Low Duck Hook Driver!

[Brickman]

I’m having real issues with my driver which are ruining my rounds.  Real low duck hooks off the tee barely goingb100 yards.  Irons are crisp and fine.  I can’t figure it out so I’m reaching out somebody that has had this issue might be able to make some suggestions to help.  Thank you!

[saevel25]

Hard to say what you are doing unless you start a My Swing thread and post a video of your swing. 

[iacas]

Face is closed and your compensation is to swing out, typically with very little loft. Lack of backspin also makes it easier to tilt the spin axis hard in the hook direction.

But… a Member Swing topic would be helpful.

[HitemHard]

If I was going to try to help someone fix a low snap hook without actually seeing their swing I would have to tell them to break down the problem into pieces. See if you can fix the "low" part of the problem first. A low ball flight tells me you are probably swinging level or hitting down on the ball instead of hitting up on it. Try teeing the ball higher than you are comfortable and put the ball up in your stance a little further up than comfortable...try putting it off your left heal or even the left toe. Try to feel like your club head is swinging up through impact. Try that first and see if it gets you to a high snap hook or a high pull hook. 
 

If you want to address the hook part of the swing you are going to have to look at two areas of the swing as well as your concept of what the arms and hands do through impact. I love talking through this stuff with people but I'll only go into it further if you really want to go down that rabbit hole...you would have to say so. Swing well my friend!

[saevel25]

On 12/11/2024 at 11:05 PM, HitemHard said:

A low ball flight tells me you are probably swinging level or hitting down on the ball instead of hitting up on it.

Not necessarily. You can hit up on the ball, and if you take a 10-degree driver and close it down to 5 degrees and swing out like 10 degrees. You can hit some nasty snap hooks. (been there and done that 😉). 

On 12/11/2024 at 11:05 PM, HitemHard said:

ry teeing the ball higher than you are comfortable and put the ball up in your stance a little further up than comfortable...try putting it off your left heal or even the left toe. Try to feel like your club head is swinging up through impact. Try that first and see if it gets you to a high snap hook or a high pull hook. 

Might not help with the duck hook. Swinging up more can cause a person to swing out, which will cause it to hook more. Swinging down and left (a fade or slice path) feel might be better. I had a nasty hook for a while, to play functional golf, I had to feel like I was swinging like 20 degrees outside to in through impact. I would hit it straight. The swing felt like I was hitting down, but the ball went normal trajectory. 

Feel isn't real. I wouldn't suggest mechanisms that cause the ball to draw more to someone who is duck hooking the ball. 

Again, to the OP, create a My Swing thread, and lets some of us get some eyes on the swing for more concrete suggestions. 

 

[ChetlovesMer]

On 9/2/2024 at 10:02 AM, Brickman said:

I’m having real issues with my driver which are ruining my rounds.  Real low duck hooks off the tee barely goingb100 yards.  Irons are crisp and fine.  I can’t figure it out so I’m reaching out somebody that has had this issue might be able to make some suggestions to help.  Thank you!

As many have already said. Without seeing your swing it's really hard to know for sure what's causing your issue. I will say I had similar results way back in the early 2000's. My irons were okay, but my driver kept producing ugly, worm-burning duck hooks that were impossible to play. 

The golf coach I had at the time (honestly not as good as my current coach, but not terrible). Helped me with the simplest solution possible. At the time I was coming way off the ball to the trail side during my back swing and then going way past the ball on my swing. My head was moving like 18 inches. It was ugly. (Both my head and my movement. 😜) When I saw it on video I was shocked how bad it looked. It was relatively easy to tame though after I saw it. 

The point of that is not that you should think that's the same problem you are having. The point of that is that you should get some quality video of your swing. 

Let us know how you get on. Good luck. 

[GolfLug]

I think it's rare for someone to be consistently hitting low hard dipping duck hooks without a super strong grip. I can't comment on anything else without seeing their swing.

[saevel25]

1 hour ago, GolfLug said:

I think it's rare for someone to be consistently hitting low hard dipping duck hooks without a super strong grip. I can't comment on anything else without seeing their swing.

Extremely outward path with a very closed club face. Maybe unless you have a stupidly weak grip, like right hand way over top, I don't think the grip is necessary highly correlated to this. 

[GolfLug]

On 12/17/2024 at 6:10 PM, saevel25 said:

Extremely outward path with a very closed club face. Maybe unless you have a stupidly weak grip, like right hand way over top, I don't think the grip is necessary highly correlated to this. 

Matt, the equation is simple from my perspective. Stronger the grip, greater the potential of application for twist torque at impact. And if it it is combined with an extreme outward path as you say, god help you. Not too many skilled players with super strong grips, are there?

Sure, it's all about match-ups but the connection to super strong grips and duck hooks is common from what I see and have dealt with myself.