Two weeks ago I was fighting off the shanks. Then I played consistent, but not stellar golf in the Salt Lake Am with a 77, 78. I shot about 7-8 rounds in a row in the 70’s. Then I had a shank relapse. Funny thing was I went birdie, shank-double, birdie. That is insane. Next round I started shanking again and shot a humiliating 82.
No power
I’ve lost 20 yards off the tee this year. My normally long driver is not long. Now I’m the short hitter in my group and I used to be the bomber. I’ve lost yards with my irons as well. I’m a good club shorter than I’ve been for the last 10 years.
Colonel Klank
When I look at the ball marks on my driver face, they’re all over the map. They’re inside, toe, high, low… Something is changing my position. My irons are almost all shanks and seldom do I feel that compression I used to feel almost every shot. My normal deadly wedges are short right.
Fading away
I used to be a draw or straight ball hitter. Seldom do I draw the ball anymore. They’re all fades. Weak sister fades to be exact.
Just don’t know
I’m unsure about ball position. I’m not sure if I’m taking the club back properly. I have poor concentration. My shoulders don’t seem to be aligned right, nor do my feet.
One good thing
My putter is freakin’ incredible right now. Unfortunately I’m draining bombs to save par or bogey. If I could hit some damn greens in regulation I’d be making a ton of birdies.
Time for a break
I’ve been playing golf a lot lately. My game has not improved and has actually gotten worse. I’ve burned myself out, and beaten my golfer’s elbow up so bad I’m in a ton of pain. Time for a break.
Why?
I have some theories as to why my game is such a mess right now. The two primary ones are somewhat related. I suspect I’m not able to concentrate because of things happening in my world outside of golf.
I also suspect that my losing about 24 pounds in the last couple of months could be causing my power loss and making my swing more wild. How could it make it wild? I’m much more flexible.
Swing rebuilding
When I come back from my break, which could be a few days, a week or who knows… I plan on enlisting my PGA Pro. I’m going to start from the ground up and rebuild my swing.
HOGWire – Golf Industry News
A break is always a good idea when you’re feeling a little burned out. A buddy of mine told me that basically after too much golf your muscle memory stops ‘remembering’ and you do more harm than good by just continuing to play. Take a break, gather your thoughts, and play your game. Odds are you’ll become a better player through it.
Here is a sure way of getting those 20 yards back on your drive. Mark a spot 20 yards behind the tee and after you hit your drive, run back to the spot.
While on your break I’d recommend you pick up Jimmy Roberts’ book Breaking the Slump. It’s a quick read and has some good insight into how the pros have managed during these times that we’re all inevitably going to face at some point in our battle with this crazy game.