Photoshop 24.4.0 adds "spurs" when I merge lines Windows 10

[Bob34577166gmmc]

I'm working with an aerial photo of a property and I draw lines around the perimeter of it to show where the property is.

When I'm merging the lines I tend to get an error where PS adds "spurs" off of one of the lines.  If you look at the attached photo the image on the left is before I merge the shapes and the right side is when I merge them.  You can see the "spur" on the right side where one of the lines is.  

Any way to get this to stop happening?  It seems a recent development.

Thank you, 

[Trevor.Dennis]

Undo to before you merged the lines, and Alt/Opt click the two points where the spurs are appearing.  That will change the problem points from smooth, which have handles, to sharp corner points.  Then use the Direct Selection tool (white arrow) to select all of the points, and merge them in the Options bar.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Could you please post screenshots with the pertinent Panels (Toolbar, Layers, Paths, Options Bar, …) visible before merging? 

Or better yet the layered image itself? 

[Bob34577166gmmc]

This is like the original file.  Had to crop and reduce resolution to make it small enough to upload.  When I merge these lines I get a little spur at the top.

Thank you for helping!  

[Semaphoric]

Rather than using several Line shape layers, try using the Pen tool to make one single Shape, with Fill set to none. You wouldn't have to merge, and you could edit them precisely later, which Lines don't lend themselves to.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I cannot reproduce the issue. 

As @Semaphoric recommended creating one Path with the Pen Tool seems to be the preferable option. 

The Line Tool is, in my opinion, mostly a useless remnant from olden times and best avoided altogether.