Pros Don't Shank
If there is one thing unites all my students it's that everyone loves it when I make a mess of things: I often turn around to see the entire group laughing their heads off with delight. That says a lot about you guys and you should be ashamed!
Don't worry, I can take it.
I used to pre-frame playing lessons by telling the student that they are "about to witness me play some impressive shots and a lot of very ordinary, sometimes awful shots. Good golf is not dramatic".
I actually really don't mind the public humiliation. These moments often offer insight into pro golf. In the case of this video, it was a genuine shank on what was a really simple half swing lay up.
So what are the insights?
- I can only imagine that the shank occurred through a complete lack of respect for the shot. I was taking a super conservative strategy and chose a simple layup. I just didn't give it enough respect to focus on what I was doing. I see this happen time and again in club golf. We switch off on standard, simple shots and these are the ones that get us in trouble.
This is what your pre-shot routine is for; to get you fully immersed in EVERY shot.
- Because of my strategy, it didn't affect my next shot in any way and in fact, I chipped it to 6 ft. I'm not saying that we should play for a shank but big targets allow for big errors.
That's my story and I am sticking to it.
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