- Controlled Fade. To avoid hooking the ball off the tee, all-time golf great Jack Nicklaus recommends playing a controlled fade, a shot which moves from left to right.
- Rotate Your Body. Tiger Woods says most players who hook the ball “suffer from a lack of body rotation” that begins with the backswing.
- Stay Low. Golf instructor Mitchell Spearman believes that many hooks are caused when players straighten their backs prior to impact rather than remaining bent forward.
- Turn, Turn, Turn. Teaching pro Rick Smith says a slow body turn is often the culprit when a player hits a hook. ...
Full Answer
What causes you to hit behind the golf ball?
Why am I hitting Behind the Ball?
- Ball Position. The best place to start is the scene of the crime. ...
- Head and Hip Movement. The next issue to look for is how your body is moving during your swing. ...
- Bent Leading Arm. ...
- Dropping the Back Shoulder. ...
- Incorrect Weight Transfer. ...
- Releasing the Club Early. ...
How can I stop overhooking the golf ball?
- If you drive the ball 250 yards
- Have an 5 degree right swing path (and square face)
- The ball will curve 50 yards to the left
How hard should you hit your golf ball?
The Fundamentals
- Stance – The position of your feet and legs as you prepare to hit the ball. ...
- Address – Once you’ve taken your stance, grip, and are set in your posture, you address the ball by placing the clubhead on the ground behind the ball.
- Grounding the Club – This term refers to the point when your club touches the ground while you are addressing the ball.
How do you stop topping the golf ball?
To stop topping the ball, here are good tips that you can follow:
- Work on your tempo. To do this, you have to keep your head still. ...
- Try the penny technique. The penny technique involves the use of a coin in the training. ...
- Consider your ball's position. Is it too far off from your stance? ...
- Check you wrists. ...
- Check your grip on the club. ...
- Check your posture. ...
- Swing properly. ...
Why do I keep hitting the golf ball left?
A strong grip is one of the biggest reasons for people who curve the ball from right to left. The strong grip often results in the right hand moving to the right and facing away from the ball. The hand slides right and moves underneath the club.
How do I stop driving the golf ball left?
2:3410:03Eliminate the Left Side of the Golf Course - Stop Hitting Left - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipHere. So make sure those hands are not forward we're trying to save the left by pushing the handsMoreHere. So make sure those hands are not forward we're trying to save the left by pushing the hands forward and that's gonna that's going to destroy us. So many of the avoidance.
Why do I pull my irons to the left?
0:505:42Why You Pull Your Irons + How to Stop It For Good! - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo it's your club which travels. Over this direction then from out to in and the club face also.MoreSo it's your club which travels. Over this direction then from out to in and the club face also. Points off in this direction.
Why do I pull my shots left?
The only way you can pull a shot is to make contact with the outside part of the ball. Sometimes this comes from swinging into impact from outside the target line, called "coming over the top," but other times the right wrist simply straightens too soon, which causes the toe of the club to rotate closed (above, left,).
How to avoid hooking the ball off the tee?
To avoid hooking the ball off the tee, all-time golf great Jack Nicklaus recommends playing a controlled fade, a shot which moves from left to right. To hit this shot take a smooth backswing “with very little wrist action,” Nicklaus says. At impact, be sure the palm of your right hand faces the target, and keep your right hand below ...
Why do golfers flip their wrists on the downswing?
By failing to rotate fully on the backswing, golfers don’t shift their weight properly and tend to compensate by flipping their wrists on the downswing, striking the ball with a closed club face that may cause a hook. Woods suggests that players visualize the triangle created by their hands, arms and chest at address, then make sure that relationship “remains intact throughout the swing.”
What is a hook shot in golf?
When a right-handed golfer’s tee shot curves to far to the left, the shot is described as a “hook.”. This shot typically occurs when the club head moves across the ball from left to right, imparting side-spin on the ball.
How to avoid hooks in golf?
To combat a hook, Spearman suggests widening your stance on the tee by moving the right foot back -- away from the target -- several inches. Also, as a drill, take a 6-iron to the practice tee and grasp the club near the bottom of the grip. Hitting the ball properly will require keeping your hands low and your rear end down, Spearman explains, rather than straightening up.
How to combat hooks?
To combat a hook, Spearman suggests widening your stance on the tee by moving the right foot back -- away from the target -- several inches. Also, as a drill, take a 6-iron to the practice tee and grasp the club near the bottom of the grip. Hitting the ball properly will require keeping your hands low and your rear end down, Spearman explains, ...
What does Rick Smith mean by "keep turning"?
Teaching pro Rick Smith says a slow body turn is often the culprit when a player hits a hook. He advises players to “keep turning” on the follow-through. Smith says the midpoint of your body -- he refers to the “shirt buttons and belt buckle” -- should be aimed to the left of your target when you’ve completed your follow-threw.
Can a golfer throw a curve ball to the left?
This is the same method by which a baseball pitcher throws a curve ball, but in the golfer’s case the excessive spin is unintentional. There are mechanical fixes that can help prevent a right-handed golfer from hooking the ball to the left, or a lefty from driving the ball too far to the right.
What happens if you rotate your golf ball to the left?
If a golfer has good rotation to the left, but then activates his arms too early by trying to apply clubhead speed with the arms , the arms will often be thrown over the top of the swing plane causing the ball to be pulled to the left.
How do arms stay in a golf swing?
The arms stay passive in a proper Rotary Swing. The proper golf swing, in a one plane swing, the proper motion of the arms is simply for them to stay passive and relaxed. They don't require any effort. This golf swing should feel very, very effortless when you use your body correctly.
Why is it important to release your arms during the downswing?
It is critical for the arms to stay more passive in the early stages of the downswing so that the slower moving body can be in control of the golf club. The arms will release naturally at the right time in the swing with no conscious effort on the golfers part if they stay more passive.
What is the most common miss in golf?
One of the most common misses in golfers learning the one plane swing is pulls or misses to the left. This is a very, very common cause. I see it all the time, every day that I teach. It's a very, very simple thing to fix, but you just have to understand what's causing this. When you swing to the back of the one plane swing, ...
What swing method do tour pro use?
More TOUR PROS Use RST Fundamentals Than Any Other Swing Method!
When you swing to the back of the one plane swing, when everything's on plane as you look down the line?
When you swing to the back of the one plane swing, when everything's on plane as you look down the line here, if you start to go hard with the arms - if you start to swing down with the arms rather than letting the arms stay passive and letting the body drive the arms through the shot - your arms will start to release out over the plane and the club head will get thrown too far outside.
What happens when you swing down hard with your arms?
Swinging down hard with the arms causes them to release, shutting the club face & causing a miss to the left
Why is my golf ball going left?
Here are 2 reasons why your golf shots are going to the left. 1. Your club face is closed at impact. No matter how good your grip, stance, or swing is, the position of the club face at impact is the most important factor that will determine the direction that your ball will take.
How to hold a golf club with your left hand?
Place your left hand’s open palm at the end part of the handle. Close your hand. Hold the club by wrapping your fingers around the handle. Don’t hold the club across your palm. Because holding it with your palm will restrict the movement of your hand and wrist.
What is the overlapping grip on golf clubs?
Close your hand with your fingers holding the club, and not with your palm. The little finger of your right hand should sit on the forefinger of your left hand. This is called the overlapping grip or the Vardon grip, named after Harry Vardon.
Why do my hands move forward in downswing?
Because you have a tendency to hook the ball, you turn cautiously during your downswing so it slows down the rotation of your body. Consequently, your hands are probably moving ahead of your body. But the key is your body should take the lead in hitting the ball and not your hands.
Why is my golf club not going down the swing plane?
If the ball starts from the left then goes farther left, then it is more likely that your club is moving from outside to inside the target line.
What does it mean to hit a hook shot in golf?
What is a Hook in Golf. One of the goals of a golfer is to hit straight shots consistently. However, this does not always happen. For a right-handed golfer, a hook shot means when a golf ball goes to the right then curves way to the left. And vice versa, for a left-handed golfer, a hook shot means when a golf ball goes to ...
Where should the thumb and forefinger be on a swivel handle?
The sides of your thumb and forefinger should touch each other. Your thumb should rest slightly on the right side of the handle . There is a V shaped crease formed between the thumb and the forefinger. The V should point to your right shoulder.
What Are the Fixes For A Pull Shot in Golf?
This will take patience and allow the club to drop down to te inside and keeping your head behind the ball.
Where do you start the ball in golf?
The target line and the start line. The best golfers start the ball left or right of the target line and then curve the ball back towards the target. Let’s go over some examples to help you better understand the ball flight laws.
What Are The Fundamentals of the Golf Swing?
The Stack and Tilt Instructors said it best when they described what they believed were the fundamentals of golf. They explained it somewhat similar to this:
What is a pull fade in golf?
Answer: The ball will start to the left and curve to the right. This would be a pull fade or pull slice. Keep in mind that even though the face is closed to the target line, it is open to the swing path and the ball will curve away from the swing path.
What is pull shot?
The pull shot occurs from when the club face is closed to the target line and the swing path is somewhere around the same amount closed. For example, if your club face is 3 degrees closed or left of the target line the ball will start in that direction.
What is the key to golf?
The key to any golf game is hitting the ball from the inside and being able to control the curve of the ball (see fundamental 2 below).
What does it mean when a pull shot creeps into your swing?
When the pull shot starts to creep into your golf swing it can be a scary miss as you have essentially created a two way miss and there is potential for some high scores.
What does it mean when you pull the ball?
So it’s not hooking, it’s not slicing, we’re just pulling it straight to the left. What that means is number one, my face is closed.
How to feel a golf club release?
A good way to feel this, stand straight up and down. I want you to tilt your right shoulder into your body, into your side. Then I want you to go ahead and open up like we would be in the release, and that’s going to put you about where you would be as you’re releas ing the golf club, working that right shoulder in.
Which direction does the ball start?
Whichever direction the ball starts is going to be the direction my face is pointing at contact. If I’m starting to the left, my face is going to be closed and pointing to the left, just like that.
Why does my golf ball go left?
In this situation, the most likely culprits of your ball going left are an improper alignment at address or an over-rotation of the upper body. If your ball starts out straight and hooks to the left, then you are imparting spin to the ball and a closed club face is probably the cause.
Why does my golf ball curve left after hitting it?
Even if your body is in proper alignment at the point of impact, your ball may curve to the left after you hit it. Known as a hook, this is due to a closed club face. A closed club face is one in which the toe of the golf club, or the point furthest away from you, reaches the ball before the inner half of your club. This will impart a right-to-left spin to the ball, causing it to curve towards the left as it heads away from you.
What direction should your feet point when hitting a golf ball?
When you line up to hit your golf ball, your feet should point in a perpendicular line to where you want the ball to go. If your alignment at address is to the left, a correct golf swing will send the golf ball to the left as well.
What causes a bad golf shot?
Club Face Contact. Regardless of the swing mechanics that may cause a poor golf swing, the ultimate cause of any bad golf shot lies in the way the club face hits the golf ball. Any correction you make to your golf swing should have proper club fact contact as its ultimate objective.
What is the objective of golf?
By: John Csiszar. Published: 08 July, 2011. The objective of golf is generally to hit the ball in a straight line in an effort to achieve a low score. Hitting the ball right or left of the intended target is one of the fundamental causes of bad golf scores.
How to make proper club contact?
In order to make proper club contact, your upper and lower body should move as a unit through the golf ball. If your upper body rotates out of your backswing before your lower body, your angle of attack will be aimed to the left at the point of impact. As you finish your swing, the ball will fly in the direction you are now pointing, ...