People who say they have never shanked a shot have not played the game long enough or just won't admit it.

The shank is commonly known as the "s" word. Hitting the ball with the heel of the club and watching it veer sharply right is probably the most devastating shot in golf.

The causes of a shank are easily identified.

Most golfers do it one of two ways. They either swing inside-out too much or start the downswing with their shoulders and get over the top and come from an inside-in swing path.

I have found the easiest cure for the shanks is to make sure you stand in balance with your weight between the balls of your feet and heels throughout the swing. The same applies to pitch-and-chip shots.

A good practice method is to get a three-foot-long piece of PCV pipe and lay it on the ground parallel to your line. Set your clubhead down about an inch inside the pipe and swing back and through without hitting the pipe.

As soon as you can do this without hitting the pipe, try hitting the ball without the pipe.

When you're able to do this without hitting the pipe, try hitting more balls from the same position.

This will give you the feeling of staying inside the ball with your swing plane.