Ava Romero
Hitting a hook shot in golf is a useful skill to have to get yourself out of tricky situations on the course. A hook shot is a ball that starts its trajectory on one side of the player and then curves around to the other side during flight. For right-handed players, this means starting the shot to the right and swinging to the left. While a hook shot is usually undesirable, it can be handy when you need to go around an obstacle, such as a tree. There are several techniques you can use to hit a hook shot, including adjusting your grip, closing your stance, and swinging with a flatter swing plane. Mastering the hook shot can help you improve your swing and gain a better understanding of how it affects ball flight and arc.
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What You'll Learn
How to fix a golf hook
Golf hooks can be frustrating and demoralizing, but there are several ways to fix them. A golf hook is caused by a closed clubface at impact, which makes the ball go left. To fix this, you should adjust your grip and stance.
Firstly, check your grip. For right-handed golfers, a strong grip with the left hand turned too far to the right will cause the clubface to close. To fix this, move your hands to a slightly weaker position to get the clubface more neutral at impact. Hold the club primarily in the fingers of your left hand, not the palm. Place your left hand so that the thumb points just to the 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 different grips on the driving range to see what works best for you.
Secondly, check your stance. Make sure your ball position is not too far forward. Check that your legs and shoulders are square to your target (not closed). If your club is set up correctly, you can avoid hooking a shot by having your lead arm feel like it's pulling forward. This will keep the clubface from closing. On your forward swing, be mindful that your trail heel starts to come up as you swing forward.
Other tips to fix a golf hook include:
- Learning to control your wrist mechanics and getting the lead wrist as close to flat as possible.
- Adjusting your clubface angle. Setting your driver to open will not fix your hook on its own, but it can help.
- Adjusting your equipment. A golf club fitting can give you an idea of whether your clubs are the right length for you.
- Practising hitting shots from downhill lies. This will help you create the feeling you want when you swing.
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How to deliberately hook a golf ball
A hook shot in golf is when the ball starts to the right of the target but then veers aggressively to the left, ending up left of the target. This is the opposite direction to a fade or slice shot.
To deliberately hook a golf ball, you need to be able to control your hook shots. To do this, you must master your swing and understand the impact of your swing on the ball's flight and arc.
- Check your angles. The spin loft, which is the difference between your dynamic loft and angle of attack, will impact the effectiveness of your hook shot. A higher spin loft means more vertical spin but less side spin and therefore less curvature.
- Close your stance. Drop your trail foot back about four to six inches. This will close your shoulders to the target, encouraging an inside-out swing path that will help hook the ball.
- Use a strong grip. This will help the clubface rotate and shut down as it approaches the ball. Rotate your bottom hand (right hand for righties, left hand for lefties) underneath the grip and rotate your top hand to be more on top of the club.
- Be mindful of your backswing. Ensure it is not too curved so that the clubface gets too far around, which will produce a hook.
- Check your wrist position. Your wrist position at impact will determine the ball flight of your shot.
- Keep your trail foot straight and square. This will help with your downswing path, ensuring it isn't too in-to-out.
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The difference between a hook and a slice
Slices and hooks are both golf shots that curve too much sideways. However, the key difference between a slice and a hook is the direction in which the ball curves. For a right-handed golfer, a slice occurs when the ball starts left of the target line and then curves sharply to the right, while a hook happens when the ball starts right and veers towards the left mid-flight.
The direction of the curve is determined by the clubface angle at impact, which is controlled by the lead wrist position. A slice is caused by an open clubface relative to the swing path, while a hook is caused by a closed clubface. In other words, for a right-handed golfer, a slice happens when the clubface is aimed to the right, and a hook occurs when the clubface is aimed to the left.
Both slices and hooks can be caused or worsened by an incorrect setup and ball position. For example, a common reason for slices is a weak grip, while golfers who hook tend to have closed shoulders and a ball that is too far back in their stance. Adjusting your swing plane and revisiting the fundamentals of grip, ball position, setup, and takeaway can help fix these issues.
While a slice tends to be the most common shot pattern in golf, a hook is generally considered more powerful and preferable as it produces more distance. However, an excessive pull hook can be just as penalizing as a slice, causing you to miss the fairway.
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How to avoid a hook
A hook in golf is a ball flight that goes sharply from right to left for right-handed players and left to right for left-handers. Hooks can be costly, as the ball ends up away from the intended target, sometimes even out of bounds. Hooks are often caused by a closed clubface relative to your path 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 avoid a hook, you should ensure that your grip is not too strong. A neutral grip is best for hitting a straight shot, so hold the club in the fingers of your left hand, not the palm, with your thumb pointing just right of the shaft's centre line. You can then 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 what works best for you.
You should also be mindful of your backswing, ensuring it isn't too curved so that the club gets too far around, producing a hook path. Instead, aim for a more straight back swing, which will allow for a more out-to-in swing path. A more open stance can help with this, limiting your ability to get the club too much around your body in the backswing, making it easier to turn through on the forward swing.
Another way to avoid a hook is to use a training aid, such as the Rukket Pathfinder Impact Mat™, which can help golfers quickly identify and correct common swing problems like hooks.
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How to master your swing
Mastering the golf swing can be broken down into a few key steps. Firstly, the "3 Ps" are fundamental to a good golf swing: posture, pivot, and path. Your posture refers to your stance, the pivot is the slight shift and rotation of your hips that powers the swing, and the path is the curve the clubhead travels before and after striking the ball.
The setup and address are crucial to the success of your swing. The club should rest flat behind the ball, with the golfer's hands flowing straight down from the shoulders. The knees should be bent, and the upper body tilted forward. The club face should be square to the ball, aiming at the target. The grip is also important, as this will affect the impact on the ball's trajectory. A neutral grip is best for a straight shot. Hold the club in the fingers of your left hand, with your thumb pointing just right of the shaft's centre line. Avoid a weak grip, where too much of the top of the left hand is visible.
The top of the swing is the halfway point between the address position and impact. Your hands will be at their highest point, and your wrists should be fully hinged. The downswing follows, with your hips moving first, uncoiling and allowing for a smooth weight transition to the front left foot. Your shoulders will uncoil in tandem.
At the moment of impact, your hands should be ahead of the ball, with your spine bend matching that set at the address. Your eyes should be on the ball, and your hips and hands facing the target.
To master the swing, it is recommended that you practice each element individually, sticking with one change until it feels natural before moving on.
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Frequently asked questions
A hook shot in golf is a ball that starts its trajectory on one side of the player and then curves around to the other side during flight. For right-handed players, a hook shot starts out to the right and swings to the left.
The ability to hook the ball can be handy when you need to get yourself out of trouble, such as when there is an obstacle like a tree in your path. Some players may also use it to get more yardage on longer holes.
To hit a hook, you need to close the clubface as you strike the ball from an inside-out swing path. You can do this by turning your hands to the right on the grip. You can also adjust your stance by putting your right foot back about 4-6 inches.
You can use superspeed sticks and radar to practice your swing. You can also use a mid-iron, such as a 6-iron, to practice hook shots. This club has enough loft to avoid putting too much hook spin on the ball.
A draw shot is played in the same direction as a hook shot, but most golfers agree that there is a subtle difference between the two. A hook shot is faster, more deliberate, and more aggressive than a draw, resulting in more curvature on the ball arc.
