A "hook" or "hook shot" in golf is a shot that results in a significant right-to-left curving of the golf ball's flight (for a right-handed golfer; for a lefty, a hook curves left-to-right in flight). A hook can be played intentionally, but is often the result of a mishit.
What is hooking in golf?
What Causes Hooking? What is a Hook in Golf? 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 follow the same flight as a draw but have more lateral movement.
Why do I keep hooking the ball?
If you are hooking the ball without meaning to (an uncontrolled hook), you probably hate that hook. It's a rattlesnake in your pocket, to quote Hogan again, that can jump up and bite you on any shot. The root cause of a hook is a closed clubface at the moment your club impacts the golf ball.
How to hook a golf ball?
Closing your stance is another easy way to help setup for a hook. To do this, drop your trail foot (right foot for right-handers, left for left-handers) back off the golf ball about four to six inches.. Your shoulders will be closed to your end target encouraging an inside-to-out swing path that will help hook the ball.
What is the hook ball flight for a right-handed golfer?
The hook ball flight for a right-handed golfer: The ball starts out to the right before curving (often sharply) back to the left. Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism.
What causes you to hook a golf ball?
The better player hooks the ball for one primary reason—their swing direction is too much from in to out, or out to the right. As a result, the clubface is closed relative to the path of the clubhead, which causes the ball to start relatively close to the target line and then curve wildly to the left.
How do I stop hooking the golf ball?
To fix the issue, turn your hand more towards the target, in a neutral position. Make sure the V's between your thumb and index finger on each hand point straight up. When the V's are facing more towards your rear shoulder, you are likely to hit a bad left hook.
What causes you to hook irons?
Probably the most common cause of a hook is the swing path. A perfect swing path would be slightly inside out. The players that hook the ball come very far inside with their path. You will notice with a golfer who has a terrible hook problem that the club may end up on an inside path directly after take away.
Is a hook better than a slice?
Since your distance is affected as well as your direction, a slice sets up a lot of bogeys. Another reason the hook is considered to be a better miss is that, with the hook shot, a player has usually released the club, but their timing was just off. The player's clubface could also be closed slightly, causing the hook.
What's the difference between a slice and a hook?
For a right-handed golfer, a slice begins to the left of the target and curves back to the right. Once again, the definition is the opposite for left-handed golfers. What is this? While a hook is the result of a closed club face, a slice is caused by an open club face.
How do I stop hooking irons?
5:186:44EASY FIX TO STOP HOOKING YOUR IRONS - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipChanges just a little adjustment in our sets up and you can play around with the ball position aMoreChanges just a little adjustment in our sets up and you can play around with the ball position a little bit to see you might move it too far forward it might actually get you hitting a little fade.
How do I stop hooking the ball with my irons?
4:007:02STOP HOOKING YOUR IRONS SHOTS - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd your body as you go through. And by keeping the club face looking at the sky we're reducing theMoreAnd your body as you go through. And by keeping the club face looking at the sky we're reducing the amount that the clubface rotates. Through impact. So for me this is what I call a concept drill.
Why am I hitting a hook?
Hooking in golf comes from a closed clubface relative to your path at impact which can be caused by a strong grip, lack of body rotation or poor connection/timing between the arms and body. The most common hook comes from the challenge of getting the face square at impact.
What swing path causes a hook?
Taken together and to summarize, a hook is caused by the combination of a: Severe inside-out club path, Clubface that is closed to that path and. Clubface that is pointing to the right of the target at impact.
Does a strong grip cause a hook?
For golfers who struggle with an overdrawing ball flight, we often see a grip that is turned too far away from the target — commonly known as a “strong” grip. This type of grip can often close (and de-loft) the clubface too much in relationship to the swing path and target at impact, leading to the dreaded duck-hook.
Why am I hooking my irons left?
The upper body obstructs or interferes with the club's path to the ball. The most common reason players get stuck is, they don't keep the arms and club in front of the chest as they turn back and through. When the club trails the upper body on the way down, the hands have to flip the clubhead over to recover.
How to hook a golf ball?
There may be times when hitting a hook intentionally would be a great talent to have. How do you do it? The easiest ways for recreational golfers to intentionally hook the ball are: 1 Close your stance. A very closed stance can induce a draw or hook ball flight. 2 Close the clubface at address. Hold the club out in front of you and twist it so that the clubface is in a closed position. Then place your hands on the handle, using your normal grip, and set up to the ball with the clubface closed. 3 Strengthen your grip. For a right-handed golfer, this means rotating both your hands slightly to the right, so your left hand is more on top of club's grip and your right hand is more below it.
What does it mean when you hook the ball without meaning to?
If you are hooking the ball without meaning to (an uncontrolled hook), you probably hate that hook. It's a rattlesnake in your pocket, to quote Hogan again, that can jump up and bite you on any shot.
How to get a hook ball to fly?
Close your stance. A very closed stance can induce a draw or hook ball flight. Close the clubface at address. Hold the club out in front of you and twist it so that the clubface is in a closed position. Then place your hands on the handle, using your normal grip, and set up to the ball with the clubface closed. Strengthen your grip.
What is a hook in tennis?
A hook can be played intentionally, but is often the result of a mishit. A hook is a more severe version of a draw, and the hook is the opposite of a slice . A very severe hook is sometimes called a "duck hook" or "snap hook.". When those terms are used, it probably means the ball flight started out straight before dropping severely to the left.
What is the hook ball flight?
The hook ball flight for a right-handed golfer: The ball starts out to the right before curving (often sharply) back to the left. Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism.
What does it mean to be right handed in golf?
For a right-handed golfer, this means rotating both your hands slightly to the right, so your left hand is more on top of club's grip and your right hand is more below it. Try one of these on the driving range, try them in varying amounts, try them in combination, and see what kind of draw and hook shot shapes you get.
Why are golfers afraid of slicing?
Recreational golfers are usually more afraid of slices because slicing is what most recreational golfers do. But it's the hook that scares the pros.
What are the Four Types of Hook Shots?
There are four types of hook shots; let’s look at each of them in detail. Mastering the four types of hook shots will help you know how to hook a golf ball. There are four types of hook shots; let’s look at each of them in detail.
Simple Tips To Prevent Hooking Your Golf Ball
So, how can newcomers to the game prevent themselves from making a bad hook shot? Some amateurs confuse a hook with a slice. A common shot error afflicts many new golfers, and some may take months or years to work it out of their game.
Why Do I Keep Hooking My Golf Shots?
While the professionals may find that a purposeful hook shot is useful on the course, the beginner will find it frustrating, to say the least. If you want to correct your form, consider the tips we gave you and try them out at the driving range to see if they make a difference to your game.
Why do you hook the ball?
The ability to hook the ball can come in handy. Some players may use it to get a bit more yardage on longer holes, while other golfers hook the ball to escape trouble. If you are a right-handed golfer, a right-to-left ball flight has several advantages over a left-to-right flight. A controlled hook, called a "draw," flies farther ...
How to hook a golf ball out of trouble?
To hook the ball out of trouble---for example, around a tree---exaggerate everything. Close your stance more, turn your hands more to the right and make an effort to turn the club face over even more through impact.
How to hit a hook?
Adjust your grip or adjust your stance. To hit a hook, you want to be closing the clubface as you strike with ball from an inside-out swing path. - To close the clubface as you strike the ball, you should turn your hands to the right on the grip.
How to get a good hook on a golf club?
Step 1. Use a mid-iron, such as 6-iron, to begin practicing your hook. This club has enough loft to avoid putting too much hook spin on the ball, creating wild shots. It will also negate sidespin. Step 2. Adjust your grip or adjust your stance.
How to promote hook?
To promote the hook, think of swinging as if you were hitting a baseball. If you're hitting the ball straight right, you probably have an inside-out swing path, but you are failing to rotate your hands and arms to close the clubface. Try hitting the ball with the toe of the club.
How to get a bigger hook in golf?
Before you begin your takeaway, move your right foot back about 4 to 6 inches. This will help you come through the ball at an angle that will result in a hook. You can also combine the two, creating a bigger hook. Step 3. Swing easy.
What is pull in golf?
A pull starts left and goes farther left. If you are a young, strong player who likes to swing hard, the hook may not be for you. Jack Nicklaus always had plenty of distance, so he favored a high, controlled faded shot---the opposite of a hook.
What is a pull hook in golf?
A true hook in golf is a shot that starts out to the right of your target (for right-handed players) or starts straight but then curves back to the left. This is caused by a combination of club path through impact and face alignment at impact.
What does it mean when you hook a target?
This means that you don't want to have your hands and forearms turned away from the target too much at impact.
How to do a downswing swing?
That means you start your downswing from the ground up firing your hips first, then your shoulders, then your arms, and then your hands.
What is a true hook?
So simply put, if your clubface is shut at impact, your ball is probably going to hook and if you swung on an inside/out path, you can call it a true hook. If you swung on an outside/in path and got the face closed at impact you could call it a pull hook.
Do shanks pop up randomly?
Just about all golfers fear a shank. In reality, though, they are an easy fix when you know the causes. It's not often that a shank will pop up randomly either. They seem to come in groups (one shank loves another) and go on for a while. Once fixed, they usually go away and don't come back.
Can hooks occur in golf?
Hooks can occur at any time and are dangerous miss-hits as they are extremely difficult to control. Finding and fixing what causes a hook in golf is crucial for low to high handicappers alike. >> If you like this, you'll also like: 3 Proven Ways How to Correct Your Reverse Pivot in Golf.
What is a Hook in Golf?
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 follow the same flight as a draw but have more lateral movement. They can be hit with any club, but you will see your most drastic hooks with your driver, fairway wood, and hybrids.
What Causes A Hook In Golf?
Hooking in golf comes from a closed clubface relative to your path at impact which can be caused by a strong grip, lack of body rotation or poor connection/timing between the arms and body. The most common hook comes from the challenge of getting the face square at impact.
Fix Your Golf Hook with Swing Align!
Whatever is causing your hook, there are steps you can take to fix it.
How to Intentionally Hook a Golf Ball
Unless you are a highly skilled player, Trying to play a hook as your standard shot is a dangerous strategy as it brings big misses into play. However, there are often times where it would be advantageous to play a hook.
Why do I get hooks on my swing?
Probably the most common swing-related cause of the hook is an inactive lower body. If you struggle to transfer your weight during the downswing, your hands will take over and a quick hook is very much on the cards.
Why do I get hooks in my hands?
Rotate your body. Another common cause of the hook is an early release of the angle in the hands through impact. In my experience, this happens because golfers stop rotating their bodies. A great tip that will help is simply to turn your left foot out a fraction at address (as above).
How to tell if you have a strong grip on a hook?
If, for example, you can see three on the left but only one on the right, you have a strong grip and that could be causing the hook.
How to make a grip change?
In this instance, start with seeing one and a half knuckles on your right hand and hit some half shots. You should begin to see and feel a difference. From there, work towards grooving a more neutral grip and you’ll kill your hooks for good.
Why is a golf shot called a push hook?
Note that technically, the shot can also be called a pushed hook because as is the case for a push shot, the ball begins its flight right of the target. Continue reading in order to find out what causes hooks and in order to get some advice on how ...
What is a hook shot in golf?
In golf a hook – or a hooked shot – is one that sees the ball starting right of the target initially but then veering aggressively to the left as a result of strong counterclockwise sidespin.
What direction does the clubface go in a hook ball flight?
Specifically and for a shot to produce a counter-clockwise spin that is typical of a hook ball flight, the clubface must be closed relative to the club path. Or in other words, the clubface must aim more left than the path of the club itself. But – and this is important – because the ball flies to the right of the target initially it means ...
What causes a hook?
Taken together and to summarize, a hook is caused by the combination of a: Clubface that is pointing to the right of the target at impact. This produces a shot that starts right of the target but spins left aggressively.
What does it mean when the ball flies to the right of the target?
But – and this is important – because the ball flies to the right of the target initially it means that the clubface at impact was open relative to the target. And the only way the club can be aiming to the right of the target at impact yet be closed relative to the club path is through a severe inside-out club path.
What is a pull hook in golf?
In golf a pull hook – or a pulled hooked shot – is one that features the same right to left side spin that is associated with a hook. However, in this instance the shot starts left of the target instead of right. So in contrast to the hook shot proper, a pull hook will see the ball start left of the target and proceed to curve left still.
How to set up for a shot?
While setting up for a shot, simply make sure that your feet are on a line that is parallel to the one formed by the ball and the target. Contrary to what happens in a closed stance, these lines should not cross on the way to the target but instead should remain parallel throughout.
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 ...
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.
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.
How to use a thumb jigsaw puzzle?
While it is in an open palm position, move your right thumb so that the side of your thumb touches the forefinger. Place your right hand’s groove on the handle and slide it over your left hand. Your left thumb should fit right into middle of the groove of your right hand just like a jigsaw puzzle.
How to hit straight shots?
In order to hit straight shots, you need full body coordination so that the club hits the ball with a square club face. It is not enough to just know how to stop hooking the ball, you need to put everything that you learned into action. So hurry and head to a driving range and practice hitting straighter shots.
Why do my shots go to the left?
One possible reason why your shots are going to the left is because of your club. You should know which golf club to use for your skill level. Actually changing or adjusting your club is one of the easiest ways on how to stop hooking the ball.
How to make your golf ball go left?
Shift the weight of your body to your left leg as you turn. As you turn, your right shoulder will lower. Then, you should continue turning your body. I know that this may sound ironic but if you don’t want your ball to go the left, then you must keep on turning to the left. Let me explain.
