PHOTO PROVIDED Keep the club in front of the chest throughout the swing.

The word shank can make golfers shake in their shoes. In fact, golf announcers on television are hesitant to mention that word on a live broadcast. Just saying the word can cause a golfer to hit the ball on heel of the club.

I can assure you, if you haven’t had the shanks you certainly will at some point in time. Regardless of how high or low your handicap, the shanks will appear when you least expect it. So be prepared to identify and cure the shanks when they show up. The first sign of a shank is when a right-handed golfer starts to hit weak shots to the right and vice versa for the left-handed golfer.

To stop the shanks, make certain to take the club back with the shoulders and feel as if you are closing the club on the takeaway. It is the rolling of the hands on the takeaway that causes the heel to rise above the ball plane. The wrists should cock up not side to side.

Don’t forget to enjoy this great game called golf.

Rick Musselman, a golf author and professional, is the founder of Musselman’s Golf in Williamsport.