Maninblack4612
Tour Winner
Anyone who knows me is aware of my shanking problem. It can go away for a week or two then return with a vengeance. Then the anxiety takes over & I can't stand over a shot without thinking about it. Last year on holiday my daughter persuaded me to take her for a game of pitch & putt in the park at Ambleside. All went well until the 3rd, when I shanked one onto the tennis court. Fortunately no one was playing tennis at the time but I had to walk round two sides of the court to get in through the gate & retrieve the ball. I teed it up again & did a repeat of the previous shot. I had to do the walk of shame again to the resounding laughter of aforesaid daughter, who thought the whole thing was hilarious.
On the next hole we turned 90° left & I negotiated that one OK. Then another 90° turn & we were playing a hole with a boundary wall down the right hand side, with cars parked next to it. The first shot cleared the wall but fortunately missed the cars. By the end of the round I was a nervous wreck.
On the onset of the lockdown my kind driving range proprietor friend gifted me a net & a range mat enabling me to practise in the garden. I couldn't do this before because my shanks resulted in balls hitting the conservatory windows. So I got out my copy of Stan Utley's "Art of the Short Game". He holds the record for the lowest number of putts for 9 holes on the PGA tour, 6 in total, including a chip in & two holed bunker shots.
Utley says that, for medium & short pitches, the main mover of the club should be the pivot. He says the wrist should break but that the grip end of the club shouldn't move too far at all. He says that, at impact there should be no lag & that the wrists should fully uncock, with the clubhead passing the hands. This uses the bounce of the club & that, even if the strike isn't perfect, the bounce of the club will ensure a good impact. He also mentioned that, if the wrists aren't fully uncocked, you can get a shot which flies right off a severely open face, which looks very like a shank. This really struck a chord with me & I think it explains a lot, but not all, of the dreaded shots. The feeling is quite weird but the method works. I still get the odd wrong 'un but it's invariably caused by not releasing the wrists, reverting to the old swing.
Utley's method for the chip is basically the same, square stance, square face. Same pivot but maintain the wrist cock & keep the hands ahead of the ball at impact & beyond. This seems to work too.
The test will be whether this works under pressure but I think I'll feel more confident at least. Well see once golf gets the go ahead. Unfortunately, next month's holiday is cancelled but I'm optimistic of being able to play a decent round of pitch & putt next time we go away.
On the next hole we turned 90° left & I negotiated that one OK. Then another 90° turn & we were playing a hole with a boundary wall down the right hand side, with cars parked next to it. The first shot cleared the wall but fortunately missed the cars. By the end of the round I was a nervous wreck.
On the onset of the lockdown my kind driving range proprietor friend gifted me a net & a range mat enabling me to practise in the garden. I couldn't do this before because my shanks resulted in balls hitting the conservatory windows. So I got out my copy of Stan Utley's "Art of the Short Game". He holds the record for the lowest number of putts for 9 holes on the PGA tour, 6 in total, including a chip in & two holed bunker shots.
Utley says that, for medium & short pitches, the main mover of the club should be the pivot. He says the wrist should break but that the grip end of the club shouldn't move too far at all. He says that, at impact there should be no lag & that the wrists should fully uncock, with the clubhead passing the hands. This uses the bounce of the club & that, even if the strike isn't perfect, the bounce of the club will ensure a good impact. He also mentioned that, if the wrists aren't fully uncocked, you can get a shot which flies right off a severely open face, which looks very like a shank. This really struck a chord with me & I think it explains a lot, but not all, of the dreaded shots. The feeling is quite weird but the method works. I still get the odd wrong 'un but it's invariably caused by not releasing the wrists, reverting to the old swing.
Utley's method for the chip is basically the same, square stance, square face. Same pivot but maintain the wrist cock & keep the hands ahead of the ball at impact & beyond. This seems to work too.
The test will be whether this works under pressure but I think I'll feel more confident at least. Well see once golf gets the go ahead. Unfortunately, next month's holiday is cancelled but I'm optimistic of being able to play a decent round of pitch & putt next time we go away.
