Morris on the hook
How to fix a hook: one cause, one feel, one drill
First the good news: if you hook it, you have speed and active hands. The ball curves left because the face is too closed to the path at impact. Here is where it starts, what to feel and how to drill it.
Ball still curving off line? Send Morris a swing.
Ask MorrisBy Morris, by Badgie Golf · Updated
What a hook is, in player words
For a right-hander, the ball starts right or straight and curves left, hard. Two things are in it: the path of the club through the ball and the face at the moment it hits. The face mostly sets the start line; the gap between face and path sets the curve. A hook is a face that points left of the path, and the bigger the gap, the sharper the curve.
That is the symptom. A coach looks for the moment in the swing where the face starts closing on the path. On video, that moment is usually one of three.
Where it usually starts
- 1
The grip
If the left hand sits too far around the handle, you see three or four knuckles from above, and the face closes by itself. A face-on video shows the grip before the club moves.
- 2
The forearms
The hands roll over too early, around and just after impact. It happens when the swing drops steeply inside and you try to save the ball. A down-the-line video shows whether the club hangs too far behind your body.
- 3
The path
The club comes too much from the inside, perhaps because the ball sits too far back in the stance or the shoulders point right. The ball starts right, and because the face does not match the path, it turns hard back. From down the line you see how far the club drops inside.
One feel and one drill
Feel: The hands carry the club through the ball instead of turning it over. In other words, after impact the face stays quiet for a moment before the forearms rotate. A few words for the range: "Face stays, toe points up."
Drill with reps: half swings to hip height with a pause after impact. Check that the toe of the club, the tip of the face, points to the sky. Ten reps without a ball, then eight balls at half speed, then eight a little faster. Self-check: if the toe points left or down, you are still rolling early: weaken the grip a touch so you see two knuckles from above, and repeat.
Give it weeks, not minutes, and measure it on the ball, not in the mirror: if five balls do not curve less, the cause is somewhere else. Change grip, path and forearms all at once and you can turn a hook into a slice. The twin topic is here: how to fix a slice.
Your own cause on video
The analysis below reads a video of your swing, measures your body on each frame and names one cause. Tell Morris the ball goes left and its priority has to explain that. You get your key-position frames, the feel and the drill in about three minutes, free and without an account. More on the method: how the swing analysis works and golf drills with reps.
Film your swing and let Morris find your cause
Drop a video of one swing here
One swing, face-on or down the line, your whole body in the frame. Up to 20 seconds.
Your video is used only for this analysis and is deleted after 30 days. No name, no email, no account.
Hook questions
Why do I hook the golf ball?
Because at impact the club face points left of where the club is travelling (for a right-hander). The ball starts right or straight and curves hard left. Usually the path comes from well inside and the hands close the face early or too much. Why it happens is what a video shows.
What is the difference between a hook, a draw and a pull?
A draw is a gentle curve to the left that you want. A hook is the same curve, harder, and it ends in the rough or out of bounds. A pull starts left and flies straight: face and path agree, but both point left of the target. The start line tells you which it is: right or straight and then left is a hook, left from the start is a pull.
Is my grip causing the hook?
Often. A grip turned too far away from the target, with three or four knuckles of the left hand visible from above, makes it easy to close the face. But many hookers hold the club fine and close the face with the forearms because the club approaches from too far inside and they try to save the shot.
Is a hook worse than a slice?
Not necessarily, but it often flies lower and runs further, and the curve is shorter and sharper, so it finds the rough or out of bounds quickly. The way out is the same as for a slice: one cause, one feel, one drill. A draw is just a hook with less gap between face and path.
Can I tell the cause from the ball flight alone?
Partly. A ball that starts right or straight and curves left means the face is closed to the path. How much of that is grip, forearms or path needs a video, face-on or down the line.
Let Morris see your swing
Film one swing on your phone and send it: he tells you what the clubface is doing and which drill fixes it.
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