How to Fix Hook 1: Cause and Alignment

While it’s a fault that might be as common as a slice, to the golfer that hooks or pulls the ball it’s equally as frustrating. This series will help you understand why you hook the golf ball and how you can correct it.

Many amateur golfers believe that a hook is any shot that curves sharply to the left (for the right-handed golfer)…

However, a hook must start right of your intended target before curving back left to finish well left of target. If your ball starts left or straight and then curves further and further left, that’s called a ‘pull-hook’.

What might be an appropriate swing change for someone that pull-hooks the ball might be irrelevant for someone that generally hits hook shots.

A pull is a ball flight that starts left of target and stays in a straight line to the left (no curve on the ball).

And a draw by the way is not just a less severe hook. To be classed as a draw the ball must land on target (where a draw always finishes left of target).

Watch the video below for an explanation of what a golf hook is and how it occurs. If you prefer, you can skip beneath the video to see the anti-hook golf lessons and drills.

At the start of the video, I mention the ball flight diagram. Understanding the different ball flights and how variations in your swing path and club face direction causes them, allows you to self-diagnose and correct any fault that shows up in your game later on.

Watch a video summary here.

Check Your Alignment

hook-fix-stance-closed-288x288 This series of tips and drills will help you to fix your golf hook so that you can hit straight shots or soft draws with confidence and consistency.

This first short video covers proper alignment…

Now, a lot of golfers will skip right past this step because alignment is simple and it’s obvious. But I see poor alignment issues in the majority of club-level golfers – especially those that slice and hook a lot of shots.

Good alignment is the basis on which consistently straight golf shots are built. Don’t make the mistake of jumping into the anti-hook drills in this series in the hope of papering over your alignment and set up faults… you won’t get the long-term results you’re after.

Get Fanatical About Your Set Up

fix-golf-hook The thing to remember about alignment is that it’s easy to fall into bad habits if you fail to check it on a regular basis. Tour players monitor their alignment far more than amateurs. It’s not too basic for them and it shouldn’t be for you.

Each time you practice, check that the alignment of your feet, knees, hips and shoulders is square to your target. Most golfers I see only check the alignment of their feet, so be sure to notice your hips and shoulders as well – ask a friend to run a club across your hips and shoulder at set up and then step away to check.

Watch a video summary here.