Given up the game - can I return?

[JV24601]

Ok so this is the situation.

I'm off 10 handicap and I've been playing golf for only 4 years (32 years old).
Started on 27 handicap.

Encountered the shanks 4 times during my 4 years, with the last time being the straw that broke the camels back and I've not played since.
Everybody told me I'd be off single figures in no time and I'd often play off single figures when I was in a rich vein of form and always expected a level par round (it was well within my capability but i only managed a 5 over at best).

Had lessons with several professionals and always seen a quick fix but it hasn't remained.

I've never been good on the practice range despite wanting to practice to improve but I'm awful on it.

What do people recommend if I make a return?
I really want to but I can't take any more frustration and I feel I need a swing unique to me and one that is shank proof!!

Answers on a postcard please!

 

[JV24601]

Just to add, I've re-read that and it may sound like I've got ideas above my station but it's not the case.
I love it when I play to my handicap but I never do. It's literally a glorious round or when it's bad a 100+ round. And when it's the shanks I simply can't complete a round and I have them for weeks.

Imagine a desperate situation (golf wise) and multiply it by 10. That's where I'm at!
But i love the sport!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

A good teaching pro should have been able to give you a reason for the shanks and a drill or fix. You could then have worked on this at the range and if not eradicate them completely (even tour pros have been known to hit them) then at least minimise the chances of one popping up.

Get back into it. Couple of refresher lessons (maybe mention the shanking history) and a couple of range buckets and then you're hot to trot and get out and play. Have no expectations, have fun and see if the bug strikes again

 

[JV24601]

A good teaching pro should have been able to give you a reason for the shanks and a drill or fix. You could then have worked on this at the range and if not eradicate them completely (even tour pros have been known to hit them) then at least minimise the chances of one popping up.

Get back into it. Couple of refresher lessons (maybe mention the shanking history) and a couple of range buckets and then you're hot to trot and get out and play. Have no expectations, have fun and see if the bug strikes again

Even when playing at my best I couldn't practice at the range. After 10 balls I'd be awful and couldn't hit any more decent ones.

I'm beginning to think it's all in my head... including the shanks.

All 4 pro's I've been to see have excellent reputations and I've been happy with them, but my same problem has come back within a few weeks.

 

[the_coach]

couple things maybes to think over.

the lessons with the different teachers you had, what did you ask them? what did they ask you?
what was the plan going forwards? what did you take away from each teacher, what was the reason for 4 different Pro's, over what kinda time period?

when you used to go to practice - what did you do from the get go on arrival? what did you want to leave having achieved? what was the practice plan for the time you spent on the range?

 

[JV24601]

couple things maybes to think over.

the lessons with the different teachers you had, what did you ask them? what did they ask you?
what was the plan going forwards? what did you take away from each teacher, what was the reason for 4 different Pro's, over what kinda time period?

when you used to go to practice - what did you do from the get go on arrival? what did you want to leave having achieved? what was the practice plan for the time you spent on the range?

Thanks coach. Answers as follows:

Never asked them anything - just presented and explained my problems.

They never asked me anything - just a bit about where my bad ones go.

No plan going forwards apart from one who said it would take a year to change my swing positively. That's despite me getting from 27-10 in 4 years and playing to single figures.

4 coaches in 4 years due to me getting the shanks back each time and me thinking I'll try someone else. I do believe there will be someone out there who will be a perfect fit for me but nice just not found them yet.

Practice I tend to start well with wedges, just picking up a small target each time trying to repeat the swing mechanics from previous lesson and intended ball flight. I then work up the clubs to 5 iron but 9 times out of 10 it'll go wrong after 10 minutes on the range.
I always wanted to leave without hitting any awful shots repeatedly and it never happens!

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Everyone has a point where they will plateau & further improvement is difficult.It is a different point for everyone, but the remedy is the same.

You have to work on it, and that means LOTS of work, it won't just happen and it doesn't matter what pro you use, if you don't put their drills and suggestions into practice then simply you are piddling into the wind.

Practice, practice and then practise some more, there is no magic wand.

But you must still enjoy the game or there is no point
I play off 19, last week I played to 13, yesterday I played to 26 in nasty weather
But I'd rather have a bad day on the course than a good day at work

Good luck

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

I doubt that you will find a coach with a magic wand, you have probably been given perfectly sound advice by all 4 previous coaches, after all your hitting the shank not them. I know your frustration as at my best I can shank everything from a driver to a putter, and it too has caused me to give up. Now I am almost twice your age so have lived with the shanks for a long time and in my view if your prone to hitting one then that's your lot in your golfing life.

That said I have finally managed to re-evaluate exactly why it is I play golf, it's not to put bread on the table it should be for ENJOYMENT, playing with friends, being in great countryside and generally getting away from life's stresses and strains.

I still need the odd lesson to correct ingrained faults but know when I shank one I simply walk over to the ball and play the next shot (if it's still on the course).

So my advice to you is listen to your pro, practice what he says and try to enjoy what your doing, hopefully the shanks will stay away.

I hope you get back to playing well and enjoy doing it. Good luck

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Sorry to be so blunt but if you can't manage more than 10 balls at the range before losing interest then I don't think golf is the right game for you.

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

Sorry to be so blunt but if you can't manage more than 10 balls at the range before losing interest then I don't think golf is the right game for you.

That's not fair on the guy, he doesn't say he loses interest more that his shots start getting worse ( I assume shanking them) I know how he feels there as many a time I have left halfway through a bucket of range balls as the old J Arthur's have turned up.

 

[ScienceBoy]

I think you are a similar golfer to Homer and myself, I got to 11 within 4 years (took the game up properly in 2010) starting off 17, so a very similar story. I too should have made single figures had life (and redundancy) not got in the way.

Different though is I view lessons as "coaching", I can swing well enough or I didnt get down to 11, I needed the coaching to fine tune my game. I took a lot of lessons in 2012, resulting in me winning a scratch comp!

I also love hitting the range, preferring grassed areas but will take open bays where possible.

If you change your view of both the range and lessons, while also changing how you spend your time there, you might first rediscover some fun (don't beat yourself up while on a range!) and you might get more out of lessons.

Book a series of lessons, invest in your golf, get consecutive lessons on the same thing rather than one putting, one short game, one wedges, one irons, one woods and one driver... That approach is great for quick fixes but I highly doubt that is what you need!

Try mayeb getting 3x chipping and pitching, and 3 x irons (PW-hybrid). Leave the woods out unless you have a lesson spare at the end. I say these as this is what I chose, these are the foundations of a good score for me as I play to my "three goals method" game plan. I can get by with my woods as often a good iron swing can improve wood swings even without a lesson on woods! That certainly happened to me!

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Even when playing at my best I couldn't practice at the range.

That's not fair on the guy, he doesn't say he loses interest more that his shots start getting worse ( I assume shanking them) I know how he feels there as many a time I have left halfway through a bucket of range balls as the old J Arthur's have turned up.

I think it is fair. I've been playing this game for over 40 years, everyone knows it's all about good spells and bad spells. When it isn't going right you have to find a way through it and if there is no dedication or willpower then it ain't gonna happen.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

As D4S..........how can you say you love the game when you cannot practice, that makes no sense whatsoever.

I would imagine that you have a lot of natural talent and your golfing friends have 'bigged' you up.
No matter how much natural talent you have you still need a basic technique.

Start counting the number of really good shots you hit rather than the score for the hole.
That will give you a better guide to where you stand.

 

[need_my_wedge]

Everyone has a point where they will plateau & further improvement is difficult.It is a different point for everyone, but the remedy is the same.

You have to work on it, and that means LOTS of work, it won't just happen and it doesn't matter what pro you use, if you don't put their drills and suggestions into practice then simply you are piddling into the wind.

Practice, practice and then practise some more, there is no magic wand.

But you must still enjoy the game or there is no point
I play off 19, last week I played to 13, yesterday I played to 26 in nasty weather
But I'd rather have a bad day on the course than a good day at work

Good luck

A pretty good synopsis from Fragger.....

It doesn't matter what sport you play, how much natural ability you have, there will always be walls to hit. The only way to knock through them or climb over them is practice. All the pro's you went to see did have a magic wand - they would have given you something to do in the swing, but if you didn't practice it, it will make not a jot of difference. You'll need to persevere on the range or practice ground, when it goes wrong, step back for 5 minutes, think back on what the pro said, go back to a 3/4 swing instead of trying to leather it, there are many ways to get it back - even the pro's like McIlroy et al will spend hours on the range in order to correct something that. You need to find a practice routine that works for you, and stick with it, along with a pro to help. I go to the range with ideas of what I'm going to do but have the attention span of a goldfish, it's not that it goes wrong so much - there will always be bad shots on the range, but, that I just lose concentration, I'm sure I have attention deficit or something similar.

On the golf front, I'm not very good, and I get frustrated as hell when it goes wrong during a comp, especially when I played 5 or 6 under handicap the day before, but I love it and keep coming back for more. This is something I learnt from my Aikido practice - something I've been doing for 24 years, something that was equally as frustrating in the beginning, but practice - a lot of it, much of which consisted of me doing it wrong many times is the only way to improve. I've hit many walls and got through them, I now run my own club and have to help others overcome the same problems I experienced, but I also have to keep practising to improve and maintain my own ability.

Don't expect to find an overnight fix, just keep working, and it will come good.

 

[bobmac]

If you can get a video of your swing on the range or preferably on a course then upload it onto you tube, you can then put a link on here and we could help.
At least that way, you will know what causes the shanks and how to fix them

 

[jamielaing]

When the shanks come along for me I sit back into my stance. It has always worked for me as a quick fix. Not suggesting this is the answer to all your problems but may just be something that helps.

 

[Ando2600]

No such thing as the shanks just like no such thing as the yips - there is such a thing as bad shots caused by a bad mental approach though. Try not trying too hard and not caring too much, usually works for me

 

[Deleted member 1147]

No such thing as the shanks just like no such thing as the yips - there is such a thing as bad shots caused by a bad mental approach though. Try not trying too hard and not caring too much, usually works for me

Of course there is such thing as a shank - it's when you hit the ball from the shank of the club - hence the name "shank"!

 

[JV24601]

Thank you all for your comments.

D4S and others who are potentially thinking I have ideas above my station and want it all without trying - this really isn't the case but that's maybe my fault and is down to the way I've explained the situation.
Do you think though that I'd bother to come on here and explain the situation if I really didn't want it badly?

To confirm, I am desperate to do well and want to be the best I can. I am a model student in that I actually put the time in on the practice range. I play golf at the range or on the course most days and I've spent hours practicing before.

Firstly, I know everybody is inconsistent at all levels, but you would be stunned by my inconsistency and as I previously said, it's either fantastic or shambolic with me.

Whether I'm good or bad, a day at the practice range is like this: Go with one thought, sometimes just one club, and take my time. First few balls are fantastic and I'm in the groove. Concentration remains as good as it could be then shank... then another... then another.
I could (and have in the past) stayed there for another 2 hours trying different things, not trying, going back to basics, but the shanks are just there and never go.
That's why I can't practice. Nothing to do with a lack of will or effort, or boredom.

I think Ando has hit the nail on the head. It's a mental thing. But this time I just feel like I can't do anything else.

I am doing all this, yet have had several 5 overs and has a ridiculous eclectic score. So I have the ability, but the shanks just keep coming and are murdering me.
I would get no enjoyment from the game with the shanks, despite the lovely setting, company, fresh air, etc.

I guess I'm pretty lost about the whole situation and don't want to post a video of my swing as that'll be more analysis and swing thoughts, when I've already had them off 4 different professionals.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Regarding your ability and commitment, from what you typed in your first couple of posts on this thread, it suggests that after 10 shots and a couple of bad ones, you lose interest.

We have all been on the range and hit it like a dog but the difference is, we worked through it. I hope you sort out your issues and fall back inlove with the game but it sounds like it's going to be a long, painful process and you have to realise that and be prepared for it.

The shanks are a technical issue, find a decent pro that you feel comfortable with and work through the issue with him. Chopping and changing isn't going to help and be prepared to make changes as advised.

Have you actually stopped to think through what is going wrong? You say the first few are great then it goes pear shaped, what are you doing differently? I hate to give advice without seeing a swing but I do know that one common cause for a shank is getting ahead of the ball and the clubface doesn't close/catch up in time leading to contact with the hosel. This is symptomatic of trying to hit the ball too hard. Maybe you hit a few with decent rythmm then start trying to hit the ball harder as you get warmed up? I don't know, just a possible suggestion.

Good luck sorting it out :thup: