Swing Change = Monster Hook

[Travtex]

Started experimenting with a swing change this morning at the range. Now that I've been managing to make consistent contact, and to get the ball in the air more often than not, I've started trying to get my lower body a bit more active.

I found that using my forward knee as a swing trigger helped me to fully clear my hips. I had been stopping at about 45* short of my target, and of course whizzing things off to the left every time (Lefty).

Engaging my legs and hips a bit more has helped to fix this problem, as well as helping to keep my brain out of my arms. I think I'm uncoiling more appropriately and keeping my arms a bit more loose.

Results were promising, with a few twitches.

One in particular was a nasty recurring hook. My first speculation is that now that my hips are clearing fully, the super-strong grip I'd adopted before is causing the club face to close. I had my thumb almost in direct opposition to the club face, as I had a great deal more control over it that way. (Perhaps that was "hitting" instead of "swinging"?)

Also got me topping my driver a few times, but I did hit it much straighter than I had before (Nasty slice before the change).

Ideas? Would a grip problem cause a sharp hook with the improvement (?) in lower body movement?

[Travtex]

Update: Day Two of Drastic Swing Change.

It's inspiring and terribly disheartening at the same time. My driver and 3w rocketing out, up, and straight. Driver was getting about 210-230 of carry, 20-30 of roll (relatively low trajectory, just by eyeballing it) and straight to straight-slight-fade. 3w carrying round and about 200 yards, didn't seem to matter if I teed it up or hit it off the grass.

Meanwhile, my irons maintained a nasty pull hook and punch-shot flat trajectory.

It's a net loss, at the moment. Yay, woo, learned to hit two clubs straight while forgetting how to hit about five. Stupid game. *laugh*

[chspeed]

Tough to say without seeing swing.

But when people try to activate the lower body, they often clear the hips while hanging back on the right foot. This can lead to a bad hook.

Another possibility is that you are bringing the irons too far inside, and coming over the top.

[Travtex]

I'm definitely getting my weight out in front. I finish with my back foot barely tip-toeing the ground. My grip makes a big difference -- My regular grip = Pull/Hook. I take a neutral grip = Push/Slice.

Still have too much arm in the swing, one of my practice facility pros pointed out. It could just be that I'm wrestling the club around with my arms (Though if I'm doing that, I am doing so in a consistent fashion). Will try to work in a lesson with some video this weekend.

Just wondered if it sounded like something obvious to move from irons ok-woods bad to vice-versa simply by starting to more properly engage the lower body. Thanks!