2013 GIFs of the Year: The Shanks

Lee Westwood goes off the tree before whiffing completely.

Over the next two weeks, I’ll be posting my 2013 Golf GIF Roundups, broken down into several ‘Best Of’ categories. Today, we look back at some of the worst shots and putts from 2013.

Previous posts: The Best of Tiger Woods, The Majors & The Shots

There’s an argument to be made that of all of the professional sports, golf is the most frustrating to play at every level. One of the things that makes the game so interesting and infuriating is that after you make that birdie on the opening hole, you’re just as likely to post a triple bogey on the short par-4 second after finding the fairway from the tee. This isn’t just for you and me either, it goes for the pros that we watch every week on television. The same guys that make the incredible shots and escapes in the post above run into the bad holes just like we do. If you want a perfect example, go back to the recent World Cup of Golf, where reigning Masters champion Adam Scott put up a nine, or how on back-to-back holes, Stuart Manley managed an ace on the par-3 third and then followed it up with an eleven. Golf doesn’t make sense, and it never will.

So, with that said, I’m not posting these GIFs to make fun of the pros. These guys are the absolute best in the world at what they do and they never cease to amaze me, but it’s nice every once and a while to get a reminder that I’m not the only guy that duffs one from the middle of the fairway from time to time. Here are the best, or worst depending on your vantage point, shanks from the 2013 season. I’ve also included a couple of instances where players had to switch around and play left-handed because if you’ve ever done that, it’s pretty much the worst. If you hover over each image, you’ll get a brief description of why it made the list.

Not hard enough, Alvaro.

Schwartzel plays left-handed from the Augusta pine needles.

Freddie Jacobson with the worst shank at the Masters. Dead left.

The king of the shanks, Webb Simpson at the PLAYERS.

Never thought I’d see Steve Stricker hit a shot this bad.

Justin Rose is having a little trouble with the greens at Augusta.

Keegan Bradley leaves one in the bunker at Oak Hill

Kyle Stanley with a complete whiff.

Matt Kuchar gives himself a slightly better position by going lefty in a Muirfield bunker.

Why didn’t Jimenez take an iron or wedge out of the rough here? No chance.

Sometimes you just need to take an unplayable, Nicolas.

Otherwise, you end up hitting two from the trees.

Phil just never had it at Oak Hill.

Not sure I’ve ever seen Phil flub a chip like this.

Thorbjorn Olesen and his excuse me putt in Turkey.

Rory goes lefty in Merion’s thick rough.

First tournament of the year, and Rory goes dead left from the middle of the fairway.

Rory’s trouble continued at the Match Play with this from the bunker.

Lastly, he also putted into a bunker at Muirfield.

Zach Johnson finds the hazard at Sherwood. He then holed out from the drop zone.

Scott Stallings, with a chance to win in Memphis, finds the bunker on an easy chip.

Then, makes it so much worse on the next hole.

Tiger hits probably the worst shot I’ve ever seen him hit: a drive of maybe 100 yards.