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- The 5 Scariest Swing Issues in Golf + How to Eliminate Each Immediately!
The 5 Scariest Swing Issues in Golf + How to Eliminate Each Immediately!
Plus, in Trivia: Who is famous for hitting shanks on command while warming up?
Wild Golf
February 28, 2025
Happy Friday! The golf swing has a lot of moving parts - like, a LOT of moving parts. It can feel like so many things can go wrong that there’s literally no way it can possibly all go right. But the vast majority of golfers tend to fight the same issues, which is good news… there’s always a fix (so no, you are not a lost cause)!
Today we bring you the 5 scariest golf misses and the quick fixes so you can stop treating them like unmentionables and confidently avoid them all!
Let’s go!
Scary Shot #1: The “Duff Chip”
-THE SHOT: You line up to a chip shot from off the green, analyze what it’s going to do as it lands, and take the club back only to hit the ground 3 inches behind the ball. The result? The ball travels ~2 feet, leaving you and your playing partners shaking your heads.
-THE SOLUTION: Controlling the low point on greenside chip shots is vital to ensure solid contact every time. The easiest way to do this is to A. keep your shoulders parallel to the slope of the ground. And B. center your chest over the ball. In other words, as long as you don’t have a ton of shoulder lean, your club will bottom out directly below the center of your chest.
Duffing chip shots makes everyone mad - including this little dude! If we all had a nickel for every time we wanted to kick the golf ball on the course, we’d all be rich!
Scary Shot #2: The “Banana Ball Slice”
-THE SHOT: Your driver can’t seem to do anything but start left and curve hard to the right (for a right handed player).
-THE SOLUTION: The leading cause of a slice is when the path of your club is “outside-in”, or when your club doesn’t travel through the impact zone in a straight line. The most effective way to cure a slice is to swing your club through the ball in a straight line or slightly inside-out. How? As the video shows, put a water bottle behind and just outside of the target line and hit shots avoiding the bottle. If you come over the top, you’ll hit the bottle. Practice this drill and you’ll be hitting towering draws in no time!
Pro Tip: If you’re really struggling with this drill, try dropping your rear foot back a few inches. Your stance will appear more closed, but it will help you get the feel for dropping the the club to the inside.
Scary Shot #3: The “Shank”
-THE SHOT: The dreaded “S-word” that we all hate to hear - a shot that is hit off the hosel or heel of the club, making the ball shoot 90 degrees sideways.
-THE SOLUTION: As terrifying as this shot is, it’s not as hard to fix as you might imagine. The majority of shanks occur when you set up too close to the ball and the body shifts towards the ball in the downswing and through impact. Eliminating shanks means redirecting your club head along more of an “inside” path and staying in posture, rather than lunging toward the ball. How? Set another golf ball ~1 club head away on the outside from the ball you are hitting. Line up your club to the outside ball, take the club back, and hit the inside ball. This will train you to stop presenting the club too far outside of the target line and eliminate the shanks!
Pro Tip: You might hit it off the toe of the club initially with this drill, and that’s okay until you dial it in and hit the center of the face. Hitting the ball off the toe is WAY more playable than hitting it off the hosel!
Scary Shot #4: The “Thin”
-THE SHOT: With an iron in hand, you pick up the club through impact, hitting it off the bottom of the clubface (and likely missing the ground entirely). Instead of the ball going the appropriate distance, it flies 20+ yards over the green.
-THE SOLUTION: Hitting it thin (or “knifing it” as some would say) is one of the more frustrating shots you’ll experience, but it’s one that is pretty easily avoided. One of the biggest causes of a thin shot is leaning back on your trail leg through impact and hitting too far up on the ball, rather than down and through the ground. An easy way to fix this is to work on shifting your weight to your lead foot before you start your body turn, as seen in the video below…
Pro Tip: Another good drill for this is to address the ball, then bring your front foot back so your feet are together behind the ball. From here, take the club back and as you start your downswing, step with your front foot and swing through the ball. This “step through” drill (seen HERE) will help you transfer your weight to your front side and get you swinging down on the ball!
Scary Shot #5: The “Snap Hook”
-THE SHOT: The opposite of a slice, this ball immediately ducks its head and curves hard down and to the left (for a right handed player), usually rolling a mile until it finds a lake or a tree.
-THE SOLUTION: Hooks are a good indication that your hands are overly active through impact and your clubface is too closed through the ball. However, hooks are usually a sign that your club path is coming from the inside, which is actually a really good thing. A strong grip can play a major role in overly active hands through impact. So at address, bring your trail hand more on top of the club rather than underneath and it will slow the release of your clubface through impact. Practice this feel until you’re comfortable, and the snap hooks will be gone for good.
TODAY’S TRIVIA
Answer to Win a BirdieBall 3’x12’ Indoor Putting Mat
(1 winner chosen on 2/28/25 across all February trivia entries, 1,000 correct respondents minimum)
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Who is known on the PGA Tour for hitting shanks on purpose while warming up?Hint: He even did an instructional video with Golf Digest on how to hit shanks on command! |
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