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Hey guys. I am(or was) a low handicap player. I was going to tryout for the college team this spring however a shank started to creep into my game about a month ago. I guess i went into fix-it mode and read many different "solutions" for the shank. My shank is now coming up very often. If i dont shank, I pull-hook terribly. This quite depressing. This mainly is with wedges and short irons. I hit my driver fine, my misses just being small pulls. I cant really afford lessons and dont have a video camera so I guess i was hoping for some help, as individualized as possible. Thanks Alot.

Well before this post gets cluttered with a thousand people trying to help...Let me just say that a shank obviously gets "in your head" and its tough to get rid of...the reason people shank is because your body is swaying and moving all over the ball.....Just take out a wedge and put your feet together...Hit about 25 half swing shots with your feet together and just hit nice solid little half wedges....Then hit about 25 shots full swing with your feet still together.....Just keep a nice balance throughout your body and you'll be fine.....The pull issue is a separate issue...

Shank----What he said---For Pull work on your swing plane especially takeaway up to hip high.

Most of the shanks were caused by open club face at impact.
You have no problem for driver and only wedge and short irons had the shanks.
Your swing plan might be a bit flat, which in itself is fine. I'm guessing ( without a video ) you're either coming in from way inside or swing plan was flat, or both.
Try to do a slow motion on your down swing to figure out why the club face is open at impact.

Actually an equal amount of shanks come from TOO CLOSED a clubface and based on his shot pattern I'd have to say he's shutting the face down TOO MUCH.

A Pull Hook is caused by a closed clubface and an inside to out swing path. Do those two things too much and you'll shank it.

Kind of difficult to pin point the problem since there is no video on the swing.
Not disgreeing with your obsevation there but if I need to take a wild guess, his problem most likely was cause by (1) closed stance (2) inside to out down swing because of the alignment .
You were correct as the pull hooks might be caused by too much of the inside to out swing path.
all might just be the alignment problem here.

What helps me not pull it is before i swing the club i say to myself "you know what to do, so do it right."

becasue i and im sure you do to understand the golf swing. and what you must do for the ball to go straight. I also try to finish straight up after impact. Follow the club up the line as long as you can. Or as Tiger Woods says it, keep the emblem of his glove facing the target as long as possible.