Driving · Drill
Feel the Opposite to Cure a Hook
Part of our driving programs for slice, hook, push or pull. Build a program with it
A hook usually comes from a path that swings far out to the right, with a face that's closed to it. To fix it, train the opposite for a while. Put a stick in the ground near the ball as a guide. It pushes the club to swing more left through impact. Keep the face a little right of that path. Start with short swings. You should see the ball start left and curve slightly right. You're not trying to build a slice. You're trying to find the middle.
The drill
- Set a stick in the ground as a guide.
- Make short swings that exit to the left.
- Keep the face slightly open to that path.
- Look for a small fade.
- Grow the swing slowly.
Why it works
A hook happens when the clubface points left of the path the club travels on. Spin on the ball follows that gap, so a face closed to the path curves the ball left. If you swing the path more to the left and hold the face a little right of it, the gap flips and the curve reverses. Training the opposite feel moves you past your old pattern so you can settle in the middle.
Common mistakes
- You swing left but let the face close to the path again at impact.Hold the face a touch open to your swing line through impact and check that the ball starts left and curves right.
- You place the stick so close that you hit it or stop the swing short.Set it a safe distance from the ball so you can swing freely and still feel the pull to the left.
- You go to full swings too soon and the old hook comes back.Stay with short swings until the small fade repeats, then lengthen the swing a little at a time.
How you'll know it's working
- The ball starts left of your target and curves gently back to the right.
- You strike the ball from the center of the face with no hard hook spin.
- Your divot or the mark on the grass points left of your target line, not right of it.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Use a short club such as a wedge and make half swings off a tee or a good lie.
Harder: Hit the same small fade with a driver at full speed, or change the shape on request between a straight shot and a fade.
Common questions
Why do I hook the ball?
A hook usually comes from a club path that swings out to the right with the face closed to that path. The ball then spins left in the air.
Will this drill give me a slice?
It should not if you keep the fade small. You are training the opposite feel to find a straight or slightly fading shot, not to build a slice.
