[golfgnome]

so i ask again, why do golfers shank and how do you stop them from doing so.

There are a multitude of reasons why golfers shank. Giving one reason is not possible. However, there are a few things I do with students that has given some positive results:

1. Get them to set up at impact fix - most golfers do not know how "far" they need to be from the ball. The weight of the club and the speed it is swung will "stretch the club" away from the player. Most of the time the player is simply standing to close.

2. Ball Position - many times a player has the ball to far back in their stance so there is not enough time for the clubface to square up.

3. Open clubface - players who shank tend to have "weak" grips or tend to open the clubface to much on the backswing. A good anti-shank drill I have used is to get the clubface very shut. It is virtually impossible to shank the ball with a closed clubface.

I hope this helps.