Miles Bennett
Golf hooks are a common problem for players of all abilities, and they can be frustrating and demoralizing. Hooks occur when the ball veers sharply left (for right-handed players) during flight, often landing in trouble spots or out of bounds. They are usually caused by a closed clubface at impact, which can be the result of a strong grip, a shallow swing path, poor body mechanics, or a lack of body rotation. Fixing a hook typically involves adjusting your grip, swing path, and body movement to ensure a more neutral and stable impact position.
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What You'll Learn
Check your grip strength and hand placement
Grip strength is an important factor in avoiding a hook. You should aim for a neutral grip strength; a strong grip with the left hand (for right-handed golfers) turned too far to the right will likely result in a hook.
To avoid a hook, the clubface should not be closed at impact. The way you hold the club can cause the clubface to close, so check the position of your thumbs on the club. Place the thumb of your lead hand straight down the centre of the grip of the club. On your trail hand, your thumb should be on the target side of the grip. Having either hand rotated too far away from the target will cause the face to close, likely producing a hook.
To achieve a neutral grip, grip the club so that your top thumb is slightly to the right of the top of the shaft. Place your bottom hand on the club, sliding your top thumb into the crease of your lower hand, with the thumb of your lower hand just slightly left of the top of the shaft. If your bottom hand is rotated too far underneath the club, your grip is too strong and will encourage a hook. Fix this by turning it more on top of the club, toward the target. Check this by cocking your wrists up so that you can see the V formed by your thumb and forefinger on your bottom hand. This V should point at your trail shoulder. This helps you find a more neutral hand position and will keep the face stable and square through impact.
Another tip to avoid a hook is to be mindful of your backswing, ensuring it isn't so curved that the club gets too far around your body, which can produce a hook. Instead, aim for a more straight backswing, which will allow for a more out-to-in swing path.
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Ensure a neutral wrist position
Ensuring a neutral wrist position is key to avoiding a golf hook. A hook is caused by a closed clubface at impact, which can be the result of a shallow swing path, a strong grip, a lack of body rotation, or poor timing between the arms and body.
To avoid a hook, golfers should ensure their wrist is in a neutral position at impact. This means avoiding too much flexion in the lead wrist, which can lead to a closed clubface. One way to achieve this is to practice one-handed swings with your left hand to get a feel for holding the wrist roll off.
Another way to ensure a neutral wrist position is to check the position of your thumbs on the club. Place the thumb of your lead hand straight down the centre of the grip, and on your trail hand, make sure your thumb is on the target side of the grip. This will help to avoid the clubface getting too closed, which can lead to a hook.
Additionally, golfers should be mindful of their backswing, ensuring it isn't too curved so that the club gets too far around the body. This can cause the clubface to close and produce a hook. Instead, aim for a more straight backswing, which will allow for a more out-to-in swing path.
By focusing on a neutral wrist position and avoiding a closed clubface, golfers can effectively reduce the likelihood of hitting a hook.
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Use alignment sticks
Alignment sticks are a great training aid that can help golfers improve their game, but only if they know how to use them correctly. They can be used to check a golfer's swing plane and help them make adjustments to achieve a more consistent and effective swing. Here are some ways to use alignment sticks to stop hooking the ball:
Golfers who hook the ball would have the clubface pointing left of the target. To check if your club is on the correct swing plane, set up an alignment stick in the ground a few feet behind you, away from where it could be hit with the club. As you swing back, check if your club is on the same plane as the alignment stick. If your swing path is starting out below the alignment stick, you may have a swing that goes more around your body, which can cause a hook.
To improve shot shaping, place one alignment stick parallel to your target line on the ground and another vertically into the ground a few feet in front of you. This vertical stick is used as a visual guide to practice shot shaping. For right-handed golfers, the first club will be parallel to the target line, and the second will be slightly outside the target line and aimed more at the target.
Alignment sticks can also be used to check your alignment and ensure that your body and clubface are square to the target line. Lay an alignment stick on the ground parallel to your target line. You can use this as a guide to align your hips, shoulders, feet, and clubface. When you lay the alignment stick down, look down the line to ensure it’s correctly aimed at the target.
Golf alignment sticks can help golfers stop swaying during their swing. Place an alignment rod vertically an inch or two outside your trail hip. When you swing, try not to slide your hips into the rod.
By using alignment sticks in these ways, golfers can improve their swing and stop hooking the ball.
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Focus on body rotation and weight shift
A golf hook is when the ball veers sharply left (for right-handed golfers) in the air, often leading to trouble. Hooks are usually the result of a closed clubface at impact, which can be caused by a number of factors, including a strong grip, lack of body rotation, and poor timing between the arms and body.
One of the main causes of a hook is a strong grip with the left hand (for right-handed golfers) turned too far to the right. This can be easily remedied by ensuring a neutral grip strength and checking the position of your thumbs on the club. Your top thumb should be slightly to the right of the top of the shaft, while your bottom thumb should be just slightly to the left. This will help you achieve a more neutral hand position and keep the clubface stable and square through impact.
Lack of body rotation is another common cause of hooks. Golfers need to ensure they are turning their body fully through the shot and shifting their weight forward and off their back foot as they turn. This will help prevent the clubface from closing and hitting the ball left upon impact.
Practising with alignment sticks can also help correct your swing path and ensure the clubface is square to the rest of your stance. Try placing an alignment stick or club on the ground at a 45-degree angle to the right of your target line (for right-handed golfers). This will help you visualise the correct swing path and prevent swinging too much from the inside.
Additionally, be mindful of your backswing. It should be relatively straight back, which will allow for a more out-to-in swing path. A more open stance can help limit your ability to get the club too far around your body in the backswing, making it easier to turn through on the forward swing.
By focusing on body rotation and weight shift, as well as grip strength and swing path, you can effectively reduce the occurrence of golf hooks and improve your overall game.
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Practice with a golf swing training mat
Practising with a golf swing training mat is a great way to improve your game and stop that frustrating golf hook. The Rukket Pathfinder Impact Mat™ is a popular option, designed with input from professional golfers and teachers. It combines an impact/strike mat with a swing path trainer, helping golfers to identify and correct common swing problems, such as hooks. The mat tracks club face alignment and helps ensure clean contact with the ball, while the foam pylons can be used to practise hitting straighter shots.
To set up the mat, place all four pylons in the ground and practise hitting straight shots. You can also remove the pylons to practise hitting draw or fade shots. The "velvet" turf will help you make clean contact with the ball, and the mat will help you with swing plane alignment.
Using a golf swing training mat can help you focus on fixing your swing path. A primary reason for hooks is swinging too much from the inside, so you can use the mat to practise an out-to-in swing path. You can also use alignment sticks to help with this. Place an alignment stick or club on the ground at a 45-degree angle to the right of your target line (for right-handed golfers). Practise swinging the club along this inside-out path, hitting shots between the two alignment sticks.
Another common cause of hooks is an issue with your grip. A strong grip with the left hand (for right-handed golfers) turned too far to the right can cause a hook. To avoid this, check the position of your thumbs on the club. Try placing the thumb of your lead hand straight down the centre of the grip, and on your trail hand, place your thumb on the target side of the grip. This will help you avoid closing the clubface too early, which can also be caused by excessive wrist action.
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