How to Play Golf Short Game - Most Common Mistakes
Mizuno
Denis Pugh
PGA Master Professional
Practice Drills-Stop The 3 Most Common Mistakes
The Short Game
A little nervous about this one, we’re coming to the twilight zone so those of a nervous
disposition might want to look away. We’re going to talk about the shank. Now it’s not a
good shot to be demonstrating. Many pros won’t even look at someone who is shanking,
let alone demonstrated and if you understand how it happens you can understand how to
effect the cure.
Now from a simple set up here where everything looks good and correct what tends to go
wrong in a majority of shanks is that the clubface gets out of position with the path of the
swing. My experience usually is that part gets too far behind the player and the clubface
gets too closed. What happens from there is the player starts to hit the ball flat, hit the ball
ground first and then as a result of that tries to open up the face.
Now with this inside position here and experience of hitting the ball flat. They’re opening
up the face and then they present the hosel of the club, the shank if you like to the ball.
Now that can be played on purpose. Watch we do it here. Ouch! Now the good news is if
I can play that shot on purpose I understand the properties of that shot. I therefore
understand how to correct it.
So let’s have a look at another ball here from the same address position I should pay
much more attention to the line of my take away. Instead of the club going behind me
here I keep the club in front of it and I also make sure that the club returns back to square
so with those two thoughts in mind I have the cure for the shank, the line of my takeaway
from the release of the club but I must admit I was a little bit nervous before I hit that
shot because even though I know what happens the shot of shanking the ball in golf is the
hardest shot to recover from mentally. It’s like having the yips on the putting green.
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