Wedge Hosel Rockets More Common?

[Honeybadger]

I got my yearly case of the hosel rockets. Does anyone know why they may be more common or worse  with wedges? 
 

[Valtiel]

I think the main culprit is usually the fact that the shorter swing means less time to square the club if you have flaws that require extra effort to undo during the swing. Those can be excessive opening of the face in the backswing, improper wrist hinging, path issues (coming from the outside) or as is often the case, a combination all the above. Video of your swing would be needed to say anything for sure. 

Edited July 27, 2022 by Valtiel

[Honeybadger]

3 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

I think the main culprit is usually the fact that the shorter swing means less time to square the club if you have flaws that require extra effort to undo during the swing. Those can be excessive opening of the face in the backswing, improper wrist hinging, path issues (coming from the outside) or as is often the case, a combination all the above. Video of your swing would be needed to say anything for sure. 

I’ll post a video if they don’t go away. But I think my main culprit is OTT path- when I don’t hit it off the hosel, I hit everything left. 

[Valtiel]

1 minute ago, Honeybadger said:

I’ll post a video if they don’t go away. But I think my main culprit is OTT path- when I don’t hit it off the hosel, I hit everything left. 

That would make sense as coming over the top and getting your path left requires extra shutting of the clubface from where it started. Should you start at what we'll call "neutral" from a face alignment standpoint but then your path ends up coming over the top let's say 5*, then you need to get your face around 3-4* MORE shut than it was at address which produces a small fade (face closed to the target but open slightly to the path). When you fully square to the path you get the dead left pull, and when you get a little tired/lazy and actually return the club square (like it was at address) then you're massively open which starts to expose the hosel more and more. Correcting the path removes the need to manipulate the face as much which in turn reduces the rockets of hosel origin. 😅

[Honeybadger]

13 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

That would make sense as coming over the top and getting your path left requires extra shutting of the clubface from where it started. Should you start at what we'll call "neutral" from a face alignment standpoint but then your path ends up coming over the top let's say 5*, then you need to get your face around 3-4* MORE shut than it was at address which produces a small fade (face closed to the target but open slightly to the path). When you fully square to the path you get the dead left pull, and when you get a little tired/lazy and actually return the club square (like it was at address) then you're massively open which starts to expose the hosel more and more. Correcting the path removes the need to manipulate the face as much which in turn reduces the rockets of hosel origin. 😅

Asked and ANSWERED!!!

[llewol007]

I been told it is because you are coming in too steep. Even though you are covering the ball, you still have to make your hands come in low and not over the top of it.

[dubbelbogey]

I can't tell you why this is the case, but can say it does seem to happen more in the wedges than with other clubs (at least for me this is the case.)

 

That said, I tend to avoid analyzing this too much for "root causes" as that can lead to rabbit holes best left unexplored. Instead, I put a bit of dry erase marker on a bunch of range/practice balls, and simply try to get that marker spot to transfer onto the correct part of the clubface - or even exaggerate a bit towards the toe of the club. (Or, if you prefer, you can use foot powder spray on the club face to show impact location. I just find a marker to be a bit more convenient.)

 

In other words, I focus on giving myself an anti-shank task, rather than analyze particular mechanics to try to "fix". Trying to actively move that spot through a bit of visual feedback seems better to me than simply thinking to myself "don't shank this one".

[Honeybadger]

17 hours ago, Valtiel said:

That would make sense as coming over the top and getting your path left requires extra shutting of the clubface from where it started. Should you start at what we'll call "neutral" from a face alignment standpoint but then your path ends up coming over the top let's say 5*, then you need to get your face around 3-4* MORE shut than it was at address which produces a small fade (face closed to the target but open slightly to the path). When you fully square to the path you get the dead left pull, and when you get a little tired/lazy and actually return the club square (like it was at address) then you're massively open which starts to expose the hosel more and more. Correcting the path removes the need to manipulate the face as much which in turn reduces the rockets of hosel origin. 😅

I had my son video me- my takeaway was armsy resulting in OTT transition. Fixed it by concentrating on shoulder turn on the takeaway and whipping my hips through with quiet arms which fixes my path problem and the transition problem. Ultimately, I think I get armsy with my wedges and don’t engage my lower body enough- which are my main swim thoughts with my longer clubs. 

[Krt22]

18 hours ago, Valtiel said:

I think the main culprit is usually the fact that the shorter swing means less time to square the club if you have flaws that require extra effort to undo during the swing. Those can be excessive opening of the face in the backswing, improper wrist hinging, path issues (coming from the outside) or as is often the case, a combination all the above. Video of your swing would be needed to say anything for sure. 

And since it's a shorter club, its by default a steeper swing plane. If you are already a steep swinger, wedges can get get problematically steep.

[Valtiel]

2 hours ago, Honeybadger said:

I had my son video me- my takeaway was armsy resulting in OTT transition. Fixed it by concentrating on shoulder turn on the takeaway and whipping my hips through with quiet arms which fixes my path problem and the transition problem. Ultimately, I think I get armsy with my wedges and don’t engage my lower body enough- which are my main swim thoughts with my longer clubs. 

That is a very easy thing to do with wedges (too armsy, not enough body) which is why this is always a part of my initial range session:
 

 

[polski]

Brian Manzella has a very interesting take on the cause of shanking that I have not heard many instructor talk about. He describes it as lagging the hosel rather than the sweet spot of the club. Plenty of videos out there of him explaining it. Here is one of them. Hope it helps!

 

 

Edited July 30, 2022 by polski

[dblinden]

Three minute fix you can do at home. Get a piece of 2"x4" or a cardboard box that golf clubs are shipped in. Place just a couple inches outside the ball and parallel to target line. Easier to use some plastic golf balls and start just chipping and then progress to longer swings. Without any theorizing required, your brain will fix the issue almost immediately. And no YouTube videos to memorize!