Texas Children's Houston Open

Memorial Park Golf Course



The Loop

How He Hit That: How Mahan recovered from a s_ _ _ _

February 27, 2012

*Editor's Note: Every Monday Kevin Hinton, Director of Instruction at Piping Rock Club in Locust Valley, N.Y. and one of Golf Digest's Best Young Teachers, tells you how a tour player hits a key shot. **This week's entry is not what you'd expect. Hinton looks at the shanked wedge shot Hunter Mahan hit in his semifinal match versus Mark Wilson in the Accenture World Match Play Championship, at Dove Mountain, near Tucson. Yes, like average golfers, even tour players hit the dreaded ho-zell when they least expect it. But unlike with average golfers, Mahan's shank (dare we say the word?) did not lead to more shanks. He recovered with a superb pitch to three feet on his next shot, went on to defeat Wilson, and then tamed Rory McIlroy, 2&1, in that afternoon's final. Kevin gives you some quick advice for the next time you get the shanks. And if these tips don't work, click on the second video.

Roger Schiffman

Managing Editor

Golf Digest

Twitter @RogerSchiffman**

*__Here's Kevin:__Definition of a shank: A mentally debilitating shot in golf in which a player makes contact on the hosel of the club, causing the ball to shoot viciously sideways and potentially bring oneself to the brink of tears. Blame is typically cast upon a wide range of sources . . . normally including the caddie, swing coach, boss, or often a higher power. __ __

Here's a case where you need to watch the video before reading my comments. Pay special attention to the slow-motion replay of Hunter's downswing on this approach shot: