Irons -- Any low-handicap former iron hookers here? -- how did you beat your hook?

[McGeeno]

Some good stuff here.

Everybody is different, but some things help me when I struggle with the hook.

I still battle with it when playing bad, but some things I try to remember (Some already said in here)

1) Dont take the club inside too far;

2) Dont try and compensate with your aim to 'play the hook'. Golf is a game of opposites, the more you close out your stance the more exaggerated the hook can :::and will::: become.

3) Just one for me personally, but I try to finish 'high' on the followthrough. I tend to level off and round my followthrough out if I'm hooking the ball.

[The Recreational Golfer]

1. Take the club back straighter - not so much inside.
2. Hold more tightly with the last three fingers of the left hand and looser with the thumb and forefinger of the right hand, to keep the right hand from turning the club over.
3. Keeping my left wrist bent throughout the swing as it was at address.

[Ben]

When I want to hit a straight shot or fade, I'll close (weaken) my right hand grip and focus on swinging down the line, opposed to inside-out.

I'd also suggest reading Ben Hogan's Five Lessons as well.

[Deryck Griffith]

When you have serious hooking issues (other than in vegas) it probably has little to do with the swing path. More often than not the swing path from the take away to the end of the back swing is just a small part of the issue.

It isn't that simple as casting isn't the only cause of a hook. You can still hit a hook if you aren't casting and coming from the inside.

Personally, I produce a decent amount of lag in my swing and come very in to out which hurts me at times when I want to go hard at the ball. I setup with an open face and when I go hard at it, I sometimes return the club square vs. slightly open and the square face starts it straight and the in-to out path and spins that sucker way left. The only way we can know for sure what is happening is by understand the OP swing more or by seeing it on video.

[Zeph]

I hit a hook from time to time because of two things.

a) I roll the arms over and close the clubface
b) I hit the ball too close to the heel

Fix a) Work on not rolling the arms, keep the left wrist from turning over
Fix b) Stand farther or closer to the ball

You might want to check your takeaway, could be taking the club inside. A video is always useful. The topic says low-handicap, but I don't see what that has got to do with anything.

[CalBoomer]

if your swing is too inside to out your misses will be big hooks and pushes. fix that.

I want to amplify on this insightful comment. Many people assume that the only thing that causes a hook is an inside-out swing and that the only thing that causes a slice is an outside-in swing. Hank Haney educated me (via his book) that the swing plane can profundly influence whether you are likely to hook or slice. A very flat swing plane is almost guaranteed to produce a hook. A very vertical plane (even with an inside-out swing) is very likely to slice. When I find myself hooking too much, I make a conscious effort to get my swing plane more vertical. It usually solves the problem. Fact is, most people do not pay a lot of attention to their swing plane and allow it to drift in either direction at random, which then causes problems that they can't "explain."

[DaSportsGuy]

When your hooking it, get the toe of the club pointing up in the air in your backswing. When I am hooking it, that's the first thing I check and usually it's because my clubface is too closed in the backswing and as you make contact it's closed.

[Randy Looney]

The Grip is a Major key. Also make sure your feet, shoulders AND knees are square and lined up well. Work On keeping the triangle of your arms and stomach together through impact.

[Keep It Simple]

Place the ball slightly farther forward in your stance and practice hitting balls with your right heel firmly planted to the ground throughout your swing (or at least through impact).

[jdg91878]

I have this issue from time to time. I believe my issue is an early release. I focus on my keeping my left wrist firm to prevent the early release.

[Steel]

For me the snap hook is produced when I start "slamming the door"  with the right hand at or just before impact.  When I am at the range I will concentrate on 1 - Swing path and finish high to the target, start with a short iron, 9 or wedge set up to a close target preferably the 100 yrd marker, then slowly work your way up to the irons that are giving you trouble, if possible get a stall directly in front of the 100 yard marker this makes it easier for alignment just keep following through to the marker with all your irons. if that doesn't work I try firming up the left wrist so it is not overpowered at impact by the right, this will help get rid of the "flip" motion at the bottom of the swing.  I work on making the ball go directly over the marker with all my clubs, this way I know my aligment and face position is square to the line.  Hope this helps, fighting the hooks can be a nightmare

[rpolancot]

Possible causes:

1. Too quick with the hands rotation, disconnected from body on impact.
2. Right hand flipping over left hand.
3. Early uncasting of the club (usually combinated with no. 5 and 6 and with a loose of distance, not typical in a 7 to 1 swing as you'll hit it fat unless you compensate with something else))
4. Too strong grip
5. Not transfering weight properly to your left side (properly meaning also in the right kinetic sequence)
6. Right arm too separeted from body on downswing (disconnected)
7. Right shoulder not going under left on downswing (usually a pull-hook combined with No. 6 and 5)
8. etc

I don't think an inside out swing is the problem, but it will magnify the results. Probably too quick with the hands and they get in front of your shoulder movement. Get some video of your swing to try to identify the problem. There are a lot of things than can be wrong as you can see and the "trial and error" method will fustrate you even more. First the problem and then a fixing drill.

Good luck, as you will probably need it.