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Your How-To Guide for Getting Out of a Slump

Published

4 years ago

December 19, 2021

For anyone who has found any type of success after picking up a golf club, it can be hard not to feel like you’ve found your new favorite sport. You go out and get yourself a nice setup. Maybe a couple training aids. Then, you pop open YouTube and take in every free golf tip you can find. Before you know it you’re addicted and you spend as much time as possible at the course.

On the flipside, it can be the most frustrating experience you have ever paid so much damn money for. If you happen to find yourself in an unfortunate losing streak, you may begin to question why you keep coming back. But all it takes is one. Just one shot or play that comes out of nowhere and sucks you back into total dedication.

Regardless of how much you practice or whether you own the latest in golf technology, you are bound to have bad days. You’ll top shots, lose balls, and feel betrayed by your equipment. Heck, even the pros aren’t hitting their shots clean 100% of the time. The only difference is that their bad days are sometimes broadcast live for the world to see. Be thankful the only people that see you blow it are the people in your group and they’re just as bad.

No matter how well you play this game, there will always be times when you lose it, when no matter what you do the ball simply won’t go where you want it to. Your natural shape is a draw, but all of a sudden every shot with the driver is a wild slice. You have never in your life hit a dreaded shank but, from nowhere, you become afflicted. You can’t get the ball out of a bunker to save your life. You miss two-foot putts. And the pitching and chipping touch you could always depend upon suddenly deserts you.

In short, the game you love seems to hate you.

So, how do you get out of a slump?

The first thing to avoid is taking advice from anybody who has a higher handicap than you do. If they play off, say 28, they do so for a reason. They have no clue why you are slicing the ball.

Whatever you do, don’t try to sort it out on the golf course. The range is the place to go to iron out your kinks, but make sure you head there with a purpose.

Check the basics, the fundamentals – if they are out of sync you have no chance of playing well.

Take a look at your grip, your stance, your posture, your ball position and your tempo. The chances are that if you are playing poorly, it will be because one of those is not quite right.

Try hitting shots with the golf ball in different places in your stance – often, it can come down to fractions. It may well be that you have started hitting shots with the ball too far forward or too far back in your stance.

Slow your swing down. If you are struggling for timing, tempo and rhythm you are never going to rediscover it by swinging hard. And focus on shortening your backswing and on holding your follow through. If you are swinging too hard, the chances are that you will be losing your balance.

Sometimes we just need help. All the positive thinking, focus, and changes in the world can’t help you if there’s a physical issue you aren’t aware of. So if you’re stuck in a slump after trying these tips, consider meeting up with your local pro and ask him or her to take a look. And then head straight to the driving range and work on what you have been told.

Tension is the enemy of the golfer. Are you under stress at work or at home? Take deep breaths when you stand over the ball and release the tension. If you are stressed there is every possibility that you may be gripping the club too tightly. Focus on gripping it gently throughout the entirety of your swing.

When you are standing over the ball, try to visualize the shot you are trying to play. If it’s a putt, imagine the ball falling into the hole. Positive thinking can only help. If you stand over a drive and worry about hitting it over the out of bounds fence on the right, the chances are that you will do precisely that. Most top golfers “see” the shots they want to play. If it works for them, why not try it too?

As difficult as it might be, consider taking a break from the game. Put your clubs in the cupboard for a couple of weeks and forget all about the game. When you return, you will almost certainly do so with few expectations, and you may just surprise yourself. You might also want to think about playing a couple of rounds on your own, without a scorecard in your back pocket.

Read the original article on Golfshake.

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One of the Greatest Putts in U.S. Open History?

JJ Spaun’s 64-Foot Walk-Off

Published

1 week ago

June 16, 2025

James Fairway

When JJ Spaun stood over a 64-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole of the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont, few could have predicted what would come next. The ball meandered across the slick green, trickling over every contour, picking up speed at the crest, and then—like it had GPS—dropped center cup. Spaun dropped his putter, raised his arms, and the crowd erupted. With that single stroke, he claimed his first major title in one of the most dramatic finishes in U.S. Open history.

But how does Spaun’s putt stack up against other legendary finishes in the tournament’s storied past? Let’s break down some of the most iconic moments and see where this one lands.

1. Payne Stewart – 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst

Perhaps the most iconic putt in U.S. Open history came from Payne Stewart, who nailed a 15-footer for par on the 18th to win by one over Phil Mickelson. The pose—fist pump and outstretched leg—has since been immortalized in a statue at Pinehurst. What made it legendary wasn’t just the putt—it was the context: Stewart’s final major before his tragic death just months later.

Verdict: Iconic and emotional. Spaun’s putt was longer, but Stewart’s was more poetic.

2. Tiger Woods – 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines

Woods drained a 12-foot birdie on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate—while basically playing on one leg. That tournament went to sudden death after an 18-hole playoff, and Tiger prevailed. This was peak Tiger drama, pain and all.

Verdict: Spaun’s putt was longer, but Tiger’s win was sheer willpower and mystique.

3. Jack Nicklaus – 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach

With a 1-iron shot that hit the flagstick on 17 and a crucial birdie putt on 18, Jack sealed a dominant win. His precision and timing under pressure showed why he’s the GOAT.

Verdict: Not a putt for the win, but a signature finishing statement from Jack. Spaun’s was more electric in terms of pure putter drama.

4. Ben Hogan – 1950 U.S. Open at Merion

Hogan’s 1-iron into the 18th fairway and the par to force a playoff—just 16 months after a near-fatal car crash—remain legendary. He won the playoff and completed one of golf’s great comeback stories.

Verdict: Larger-than-life comeback. Spaun’s putt had more flair, but Hogan’s win was heroic.

5. JJ Spaun – 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont

Let’s not underestimate what Spaun accomplished. The pressure was immense. He wasn’t the favorite. And on the most treacherous greens in golf, he buried a 64-foot bomb—a putt most players would be happy to lag to within 5 feet—to win the U.S. Open outright.

Verdict: For distance, surprise, and drama, Spaun’s putt may be the most shocking winning stroke in U.S. Open history.

Final Thoughts

JJ Spaun may not have the résumé of a Nicklaus or Woods, but for one Sunday afternoon in June 2025, he created a moment that will live in golf lore forever. Spaun’s putt was longer than Stewart’s, more unexpected than Tiger’s, and more dramatic than any final-hole finish in recent memory.

In terms of pure clutch putting? It might just be the greatest walk-off in U.S. Open history.

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The Zen of the Shank: Finding Inner Peace in Your Worst Shots

Find your inner peace even when you aren’t playing well.

Published

1 week ago

June 16, 2025

Ty Webb

Ah, the shank. That glorious, unpredictable misfire that sends your pristine golf ball screaming sideways, often directly into the unsuspecting shins of your playing partner, or perhaps, with a touch of poetic irony, into the very lake you’ve been trying to avoid all day. Most golfers, bless their earnest little hearts, view the shank as a catastrophic failure, a blight upon their scorecard, a testament to their inherent lack of coordination. They curse, they throw clubs, they contemplate a career in competitive thumb-wrestling. But not I. No, my friends, for I, Ty Webb, have found enlightenment in the humble shank.

You see, the shank is not a mistake; it’s a revelation. It’s the universe’s way of reminding you that control is an illusion, that perfection is a myth, and that sometimes, the most direct path to your goal is, in fact, a wildly indirect one. Think of it as a philosophical detour, a sudden, unexpected journey into the unknown. One moment, you’re aiming for the green, a paragon of precision and intent. The next, your ball is ricocheting off a tree, narrowly missing a squirrel, and landing, by some divine comedic intervention, closer to the hole than your perfectly struck drive ever would have. Is that not a miracle? Is that not a sign that the golf gods, much like life itself, have a wicked sense of humor?

The key, my dear apprentices of the links, is acceptance. Embrace the shank. Welcome it with open arms, like a long-lost, slightly inebriated relative. When that familiar, sickening thwack echoes through the air, do not despair. Instead, take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Feel the gentle breeze on your face. And then, with a knowing smile, open them and observe the chaos you have wrought. Is it not beautiful in its own chaotic way? Is there not a certain freedom in relinquishing control, in allowing the ball to choose its own destiny, however bizarre that destiny may be?

Some say the shank is a sign of poor technique. I say it’s a sign of a vibrant, untamed spirit. A golfer who never shanks is a golfer who has never truly lived, never truly explored the outer limits of their own golfing absurdity. They are content with mediocrity, with predictable trajectories and mundane outcomes. But you, my enlightened few, you understand that the true joy of golf lies not in the score, but in the story. And what a story a good shank can tell.

So, the next time you feel that familiar tremor of a shank brewing, don’t fight it. Let it flow. Let it be. For in the heart of every shank lies a lesson, a laugh, and perhaps, just perhaps, a path to a lower score you never saw coming. After all, as the great philosopher Basho once said, “A flute with no holes, is not a flute. A donut with no hole, is a Danish.” And a golf game without a shank? Well, that’s just not golf, is it?