LAKE PARK, FLORIDA — Branden Shattuck’s golf career took a devastating turn four years ago. Driving home from a tournament in Florida, the promising mini-tour player’s car was blindsided by another vehicle at an intersection. The crash left him with a severe back injury, leaving him to question if he would ever play professional golf again.
“I was not in a good headspace at all,” Shattuck told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Pretty much the things that I worked toward for my whole life got taken away from me.”
Less than two weeks ago, Shattuck’s golf career took another turn. Shattuck won the 2023 PGA Professional Championship in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, earning the 28-year-old a spot in this week’s PGA Championship.
After the accident, Shattuck spent two years away from golf before his back felt healed enough to play. Returning to the course meant major changes, however, to both his swing and his equipment.
Inspired by the success of JumboMax Ambassador Byson DeChambeau, Shattuck switched to JumboMax® UltraLite™ XL swing grips, which allow him to hold the club more in his palms like DeChambeau and golf great Moe Norman, a Canadian professional golfer who was legendary for his accuracy.
Shattuck also moved to a more upright posture and reduced the amount of side bend in his swing through impact. The effect of the changes is less pressure on his back and the ability to once again play at the highest level.
Shattuck calls himself “fortunate” to be competing at the PGA Championship, a path made possible after he finished his PGA training last year and began working as a full-time instructor at Rolling Green Golf Club in the Philadelphia Section.
“I care so much about my job and the people I teach back home,” he told Golf Channel. “I love teaching men, women, juniors… all of the above.”
Shattuck aspires to earn a PGA Tour card “someday,” but for now he’s focused on making the most of his PGA Professional Championship win.
“It seems unbelievable,” Shattuck told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “It means a lot to be able to continue to improve, where my goals that I’ve had my whole life feel like they’re in reach.”
About JumboMax
JumboMax creates tour-quality golf grips with ergonomically correct sizing. That’s a scientific way of saying they’re “supersized.” And it makes a BIG difference!
The company’s swing and putter grips are proudly used by Bryson DeChambeau, Retief Goosen, Mike Schy, Simon Dyson, and dozens of other tour players around the world.
For more information on JumboMax, visit jumbomax.com. For media inquiries, email Zak Kozuchowski of Rooted Solutions at zak@rootedsolutions.co or call (804) 426-5108.
