“A shank–the shot where the ball goes off the joint of the shaft and the club head at any angle except the intended one–is the most terrifying one in golf. It strikes without warning, often in the middle of a good round. From the moment a golfer shanks, he becomes a different man. From the easy, happy-go-lucky golfer of a moment before, he becomes a shaking jelly of a man unable to explain why he finds it difficult to hit the ball.”

Dai Rees, “Common Faults” in Secrets of the Golfing Greats (1965)