Miles Bennett
Golfers who hook the ball often change their hand positions right before they swing, which can cause the clubface to close. To cure a golf hook, it's important to ensure that your grip isn't too strong and that your thumbs are in the correct position. A neutral grip is best for hitting a straight shot, and you should hold the club in the fingers of your left hand, not the palm. Additionally, a more open stance can help limit the club's movement around your body during the backswing, making it easier to turn through on the forward swing.
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What You'll Learn
Ensure your grip is neutral, not too strong
A golf hook is a ball flight that goes sharply from right to left for right-handed players and left to right for left-handers. The most common cause of a hook is a closed clubface at impact, which can be caused by a strong grip. A neutral grip is best for hitting a straight shot.
To ensure your grip is neutral, not too strong, follow these steps:
- Hold the club primarily in the fingers of your left hand, not the palm.
- Place your left hand so that the thumb points just right of the shaft's centre line.
- Interlock or overlap your right hand over the left, with the right palm covering the left thumb.
- Play around with a strong, weak, and neutral grip on the driving range to feel the difference in your game.
- 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, be sure that your thumb is on the target side of the grip.
- Avoid a strong grip, which can encourage a hook. If your bottom hand is rotated too far underneath the club, your grip is too strong. Fix this by turning it more on top of the club, toward the target.
- Check your grip by cocking your wrists so 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.
By ensuring your grip is neutral, you can help eliminate the closed clubface that causes a golf hook.
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Avoid a closed clubface at impact
A golf hook is caused by a closed clubface at impact. To avoid a closed clubface, you should focus on the following:
Firstly, check your grip. A strong grip can encourage a hook, so you should aim for a neutral grip. Hold the club in the fingers of your left hand, not the palm, with the thumb pointing just right of the shaft's centre line. Avoid seeing the top of your left hand, as this indicates a weak grip. For your right hand, interlock or overlap it over the left, with the palm covering the left thumb. Play around with different grips on the driving range to find what works best for you.
Secondly, be mindful of your backswing. A curved backswing can cause the club to get too far around, leading to a hook. Aim for a more straight backswing, which will allow for a more out-to-in swing path. An open stance can help with this, limiting the club's movement around your body.
Thirdly, pay attention to your wrist position. Your wrists and hands should not be too dominant, as this can cause the clubface to close. Keep your wrists in a neutral position to help keep the clubface stable and square through impact.
Finally, ensure your lead arm feels like it is pulling forward. Adding forward rotation will prevent your hands and arms from racing to the ball, which can cause a hook. Be mindful of your weight distribution; if it stays on your back foot for too long, your body may fall backwards, closing the clubface. Turning your trail foot so that it is square and straight can help with your downswing path.
By focusing on these points, you can help avoid a closed clubface at impact and improve your golf swing.
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Use alignment sticks to improve your setup position
Alignment sticks are a great tool to improve your setup position and cure that frustrating golf hook. A hook is caused by a closed clubface at impact, and often, amateur golfers are unaware of how their setup position contributes to this. Alignment sticks can help you visualise and correct your stance, and ensure your clubface is square to the rest of your stance.
Firstly, place the alignment sticks on the ground, parallel to each other, to give yourself a clear line to focus on. You can then check that your feet, hips, and shoulders are aligned with this line. This will help you avoid a closed clubface at impact, as your body will be in a more neutral position.
Secondly, use the alignment sticks to check your wrist position. Place the sticks on the ground, parallel to your target line, and address the ball. The sticks will give you instant feedback on your wrist position. If your wrists are too bent or cupped, this can cause a closed clubface. Practice taking your stance with the sticks, and focus on keeping your wrists straight and in line with the target.
Additionally, use the alignment sticks to check your clubface position. Place the stick against the clubface, and then take your stance. You can then see if your clubface is square to your target line. If the clubface is closed, you can adjust your grip and wrist position until the clubface is in the correct position.
Finally, use the alignment sticks to practice your swing. Place one stick on the ground, parallel to your target line, and then take your stance with the stick between your feet. Swing your club back, and use the stick to ensure you have a straight backswing. A curved backswing can cause a hook, so the stick will help you visualise and correct your swing path.
By using alignment sticks in these ways, you can improve your setup position and cure that golf hook. You will develop a more neutral stance, with a square clubface, and be able to focus on speed and consistency through impact.
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Check your wrist action
The wrist action in your golf swing can be a major factor when hooking the golf ball. Your wrist position at impact determines the ball flight of your shot. To avoid hooking the ball, you must add forward rotation. This will prevent both your hands and arms from reaching the ball first, which can cause a hook.
On your forward swing, be mindful of your trail heel. If your weight stays on your back foot for too long, your body can fall backwards, causing the clubface to close. Turning your trail foot so that it's square and straight can help with your downswing path, ensuring it isn't too in-to-out.
To check your wrist action, you can use a tool like HackMotion, which will show you where the wrist issues are occurring in your swing. For most golfers, this happens during the takeaway. To fix a hook, a slightly weaker grip is often the answer. You can check the consistency of your grip position with a HackMotion tool.
To avoid your clubface getting too closed, check the position of your thumbs on the club at address. Place the thumb of your lead hand straight down the centre of the grip of the club. On your trail hand, be sure that your thumb is on the target side of the grip. Having either hand rotated too far away from the target at address will cause the face to close, likely producing a hook.
A neutral grip is best for hitting a straight shot. Hold the club in the fingers of your left hand, not the palm. Place your left hand so the thumb points just right of the shaft's centre line. Avoid seeing too much of the top of your left hand, as this indicates a weak grip. Interlock or overlap your right hand over the left, with the right palm covering the left thumb. Play around with different grips on the driving range to see how it affects your game.
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Focus on forward rotation
A golf hook is a ball flight that goes sharply from right to left for right-handed players and left to right for left-handers. The most common hook comes from the challenge of getting the face square at impact. A hook is caused by a closed clubface at impact, which can be caused by a strong grip, a lack of body rotation, or poor connection/timing between the arms and body.
To cure a golf hook, focus on forward rotation. This will prevent both your hands and arms from getting to the ball first, which can cause a hook. On your forward swing, be mindful of your trail heel; it should start to come up as you swing forward. If your weight stays on your back foot for too long, your body may fall backward, causing the clubface to close. Turning your trail foot so that it's square and straight may feel restrictive, but it will help with your downswing path, ensuring it isn't too in-to-out.
A more open stance will 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. A more straight backswing will allow for a more out-to-in swing path.
To avoid your clubface getting too closed, check the position of your thumbs on the club at address. Try placing the thumb of your lead hand straight down the center of the grip of the club. On your trail hand, be sure that your thumb is on the target side of the grip. Having either hand rotated too far away from the target at address will cause the face to close, likely producing a hook.
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Frequently asked questions
A golf hook is a ball flight that goes sharply from right-to-left for right-handed players and left-to-right for left-handers. Hooks are often caused by a closed clubface at impact, which can be the result of a strong grip, lack of body rotation, or poor connection between the arms and body.
To avoid hooking the ball, you should use a slightly weaker grip. Hold the club in the fingers of your left hand, not the palm, with your thumb pointing just right of the shaft's center line. Avoid seeing the top of your left hand, as this indicates a weak grip. With your right hand, interlock or overlap the left, with the palm covering the left thumb.
Besides adjusting your grip, you can also focus on keeping your clubface square at impact. This can be achieved by adding forward rotation to your swing and ensuring your trail foot is square and straight. Additionally, be mindful of your backswing, ensuring it is straight back to allow for a more out-to-in swing path.
