Tell me what causes a golfer to hit the ball on the hossel instead of the sweet spot?

Question

The mechanics of the golf swing

Answer 1

The player is not on the same swing plane on his downswing as he had on his backswing. Somehow, the plane widens so that his hands are closer to the ball at impact than they were on the takeaway. Any number of factors could cause the " hossel" hit like posture change, reaching for the ball, swaying, or hitting from  the back foot due to a reverse pivot.

Answer 2

The honest answer??????   Poor swing mechanics.......Lessons and practice will cure the swing flaws.  Not much else will.

Answer 3

This is known as the "Shank" shot.  Googie is correct in his statement.  I would add that a shank is normally caused by too steep an angle at the ball while leaving the face open, thus you are leading the swing with the hosel.  I said normally remember....

Answer 4

You are standing too close to the ball.