Hook

Eliminate your hook with a simple grip change

 

If you're a player who tends to hit a hook, first count yourself fortunate. A hook is the last stop on the road to a good golf swing, and you're very close to hitting consistent, powerful shots. But it's still a ball-flight problem you need to take care of to make that next step and become a scratch or near-scratch player.

A strong grip is by far the most common error I see with players who curve the ball too much from right to left. The right hand drifts to the right--away from the target--and moves underneath the club, as shown in the photograph below. With the right hand in this position, it will tend to turn over too much through impact. Because the position of the right palm roughly replicates the clubface, it's easy to see why this turning over of the right hand causes the clubface to close and the ball to curve left.

 

To calm that hook down to a manageable draw, adjust your right hand to a more neutral position, as I'm demonstrating above. Turn it toward the target, so you can't see your left thumb when you've made your completed grip. I also like to put my right index finger in a "trigger" position under the handle, which supports the club through the swing. If the finger wraps around the grip too much, the club tends to get loose at the top.

 

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. Hello, hook.

If that player tries to make a big body turn through to compensate, the club gets even more stuck. That's often a block.

If you can keep the same relationship between your upper body, arms and the club from address through impact, you'll be able to swing fast and free.