Okay, let’s talk about this Todd Hamilton shank thing.
My Practice Session Log
So, I was out on the range the other day, you know, just trying to get some swings in. And bam! The shanks decided to pay me a visit. Like, outta nowhere. One minute, hitting it okay, the next… hosel rockets flying right. Ugh, the worst feeling.
It got me thinking, weirdly enough, about Todd Hamilton. Remember him? Won the British Open way back. His swing wasn’t exactly textbook, right? Kinda unique, especially with that hybrid he used all the time. Looked kinda simple, almost like he wasn’t trying too hard.
So, here’s what I tried:
I figured, maybe I’m getting too technical, too worried about positions. Maybe I need to simplify, kinda like Hamilton seemed to do. He just seemed to get the club on the ball.
- First, I tried standing a little bit further away from the ball. My thinking was, maybe I’m crowding it, getting the hosel too close to the ball’s path.
- Then, I focused on keeping my arms feeling really connected to my body turn. Less independent hand action, more just turning back and turning through, keeping the club in front of me. Felt super restricted at first.
- I also tried hitting some shots feeling like my right palm was just pushing towards the target through impact. Less rolling the wrists over, more of a blocky feel, trying to keep the clubface square longer. It felt weird, kinda powerless.
- Swung easier, too. Not trying to kill it. Just a smooth tempo.
How it Went
Well, it wasn’t a magic fix, let me tell you. Standing further away helped a little bit, maybe? Fewer shanks, but I hit some thin ones instead. Keeping the arms connected felt better for consistency when I made good contact, but it was easy to still get quick and hit a bad one.
The “pushing” feel was odd. Didn’t really feel like I could hit it far, and honestly, I still hit one or two off the heel, though maybe not full-blown shanks. The easier swing tempo was probably the most helpful thing overall, just calming things down.
End result? Still hit a couple of shanks near the end when I got tired and stopped thinking about it. It’s not like channeling Todd Hamilton suddenly cured me. His swing worked for him, probably for very specific reasons. Mine? Still a work in progress. It was an interesting experiment, trying to feel something different based on watching him, but yeah. Back to the drawing board, probably focusing on basics like posture and balance. Golf, man. It keeps you humble.
