I didn't even keep score. I have somehow managed to completely screw up my golf swing and only hit about 2-3 good iron shots yesterday and it has me scared to even go play today. It wasn't that I got mad an just steamrolled my way through the 9 holes, I just had that "wtf" thought in my head because I haven't played that bad in a LONG time.

Any suggestions or words of encouragement?

[Symnunidanimb]

It happens. I think it's cause a lot by rushing (in my case). I am trying hard to slow down, take a couple practice swings, and hit the ball rather than just blow through a bucket. It always gets worse for me if other people are there and I hosel one ball. At that point, I'm better off going to the short game area.

[pXss8cyx]

Take your change out of your right pocket and move it to your left pocket. Take a tee and stick it behind your ear. Take your hat and turn it around backwards. Great scene in Tin Cup but how true is that. You are thinking about it now and you need to do something different. Take your driver out and just hit it till you get some confidence in the ball striking. Do something different to get your mind off what your going through right now.

[Tribas4u]

So you're shanking and slicing?

Just to be clear, a shank is when you hit the hosel and ball rockets off to directly to the right (for right handed golfers) without very much left to right spin. A slice is a ball that you actually hit but flies left to right.

My advice, go back to the basics. Sound grip, posture and alignment at address, check the space between you and the ball, check the ball position. Forget what videos you've just been watching and then like Hawk said, stop blazing through all the balls. Take each one slowly and deliberately and focus on what you're doing.

[WeissVine]

I've had them.. I'm sure we've all had them. Common for me and those around me who get them is getting really complacent and lazy in the swing.. Then when they arrive, you try to swing smooth to get rid of them but really, you're just compounding the issue.

2 things that helped me. Get really aggressive on some shots. Once you're back to your normal swing speed, place a headcover on the far side of the ball (or other balls, or a tee) and try to avoid hitting them with your club. Worked like a charm for me. No more hosel rockets.

[QzVyZbTg]

I've had them.. I'm sure we've all had them. Common for me and those around me who get them is getting really complacent and lazy in the swing.. Then when they arrive, you try to swing smooth to get rid of them but really, you're just compounding the issue.

2 things that helped me. Get really aggressive on some shots. Once you're back to your normal swing speed, place a headcover on the far side of the ball (or other balls, or a tee) and try to avoid hitting them with your club. Worked like a charm for me. No more hosel rockets.

I will try this next time, I just hope my swing is together for todays round.

[ssupermegatone]

Sounds like you're struggling with hitting down on the ball itself, when ever I start to shank the ball I start from scratch with a 1/4 or 1/2 swing just really focusing on hitting down (pretty munch like 100 yard punch 7 iron) and build it back up to a full shot.

[QzVyZbTg]

Do you guys think a tour striker would be a solid training aid to help with hitting down or do you already need to be hitting down and it sorta pushes you the rest of the way?

[vipbunter]

Pull the tin cup approach. Put all your change in your right pocket, tie your right shoe in a double knot, turn your hat sideways. It works in Hollywood

[strongjannabiz]

As detailed in my lessons thread, I have been battling a shank for the last whole eight days.

And guess what. It went away today. What worked for me is better tempo. I was trying to hit too hard and getting the clubhead into all sorts of bad positions. Slowing it down and practicing shorter swings for a while before going again for the full swing worked.

[constanyiskancho]

Try this. It helped me get back on track after a "lesson induced" bout with the shanks... Take your normal setup, then relax and drop your right shoulder and allow your head to move back behind the ball. Next, loosen your grip and move your hands slightly ahead of the ball. Re-square the club face to the target, re-grip the club, and take your backswing by simply rotating your shoulders back while keeping the hips very still. To return to impact just smoothly push off with your right foot while rotating the shoulders back to the setup position. Oh, and keep your butt behind you.

Be sure to look at your club face after every strike and note where the impact was. This will help give you a feel of cause and effect.

[gniewkoit]

Cant really comment on your swing since I cant see it but I will say this. The driving range for me is not something I like to do unless I take all the time I can to slow things down and correct my wrongs. Problem is that time itself is my enemy and for that reason I rarely go to one and do not usually hit at one before I play. I have a habbit (i am sure like many) at the range of hitting way toooo many balls way toooo fast. The way I look at it is just like many other things we may do, ( such as swinging a bat) I think hitting golf balls has alot to do with muscle memmory and the many repetitions required to develope it so that it becomes sort of a second nature.

Now, of course that is only good if we do those repatitions correctly. When I or anyone who may be guilty of hitting too many balls way to fast at a range is not hitting correctly we then now develope the wrong muscle memmory. Even if just temporary I will not hit good until I get back my better swing. Perhaps you are guilty of this as well. I dont know that you are but if you are also hitting too many too fast at the range than it could make sense.

I know if I do go it's ony if I have the extra time to take alot of time between each stroke to try to hit correctly. One after the other like bam,bam,bam,bam without correcting anything leads to that muscle memmory for a bad swing. Just my thoughts

[SypeKifef]

Man that happens to me sometimes, my pro suggested that I practice with a head cover under my left arm (I'm right handed) so that my take away is solid and close to my body giving me a connected feeling. What I used to do is separate my arms a lot which extended at impact leaving it close to the heel or shanks.

Good luck

[Galvanoidum]

As detailed in my lessons thread, I have been battling a shank for the last whole eight days.

And guess what. It went away today. What worked for me is better tempo. I was trying to hit too hard and getting the clubhead into all sorts of bad positions. Slowing it down and practicing shorter swings for a while before going again for the full swing worked.

Man that happens to me sometimes, my pro suggested that I practice with a head cover under my left arm (I'm right handed) so that my take away is solid and close to my body giving me a connected feeling. What I used to do is separate my arms a lot which extended at impact leaving it close to the heel or shanks.

Good luck

Both of these helped me. Except the shorter swing. I shank more with a shorter swing. Of course if your swing is too big than a shorter, or "normal" swing should be beneficial. And it may just be me. I've never liked 3/4 swings.

[casinobonyanes]

I developed the shanks this summer and I had no idea why. I realized I only was shanking the ball on Saturdays and Sundays (bear with me), I would shank the ball all round then goto the range the next day, same problem. I would get it figured out during the week and come Saturday, they were back. I took a trip to Vegas with my buddies, no shanks even on the weekends. Thats when I realized I was shanking the ball because I was playing softball on Friday's and my swing was all messed up. When I realized it was because I was swinging like a bat, they went away. Weird.