Ever had one of these rounds?

[JeffG]

SIGH! Warning, long post ahead!

One of those thats makes you ponder about why you even practice?? Or why you just spent gobs of money on new equipment??

Well, i've been playing with my irons only (new driver being delivered tomorrow). So its been good for me anyway, been playing decent with them. On Sat. I shot 46 front (missed WAY too many putts) and 41 back with my irons.

So yesterday, my course is usually pretty bare on the weekdays 5:30 pm and on. I love to go out there at those times by myself and its usually just me and maybe 3-4 other people on the whole course. So I have plenty of time to take a few extra shots, practice around the greens everynow and then, etc.

Well, my new set of irons came 4-GW so I've been teeing off w/ the 4. #1, right down the pipe...in the sweet spot...beautiful. 2nd shot (145 out), 9-iron about 15 feet from pin. Tap-in par. I was thinking its gonna be a great relaxing day of golf! #2 par 5 - Great teeshot again, 4-iron...high ball flight...hit it completely square...a little draw, right where I was aiming. 2nd shot, was just gonna hit it around the dogleg to set up ~100 yard approach, easy shot. Great lie...all the confidence in the world...smooth backswing...and...I @#$*%ing SHANK the ball!!

Initial reaction was shock...I haven't shanked one (on the course, done it a few times a few months back at the range trying some weird things) in a LONG time...like years. So I was like "WHOA...what in the world?" Then I kinda chuckled to myself, "Oh well, i'll just hit it again...I can still get it close and save par". Next shot (still w/ 4 iron), hit it good about 40 yards from green. That was kind of an odd distance for me...didn't know how hard to hit the SW, so I would up going over...then a terrible chip...anyway doubled that hole.

I thought "Oh well, 2 over after 2...I can still make a good round out of this." #3, short par 4. Tee it up...still alot of confidence in my 4-iron tee shots. Smooth backswing...and ANOTHER shank. Off the right about 75 yards. This time I'm like "Okay...dubya tee eff...is going on...". Luckily the lady's scramble group is far enough ahead of me they aren't watching this debacle. I wind up bogeying that hole after another pitiful approach shot.

#4 - 155 yard par 3. 9-iron to about 6-7 feet from pin. Of course I miss the putt...still a par. Still wondering whats going on with my random shanks.

#5 - 430 yard par 4. 4-iron tee shot...perfect like earlier in the round. Sweet spot, right down the pipe...little draw...middle of fairway. I'm catching up to the lady's, they're teeing off on #6 which is perpendicular to #5, so they're ahead and to the right. I'm 165 yards, middle of fairway. I love these shots. 7-iron....SHANK. It goes so close to the lady's I was considering yelling a "fore!" but I knew it was going to be short. Still I ducked behind the cart and grabbed another ball. By this time I was furious. Nobody was even 4 holes behind me, so I sat there and hit like 8 balls. No more shanks, but pull/hooks...couple decent ones...finally one on the FAR side of the green.

#6 - Long par 5. Forgetting about score, just trying to figure out my problem. 4-iron tee off...yep...a shank. Tee off again, pull/hook OB. I knew if I proceeded I'd wind up breaking something. So i just picked up and headed to the house.

I'm not going on the course again until I hit a bucket of balls at the range (even though I have to drive 30 miles to the nearest driving range...). I'm confident i'll be able to work it out. But rounds like that really damage my confidence in my ball-striking (obviously!). I know i'm not going to play well all of the time, but hell...I should at least be making decent contact with the ball for as long as I've been playing!

Thank God I was the only one playing!

K, just had to get that off my chest!

[BritBoy]

Ever had one of these rounds? ya pretty much annually LMAO

[iacas]

They say shanks come in groups of three, so the fourth is actually just the start of the next three.

I've had rounds like that, but not so much lately since I've been focusing on being more consistent. When my swing was super flat, it was far less consistent.

[lamebums]

One good shank deserves another.

I did that with my 4 iron yesterday, sending a hosel rocket into some serious cabbage. (The kind of cabbage where you concede that your ball is lost before even attempting to find it).

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

Sounds like you've got a case of the laterals...

I think most of us have had a round like this before. A couple years ago I went through a stage where I S----ed some pitch shots from the fairway. Longer than chips but shorter than full wedge shots were giving me fits. Found out I wasn't turning at all, just swinging my arms at it. Way back in high school I was longer and flatter with my swing and got a case of the shanks before. Sounds like you hit some good shots too. Work it out, nobody ever said golf was easy

[lamebums]

I had a bad case of the shanks when I changed my grip... actually, it was because the pro was telling me how to grip the club. I began hitting hosel rockets on every shot...it got so bad that the pro put a cardboard box about an inch in front of the ball. I was afraid of hitting the box, I suppose, so I hit the ball squarely again. Ever since then, if I hit a hosel rocket, I'll imagine there's a box in front of the ball...and catch it off the toe next time.

[Clubswinger21]

Actually, I had the whole Kevin Costner/tin cup thing going on for awhile. I had been using a set of Genex 3dx irons which i bought 2 months earlier. Id been golfing for about a 2 years. I had just shortened my swing and was hitting my irons the distances I wanted. One round I just started hitting shanks with every iron in my bag. I didnt know why, I went to the local course and used their practice net. Shank after shank. This went on for a week, untill I realized I was heeling everything with my driver aswell. Eventually it kind of dawned on me, that i was extending my arms and hands too far from my body which was causing me to heel/hosel every club.. instead of just taking my normal grip and set up to the ball. (letting my arms hang naturally and gripping the club). Needless to say I hit a shank a couple months ago, with a pitching wedge? to my defense it was the 1st time I had used the set of irons and I took them straight to the course. Other than that, im shank free.

[cdriver]

God help me, I have battled the random laterals off and on for about a year. Mine occur at random in the middle of a good round usually with a long to mid iron from a perfectly good, flat lie in the fairway. That only seems to make my shock and awe all the more acute. Fortunately, I will sometimes go a week of more without hitting one, then I may hit three in a round. Very weird. I think turning your cap around backwards and putting all your change in one pocket is as effective as anything I have see for curing them. After all, Roy McAvoy is my hero.

[CG031]

yea about 4 weeks ago i shot a 53..then last week in my first high school match ever (im a freshman) i shot a 50..pressure really got to me.

pissed me off tho.

[JeffG]

Thanks for the responses! Its great to know i'm not the only one who has a random case of the "S****s"!

I'm playing today, and hoping they'll be gone.

[$2 Nassau]

Oh sure, I had a little case of the shanks earlier this season that almost led to me having a mental breakdown. Not to mention throwing my clubs in a pond.

[Toad]

Well its not the shanks...but...

Yesterday...standing on 18...I am 4 over for the round...pretty damn good for me. 18 is a slight dog left 380yds with a creek along the left side. I hit my 4w off the tee...manage to pull it a wee bit and it rolls into the creek. Re-tee...hitting 3 snap hook into the creek. Re-tee hitting 5...a bigger hook over the creek OB.

I want my mommy....