I'm not making this up...

[Soloman1]

So, I went to hit a few balls at the range (which is something I rarely do) and only brought a few irons. Nice day, 66 degrees. The guy at the club in Scottsdale drives me out to the good section of the range. He knows me and knows I can play a little.

 

He sets me up next to a guy who's won maybe 15 PGA Tour and Champions Tour tournaments in his lifetime. He still hits it good enough to make healthy living every year. He ain't poor. He's next to me at my back.

 

I start to hit some short shots with a 52* wedge. I'm really stiff from playing quite a bit this week and not taking my usual boatload of Ibuprofen.

 

I'm not nervous about playing or hitting balls with anyone. I've played with lot's of good players. Hell. I played with Moe Norman.

 

I shanked the first ball.

 

Shooting par is bad day for me.

 

I shanked the next ball.

 

I haven't shanked a ball in 20 years.

 

I shanked the next 20 balls.

 

I held my back like it was hurting.

 

This is the truth. It was worse than Tin Cup.

 

I can hear him kind of laughing behind me.

 

I get serious. Enough of this nonsense.

 

I take my time, change clubs, and proceeded to shank the next dozen or two balls.

 

I hate golf. I wonder if there's a TennisWRX?

 

This is the truth. I couldn't make this up. You can  go ahead and laugh at me. I would.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 9, 2021 by Soloman1

[caniac6]

Those 20 years with no shanks caught up to you in one day. Thankfully, you were on the range instead of the course. At least you made a big impression on a big time player. He’ll never forget you!

[sailfishchris]

So what you're saying is the pressure got to you? LOL! 

I had a South African player (rhymes with peazy) tell me I stink after slicing a tee shot -He was actually consoling me LOL!

[Gsea]

No conversation between the two of you? Better you than me 🙂

[nitram]

Laughing with you Sol, not at you! 🍻

[AdExec]

Lol. This sounds like me last Sunday. Couple pga and champions tour guys were playing a practice round at my club for the outlaw tour match play championship. I played a full round with Alex Cjeka. 
 

I shanked it off the first tee, shanked a hybrid from short of the lady tees, stubbed a 7 iron back in play, stuck a 54 wedge to 6 feet and made a decent recovery with a bogey. 
 

All calm after that s*** show and buckled down to drop bombs on the old guys. 
 

unfortunately, they hit the ball right there with me all day. I got them by a max of 10 yards a couple times. They crushed me on ballstriking overall. I got beat by Alex by ~7 shots but kept a respectable round going. (He was playing multiple balls off a couple tees so hard to figure exactly what he shot but roughly 68). 
 

it was cool seeing how they prep for tournaments. Testing which clubs to hit where for position. Deciding where to take the pin on and when to lay off. Might have been the best free golf lesson I’ve ever had. 

[easyyy]

Good story. Really good. I might have asked him for a quick suggestion to break the ice. No words spoken between you two?

[cardoustie]

awesome story
 

I hit balls beside Moe once, he was awesome

 

once had a pro (Ryder Cupper one time) at Muirfield village range ask me if I was a good fly fisherman ... based on my excessive wrist action 

[TourSpoon]

I can't top that (pun intended) but feel for you. Have you recovered from that experience? 

 

The other day I saw an older guy pitching to the elevated practice green the other day with amazing technique. I asked him what club he was using and he just got into it and we really hit it off. We had some common history at a club way back when and he continued playing and held his own on some mini tour deals for a number of years. Well we go to the range and he asks me to watch him hit a ball or two and asks me what I thought and I told him that it looked like he was just ever so stuck on his right side. He was impressed and told me that he is recovering from a hamstring injury and can't quite get through the ball but that I nailed it. We talked for a bit and he worked it out and then I told him what I was working on and asked for him to take a peak. Shank, shank, shank. I am thinking that this guy listened to me talk golf swing, I nail his issue in 2 swings, but I couldn't hit a beach ball. I finally redeem myself with the next 3, but it was rough going so I can only imagine an entire bucket. I actually made a friend and we have practiced a couple of times together and he even gave me a bunker lesson the other day. You never know who you might run into on the golf course. 

 

I sincerely hope you never hit another shank again. Ever. You have paid the price! 

Edited January 9, 2021 by TourSpoon
sp

[2bGood]

Maybe put a trigger warning in the title of the post if you are going to bring up the 90 degree fades. 😉

[Hawkeye77]

I had to open this one, most seductive thread title of 2021!

 

Hilarious, love the holding your back, glad I have at least 60 more days of snow to get over reading about 30+ shanks!

 

Thank goodness you didn't run into him side by side at a men's room urinal!

Edited January 9, 2021 by Hawkeye77

[Baitkiller]

Epic

[Hawkeye77]

Triplett?

[dcfas]

23 minutes ago, 2bGood said:

Maybe put a trigger warning in the title of the post if you are going to bring up the 90 degree fades. 😉

I appreciate the fact you didn’t use the S-word. 🤫

[Soloman1]

3 hours ago, easyyy said:

Good story. Really good. I might have asked him for a quick suggestion to break the ice. No words spoken between you two?

 

Not a word. I've been around a good many tour guys in my work, so I don't bother them, unless I know them.

 

There's more to the story.

 

Y'all know that I didn't have to write this. I think most people would have never admitted it, but I thought it was so funny, and we could use some funny right about now.

 

Yes, it was Kirk Triplett. How did you know? Now, he's a nice guy from every interview I've seen with him. but I had never met him before. I'm sure he has told a few people already about the dreadful experience he had this afternoon.

 

So, picture this: He's working on his own stuff and I'm working on my shank.

 

We all know the sound of a shank. He makes pure contact, then I hit a shank. He makes pure contact, then I hit a shank. Over and over and over. I don't know how the man didn't run away screaming.

 

I want to be clear here. I did not hit 30 shanks. I hit over 100 shanks in a row. I hit so many that I decided to go with it this afternoon and see if I could perfect it.

 

I was turning more and more left toward him and shanking it at a green about 100 yards and 80 degrees to my right. I was getting pretty good at it.

 

My body was possessed today by Satan. I believe that my ex-wife from 40 years ago may have paid some Jamaican woman to put a spell on me.

 

Okay, so let's get back to no words were spoken. Imagine the expression on his face as you watched me say this:

 

"Hi Kirk, I'm ______. I just want to give you my card. I've have worked with Bryson, player A, player B, player C, LPGA tour pros A, B, C so if you ever need any help, give me call."

 

Haha.

 

You know, I've written one golf novel that was optioned for a movie once. The movie was never made (greenlit in Hollywood lingo), but I may have found a whole new premise for another book.

 

So, today was a humbling and humiliating experience that I thought I would share with my GolfWRX brothers and sisters.

 

May you never be possessed as I was.

 

 

Edited January 9, 2021 by Soloman1

[Gsea]

4 minutes ago, Soloman1 said:

You know, I've written one golf novel that was optioned for a movie once. The movie was never made (greenlit in Hollywood lingo), but I may have found a whole new premise for another book.

You opened up the can of worms, title? Need a good read up here in the snow.

[elwhippy]

We share your pain. 

[Hawkeye77]

5 hours ago, Soloman1 said:

 

Not a word. I've been around a good many tour guys in my work, so I don't bother them, unless I know them.

 

There's more to the story.

 

Y'all know that I didn't have to write this. I think most people would have never admitted it, but I thought it was so funny, and we could use some funny right about now.

 

Yes, it was Kirk Triplett. How did you know? Now, he's a nice guy from every interview I've seen with him. but I had never met him before. I'm sure he has told a few people already about the dreadful experience he had this afternoon.

 

So, picture this: He's working on his own stuff and I'm working on my shank.

 

We all know the sound of a shank. He makes pure contact, then I hit a shank. He makes pure contact, then I hit a shank. Over and over and over. I don't know how the man didn't run away screaming.

 

I want to be clear here. I did not hit 30 shanks. I hit over 100 shanks in a row. I hit so many that I decided to go with it this afternoon and see if I could perfect it.

 

I was turning more and more left toward him and shanking it at a green about 100 yards and 80 degrees to my right. I was getting pretty good at it.

 

My body was possessed today by Satan. I believe that my ex-wife from 40 years ago may have paid some Jamaican woman to put a spell on me.

 

Okay, so let's get back to no words were spoken. Imagine the expression on his face as you watched me say this:

 

"Hi Kirk, I'm ______. I just want to give you my card. I've have worked with Bryson, player A, player B, player C, LPGA tour pros A, B, C so if you ever need any help, give me call."

 

Haha.

 

You know, I've written one golf novel that was optioned for a movie once. The movie was never made (greenlit in Hollywood lingo), but I may have found a whole new premise for another book.

 

So, today was a humbling and humiliating experience that I thought I would share with my GolfWRX brothers and sisters.

 

May you never be possessed as I was.

 

 

Triplett was just a lucky guess. 
 

Darn, now 100+ shanks, I can’t get back to sleep!

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

2 hours ago, Hawkeye77 said:

Triplett was just a lucky guess. 
 

Darn, now 100+ shanks, I can’t get back to sleep!

 

I know. That's the stuff of nightmares😱

[MtlJeff]

This is why you ALWAYS take woods to the range. LOL

 

Truthfully, sometimes i'll hit a couple of those dreaded S words at the range and then will actually switch to hitting like 25 drivers in a row just to get the confidence back up

 

It's very weird , there's like some mystical thing with them. I hadn't hit one in years than hit one in the final round of our CC this year. Than did it again a few times at the range the next day. 

 

You should have at least framed someone else, like shook his hand and then said "I'm big on GolfWRX, i go by Hawkeye77"

 

 

[Soloman1]

Okay, so it's morning and I couldn't sleep. I was laughing so hard in bed about the idea of telling Kirk that I could help him with his swing if he needed it, that I had to take a sleeping pill. I could see the scene in my head and the look he would have on his face. It's like a movie.

 

It's like Dumb and Dumber meets Tin Cup.

 

Now I'm the laughing stock of the golf world. Of course, folks like Leadbetter and Manzella can't get a ball in the air either.

 

There's only one thing to do. Make a video/book on how to hit a shank on demand. The Bio-mechanical principles of a shank - slow motion video, 3D analysis, wrist angles, drills to improve your shanking method, the No Turn Shank Drill...

 

It's great for trouble shots and just to impress your friends. If you can turn it on and off on demand, you could negotiate a bushel of strokes for a money game with your friends and soon to be enemies.

 

And then there's a book on the psychology of the shank. Why does it makes us laugh so much to see someone shank it?

 

I can hit a driver straighter than anyone I know. Im the best bunker player I know. I'll go up against anyone on the planet. And now, I shank every iron and will probably shank my putts. I missed a couple of short putts the other day to miss shooting my age and now this?

 

If it wasn't so funny, I'd cry. I think I'd like to play a round shanking every iron and see what I can shoot. I'll record it.

 

Hmm. That's an idea. A Shank Shoot Out tournament! If you don't shank a shot, it has to be replayed. Try that at your club for something different... until they kick you out of the club and run you out of town.

 

I have a real money game on Sunday. Should I go and risk total embarrassment with people I know, or say my back hurts? I'm sweating bullets right now just thinking about holding a wedge in my hands.

Edited January 9, 2021 by Soloman1

[extrastiff]

9 hours ago, Soloman1 said:

 

Not a word. I've been around a good many tour guys in my work, so I don't bother them, unless I know them.

 

There's more to the story.

 

Y'all know that I didn't have to write this. I think most people would have never admitted it, but I thought it was so funny, and we could use some funny right about now.

 

Yes, it was Kirk Triplett. How did you know? Now, he's a nice guy from every interview I've seen with him. but I had never met him before. I'm sure he has told a few people already about the dreadful experience he had this afternoon.

 

So, picture this: He's working on his own stuff and I'm working on my shank.

 

We all know the sound of a shank. He makes pure contact, then I hit a shank. He makes pure contact, then I hit a shank. Over and over and over. I don't know how the man didn't run away screaming.

 

I want to be clear here. I did not hit 30 shanks. I hit over 100 shanks in a row. I hit so many that I decided to go with it this afternoon and see if I could perfect it.

 

I was turning more and more left toward him and shanking it at a green about 100 yards and 80 degrees to my right. I was getting pretty good at it.

 

My body was possessed today by Satan. I believe that my ex-wife from 40 years ago may have paid some Jamaican woman to put a spell on me.

 

Okay, so let's get back to no words were spoken. Imagine the expression on his face as you watched me say this:

 

"Hi Kirk, I'm ______. I just want to give you my card. I've have worked with Bryson, player A, player B, player C, LPGA tour pros A, B, C so if you ever need any help, give me call."

 

Haha.

 

You know, I've written one golf novel that was optioned for a movie once. The movie was never made (greenlit in Hollywood lingo), but I may have found a whole new premise for another book.

 

So, today was a humbling and humiliating experience that I thought I would share with my GolfWRX brothers and sisters.

 

May you never be possessed as I was.

 

 

1st: Haitian woman, not Jamaican 

 

2nd: the other day an entire quality woman’s college golf team comes to range, posts up right next to me. I’m like “ oh I’m striping it, time to hit some nice ones.” 
 

Well Instead of switching to driver and carry over 3 bills, or even 7 iron and hit some darts, I decide to stick with where I’m at in my routine ; 50 yard shots 🤦‍♂️
 

I proceed to go chili dip, than one of them hits it pure. Then I go shank. They go pure. Chunk. Pure. Shank. Pure. 
 

a couple “hold my back” and “massage my hand” moves later, I quit and go home. 
 

ur story had me cracking up man, sorry, but thank u for some morning schadenfreude. Maybe step back from the ball and show him the old duck hook for a complete package picture 🙂

[cardoustie]

44 minutes ago, Soloman1 said:

Okay, so it's morning and I couldn't sleep. I was laughing so hard in bed about the idea of telling Kirk that I could help him with his swing if he needed it, that I had to take a sleeping pill. I could see the scene in my head and the look he would have on his face. It's like a movie.

 

It's like Dumb and Dumber meets Tin Cup.

 

Now I'm the laughing stock of the golf world. Of course, folks like Leadbetter and Manzella can't get a ball in the air either.

 

There's only one thing to do. Make a video/book on how to hit a shank on demand. The Bio-mechanical principles of a shank - slow motion video, 3D analysis, wrist angles, drills to improve your shanking method, the No Turn Shank Drill...

 

It's great for trouble shots and just to impress your friends. If you can turn it on and off on demand, you could negotiate a bushel of strokes for a money game with your friends and soon to be enemies.

 

And then there's a book on the psychology of the shank. Why does it makes us laugh so much to see someone shank it?

 

I can hit a driver straighter than anyone I know. Im the best bunker player I know. I'll go up against anyone on the planet. And now, I shank every iron and will probably shank my putts. I missed a couple of short putts the other day to miss shooting my age and now this?

 

If it wasn't so funny, I'd cry. I think I'd like to play a round shanking every iron and see what I can shoot. I'll record it.

 

Hmm. That's an idea. A Shank Shoot Out tournament! If you don't shank a shot, it has to be replayed. Try that at your club for something different... until they kick you out of the club and run you out of town.

 

I have a real money game on Sunday. Should I go and risk total embarrassment with people I know, or say my back hurts? I'm sweating bullets right now just thinking about holding a wedge in my hands.

 

Related to your bunker quip

 

our former head pro, named Jack, ex Canadian tour player is at the back practice green with me and we both go into the bunker

 

He is chirping that he is the best bunker player in Canada and maybe the only guy he EVER played with better than himself out of the sand is Moe Norman

 

We have a contest of 10 shots and I win 8 to 2.

 

I stepped out and mumbled “you’re a bronze medalist at best pro” ... he was howling with laughter and started going on that his current issue is he can hit so many different types of bunker shots he has trouble going with just one.

 

The day I was on the range at MV, the shop told me the Pro was out there and I went right beside him on an empty range, LOL, turns out he and I knew some of the same families in Canada from his college golf years

[cardoustie]

Almost the same thing happened to me at the World Woods range, two ladies golf teams there, puff the chest out, hold the gut it, skank shots .. check check and check

[Hawkeye77]

2 hours ago, MtlJeff said:

This is why you ALWAYS take woods to the range. LOL

 

Truthfully, sometimes i'll hit a couple of those dreaded S words at the range and then will actually switch to hitting like 25 drivers in a row just to get the confidence back up

 

It's very weird , there's like some mystical thing with them. I hadn't hit one in years than hit one in the final round of our CC this year. Than did it again a few times at the range the next day. 

 

You should have at least framed someone else, like shook his hand and then said "I'm big on GolfWRX, i go by Hawkeye77"

 

 

That’s hilarious! Well played! 

Edited January 9, 2021 by Hawkeye77

[LeoLeo99]

On the bright side, you were to Kirk's right so that your shots weren't in any danger of hitting him!

 

I showed up for Titleist Thursday a couple years ago.  Try out some irons and get fit for a Vokey.  Hard to get fit when everything is going sideways.  The harder I tried to make good contact, the worse it go.  Finally, I said, "I'm going to go, now."  The Titleist guy replied with some compassion in his voice, "That's probably a good idea."  

[Sean2]

17 hours ago, Soloman1 said:

So, I went to hit a few balls at the range (which is something I rarely do) and only brought a few irons. Nice day, 66 degrees. The guy at the club in Scottsdale drives me out to the good section of the range. He knows me and knows I can play a little.

 

He sets me up next to a guy who's won maybe 15 PGA Tour and Champions Tour tournaments in his lifetime. He still hits it good enough to make healthy living every year. He ain't poor. He's next to me at my back.

 

I start to hit some short shots with a 52* wedge. I'm really stiff from playing quite a bit this week and not taking my usual boatload of Ibuprofen.

 

I'm not nervous about playing or hitting balls with anyone. I've played with lot's of good players. Hell. I played with Moe Norman.

 

I shanked the first ball.

 

Shooting par is bad day for me.

 

I shanked the next ball.

 

I haven't shanked a ball in 20 years.

 

I shanked the next 20 balls.

 

I held my back like it was hurting.

 

This is the truth. It was worse than Tin Cup.

 

I can hear him kind of laughing behind me.

 

I get serious. Enough of this nonsense.

 

I take my time, change clubs, and proceeded to shank the next dozen or two balls.

 

I hate golf. I wonder if there's a TennisWRX?

 

This is the truth. I couldn't make this up. You can  go ahead and laugh at me. I would.

 

 

 

 

I am beginning to think you have to be a bit of a masochist to play this game. 

[Sean2]

1 hour ago, Soloman1 said:

Okay, so it's morning and I couldn't sleep. I was laughing so hard in bed about the idea of telling Kirk that I could help him with his swing if he needed it, that I had to take a sleeping pill. I could see the scene in my head and the look he would have on his face. It's like a movie.

 

It's like Dumb and Dumber meets Tin Cup.

 

Now I'm the laughing stock of the golf world. Of course, folks like Leadbetter and Manzella can't get a ball in the air either.

 

There's only one thing to do. Make a video/book on how to hit a shank on demand. The Bio-mechanical principles of a shank - slow motion video, 3D analysis, wrist angles, drills to improve your shanking method, the No Turn Shank Drill...

 

It's great for trouble shots and just to impress your friends. If you can turn it on and off on demand, you could negotiate a bushel of strokes for a money game with your friends and soon to be enemies.

 

And then there's a book on the psychology of the shank. Why does it makes us laugh so much to see someone shank it?

 

I can hit a driver straighter than anyone I know. Im the best bunker player I know. I'll go up against anyone on the planet. And now, I shank every iron and will probably shank my putts. I missed a couple of short putts the other day to miss shooting my age and now this?

 

If it wasn't so funny, I'd cry. I think I'd like to play a round shanking every iron and see what I can shoot. I'll record it.

 

Hmm. That's an idea. A Shank Shoot Out tournament! If you don't shank a shot, it has to be replayed. Try that at your club for something different... until they kick you out of the club and run you out of town.

 

I have a real money game on Sunday. Should I go and risk total embarrassment with people I know, or say my back hurts? I'm sweating bullets right now just thinking about holding a wedge in my hands.

I can't imagine you being the laughing stock of the golf world. EVERY player from the touring pro to the neophyte has had the golf gods wreak havoc on them. We've all been there, it's simply the nature of the game. 

[mark m]

First, thanks for sharing. I am laughing with you. If you play it long enough, this game will eventually humble anyone.

 

Should you play tomorrow? Yes, absolutely. You have here the ultimate set up. Recap, "so I played and a shanked 4 shots which really hurt. Could have been somebody. However, I still scraped together a 72 and won a boat load." Then you can post up in Jeff's humble brag thread as well!

Edited January 9, 2021 by mark m

[TourSpoon]

3 hours ago, Soloman1 said:

It's like Dumb and Dumber meets Tin Cup.

Throw in a Shankbusters ambulance that arrives with a vaccine and you will have a winner. 

 

3 hours ago, Soloman1 said:

A Shank Shoot Out tournament! If you don't shank a shot, it has to be replayed. Try that at your club for something different... until they kick you out of the club and run you out of town.

This is pure gold!