Just about all golfers fear a shank.  In reality though, they are an easy fix when you know the causes. It's not often that a shank will pop up randomly either. They seem to come in groups (one shank loves another)  and go on for a while. Once fixed, they usually go away and don't come back. For higher handicappers misses such as whiffs and tops give them much more grief. For skilled players however, it's the hook that is one of the most bothersome misses in the game.