"The Shanks" are like the Flu. No one wants to get it. They are both horrible, debilitating diseases that make you feel really bad. But, looking on the bright side, they both do eventually go away. The Flu runs its course and most people feel much better in less than two weeks. The shanks, on the other hand can be here and gone in a matter of minutes or can last for.....well I don't know yet. I am going on four straight weeks of shanking the ball and I am hopeful that the end is near.
Let me first give you some perspective of me. I am not the "pro" who is here to give
you tips galore about this ailment, I am just an average weekend golfer who would
like to help any golfer to keep it all in perspective. I have been playing for around
10 years and I would say that my average round is around 90, with a low score last
year of a 79 and the year before that I couldn't break 100. So you can see how
consistent I really am.
you tips galore about this ailment, I am just an average weekend golfer who would
like to help any golfer to keep it all in perspective. I have been playing for around
10 years and I would say that my average round is around 90, with a low score last
year of a 79 and the year before that I couldn't break 100. So you can see how
consistent I really am.
I have never really had the before. The strangest part of the shanks is that they
happen when you least expect it. I was hitting the ball better than I ever have in my
life only a month ago, and then it happened. While practicing at my local range, one
ball after another went dead right off the hosel of my pitching wedge. Then it crept
up in my bag until all my irons were infected. The woods seem OK, but those irons
are lost. I honestly feel like I just picked up the game for the first time. My mind
seems defeated. Golf itself has it in its nature to be a frustrating game, but no one
really knows frustration until you have the shanks. Although slicing the ball does
come close to that frustration, at least the ball still travels relatively far and
resembles a golf shot. The frustration can really make you give up the game
entirely, but as the saying goes "Quitters Never Win and Winners Never Quit". My
mind is calmer now since it has been so long. My buddy who hits balls with me
occasionally can't hold back from laughing. When he laughs he isn't making fun of
me, it is just that bad to watch. When he laughs, it breaks the tension a bit and I
laugh with him. This helps me to realize that it is just a game and droughts come
and go.
happen when you least expect it. I was hitting the ball better than I ever have in my
life only a month ago, and then it happened. While practicing at my local range, one
ball after another went dead right off the hosel of my pitching wedge. Then it crept
up in my bag until all my irons were infected. The woods seem OK, but those irons
are lost. I honestly feel like I just picked up the game for the first time. My mind
seems defeated. Golf itself has it in its nature to be a frustrating game, but no one
really knows frustration until you have the shanks. Although slicing the ball does
come close to that frustration, at least the ball still travels relatively far and
resembles a golf shot. The frustration can really make you give up the game
entirely, but as the saying goes "Quitters Never Win and Winners Never Quit". My
mind is calmer now since it has been so long. My buddy who hits balls with me
occasionally can't hold back from laughing. When he laughs he isn't making fun of
me, it is just that bad to watch. When he laughs, it breaks the tension a bit and I
laugh with him. This helps me to realize that it is just a game and droughts come
and go.
The golf swing is a puzzle and we all know that some puzzles are more easily
solved than others. When any golfer is playing well, their mind is usually
thoughtless. If any thoughts are present it will usually be the thought of just hitting
the ball or possibly one thing to focus on. The truly incredible piece of the puzzle is
how to get back to that thoughtless feeling. When we are not hitting the ball the
way we would like to, either by shanking the ball or any other problem, we tend to
think too much. Our minds (and friends) tell us to try so many things: get closer to
the ball, keep your arms closer to your body, don't let your left arm bend, play the
ball forward in your stance, close the club face, turn your hips more and about a
hundred other tips that don't seem to work at the time. Enough of all the "do this,
do that..." The real cure, I think, is to get back to that thoughtless feeling. The
reason I say this is because I keep calling it thoughtless, it really isn't thoughtless at
all. It may feel that way, but it is much more than that. That feeling is the complete
focus of your mind and body working together in confidence that nothing can seem
to break. If you need to focus on anything, focus on confidence and emotion rather
than the perfect swing. Keep those minds clear and positive and away you go.
solved than others. When any golfer is playing well, their mind is usually
thoughtless. If any thoughts are present it will usually be the thought of just hitting
the ball or possibly one thing to focus on. The truly incredible piece of the puzzle is
how to get back to that thoughtless feeling. When we are not hitting the ball the
way we would like to, either by shanking the ball or any other problem, we tend to
think too much. Our minds (and friends) tell us to try so many things: get closer to
the ball, keep your arms closer to your body, don't let your left arm bend, play the
ball forward in your stance, close the club face, turn your hips more and about a
hundred other tips that don't seem to work at the time. Enough of all the "do this,
do that..." The real cure, I think, is to get back to that thoughtless feeling. The
reason I say this is because I keep calling it thoughtless, it really isn't thoughtless at
all. It may feel that way, but it is much more than that. That feeling is the complete
focus of your mind and body working together in confidence that nothing can seem
to break. If you need to focus on anything, focus on confidence and emotion rather
than the perfect swing. Keep those minds clear and positive and away you go.
Good luck!
