IF they present the face square at impact. The problem for many of them is as simple as misunderstanding why the golf ball behaves as it does. How to Hook a Golf Ball. He hit a lot of them, and not on purpose. Download our instruction app from iTunes or Google play Read on. Watch ‘The Golf Fix’ Mondays at 7PM ET. If you are hitting a hook without meaning to, first make sure: Dorman, Larry. Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism. Remember, it’s FREE! Tee your ball high enough so half the ball extends above the top of the club head when the clubhead is resting on the ground behind the ball. Pull hooks are a common cause of amateur golfer rage. Hitting a Hook vs Slice in Golf. Read on. Three factors control the trajectory of the ball while hitting a hook or slice in golf. Golf Monthly top 25 Coach Clive Tucker asks why do I hook the ball, and offers some simple reasons and cures that could help your game Neil Tappin August 20, 2015 3:59 pm For many of you this will be ground-breaking information. When you see golfers who hook the ball, you'll find some common faults. Want to know how to fix a golf hook? If you hook the ball regularly, you probably have a large tab for new golf balls. Especially since, at first, the trajectory of a pull hook often looks like a winner … Until the spin of the ball kicks in and causes it to deviate. The easiest ways for recreational golfers to intentionally hook the ball are: 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. All else being equal, a swing path that is more right will send the ball more left – a game of opposites. That your clubface is in a square position at set-up. The dreaded golf hook – a ball that can start any direction, but curves dramatically to the left (for a right-hander) – often into the trees or out of bounds. That imparts a right-to-left spin (a "hook spin") on the golf ball, causing it to curve to the left in flight. A little higher is OK though. Even good drivers can unintentionally develop a hook that needs correction. Golf balls lying above your feet, on a sidehill, have a tendency to shoot left of the target. Hooking is generally a good player's fault. Golfers who hook the ball tend to play the ball back most of the time to avoid the miss to the left. What Trevino was saying was that it's easier for pro golfers to deal with fades/slices (left to right ball flight for a right-handed golfer) than to deal with the hook ball flight. Want to know how to fix a golf slice? You should probably move the ball forward an inch or so, just make sure it is comfortable. The ability to hook the ball can come in handy. Sure – you can’t fade the ball with a right swing path (barring some wild gear effect – see later), but you can manage your hook and turn it into a draw (like Rory Mcilroy, Speith etc) by having the face LESS CLOSED to the path. From my understanding it starts out straight and then turns left just far enough to be in trouble either with trees or just bad angles into greens. A hook can also be from several different swing flaws, but the most common reason for a hook is the opposite of a slice. For left-handed golfers, it is when the ball curves aggressively to the right. Hooks are big benders that take a sharp detour to the left if you are a right-handed player. I just launched a brand new, completely FREE 5-part course showing you. So does Tiger, and Phil and every golfer on the PGA and LPGA tours. You could be hooking it because of a strike issue. On the course, the divot will often be pointing right, with the ball ending up well left of the divot's direction. Swing path refers to the direction the club is moving through impact (more right or left). It's a rattlesnake in your pocket, to quote Hogan again, that can jump up and bite you on any shot. Hooking the ball results from swinging in … “I’ve been trying to fix my hook by doing X/Y/Z with my swing”, “I’ve been trying to fix my hook by putting a tee behind my right ear, turning my cap backwards and putting more loose change in my right pocket”. A true hook in golf is a shot that starts out to the right of your target (for right handed players) … I could vomit when I see one. In that case, you likely have a … If you've ever hooked the ball into tall rough or a hazard, you may wonder why a golfer would purposely try to hook a shot. Was the ball lying above your feet? Don't worry about it, we all do. So, duck hooks happen because of incorrect spin of the golf ball. How to Stop the Ball From Going Left When Driving in Golf?. Some players may use it to get a bit more yardage on longer holes, while other golfers hook the ball to escape trouble. A basic checklist should already be clear from the methods mentioned above for intentionally playing a hook. If you suffer more with a slice that goes to the right, READ THIS instead. A hook golf shot is when a right-handed golfer hits a ball that curves to the left aggressively. Focus on Impact Position. Michael Breed, host of ‘The Golf Fix’ has a drill to show you how to stop hooking the golf ball. Recreational golfers are usually more afraid of slices because slicing is what most recreational golfers do. The Biggest Lie In Golf Here’s what you should do to improve; Unless you change one or all of the above, your hook is not going to get fixed. Nannen, Derek. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This is mind numbingly obvious to me – but many golfers don’t think like this. The dreaded golf hook – a ball that can start any direction, but curves dramatically to the left (for a right-hander) – often into the trees or out of bounds. Take our golfer who has a 5 degree right (in to out) swing path – we know from our earlier example that this player will hit a 50 yard hook left…. If you're a player who tends to hit a hook, first count yourself fortunate. September 6, 2020, Should You Ever Aim In Danger? While a hook usually travels farther than a slice, that is a mixed blessing, because the hook is more … This quote from Lee Trevino is sometimes reported as, "You can talk to a slice, but a hook won't listen." If you’re not good with numbers, let me spell that out for you; For reference, here’s a 5 degree right swing path – not dramatic is it. A hook can be played intentionally, but is often the result of a mishit. Golf Tips, November 12, 2009. An “out-of -control” hook is created by a combination of a right swing path AND a face that is too closed (to the left of) that path. Or in other words, the clubface must not be perpendicular to the direction of the club at impact in order to produce some side spin.Specifically and for a When he finally learned to eliminate the unintentional hook, Hogan turned into one of the greatest golfers of all-time. How to Fix Your Hook. A golf hook is a problem with a golfer's swing; however, a hook actually means that you’re well on your way to dependably hitting impressive shots. Want to know how to fix a golf hook? It's really not an issue unless you're hitting hook shots routinely. How do you do it? Depending on the design of the course you are playing, it might take a bit of luck to even find your golf ball after hitting a quick hook off the tee (or from the fairway). A hook is the last stop on the road to a good golf swing, and you're very close to hitting consistent, powerful shots. If you hook the ball and want to fix it, see if you have any of the problems below. 1) Grip. If you suffer more with a hook to the left, READ THIS instead. That’s great to know, but now we need to talk about how that happens. 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. In trying to get my swing better the last 2 or 3 years Ive now developed a smother hook that puts me behind the 8 ball in terms of scoring. Gear effect is complex, and I go through many of the complexities in my high-level program, Next Level Golf. Learn how your comment data is processed. However, to give you the cliffs notes – all else being equal, if you struck towards the toe side of the club, the ball will have more curvature to the left than if you didn’t. This will naturally close the clubface and send the ball to … LiveAbout uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. But, it’s safe to say, I have seen many amateurs trying to fix their path/face when, in fact, they were hooking their driver from a strike issue. With less loft, the 3-wood exaggerates these misses compared with irons and wedges. In order to get this course, simply click the image below for more details. 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). What is a Hook in Golf. 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 the left then curves way to the right. Hooking with hybrids can occur if you’re keeping the ball too far ahead of your swing, and also standing too far away from the ball. Having the face just 3 degrees more right or left ) left ) lucky any. 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