Snap Hooks will be the death of me.

[jaredshows1]

I have been snap hooking my driver.  It first started out as a little draw and has gotten progressively worse.  I am now hitting my driver 220yds 30ys left! Before this my average drive was about 290yds. What can I do to stop this??????

Thanks,

[mtsalmela80]

Weaker grip?

[jaredshows1]

My grip is neutral.  I videoed my swing yesterday and I saw that I was cupping my wrists, like Dustin Johnson, and the club face was closed at the top.  But now I'm sure how to stop that.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by jaredshows1

My grip is neutral.  I videoed my swing yesterday and I saw that I was cupping my wrists, like Dustin Johnson, and the club face was closed at the top.  But now I'm sure how to stop that.

To be clear, that's a bowed left wrist at the top, not a cupped one.

Also, where is the ball starting? At your target, or even ever so slightly right of your target? Or is it starting well left and then staying there, and traveling low but not curving a whole lot?

[jaredshows1]

Oops, I have a bowed left wrist.  It starts online or slightly right of target pretty high, not as high as I usually hit it, and curves 20-40 yards left.

[DaveyDigger]

I had the same problem until my friend pointed something out to me. At address with the driver, my right shoulder would sneak in to reach for the ball at my left toe. I worked on squaring up my shoulders and getting those legs going and it seemed make a huge difference. Now to figure out why Im going right ;)

Hope that will help you.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by jaredshows1

Oops, I have a bowed left wrist.  It starts online or slightly right of target pretty high, not as high as I usually hit it, and curves 20-40 yards left.

Okay, so if the ball starts online or slightly right, then the clubface is not closed. You can stop worrying about the clubface.

Your path is simply too far to the right. There are a lot of reasons for this, but you'll want to begin swinging "more left." I'd first try to solve this by keeping the armpits "closed" or maintaining pressure between your upper arms (specifically your left arm) and the side/front of your chest. The handle of the golf club will swing lower and "lefter" through impact and in the early part of the follow through.

You notice Dustin Johnson's follow-through? He swings hard left or he'd risk snap hooking the ball too.

There are better examples than Bubba, but I don't have many.

[jaredshows1]

Ok. So basically I am swinging too much from the inside?  I was thinking that I was releasing the club head too quickly. Will this move promote more of a fade?

[colin007]

the fact that the ball is starting off either on line with the target or slightly right of the target means thats where the clubface is pointing at impact.  thats a good thing.  the curvature is coming from you swinging too far in-to-out.  its kind of the opposite of a slicer cutting across the ball.  youre pushing across the ball.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by jaredshows1

I was thinking that I was releasing the club head too quickly. Will this move promote more of a fade?

You weren't releasing the club too quickly, no.

The movement I'm talking about (maintaining the pressure points better) will move the swing path more left. Right now, to make up a number, it's +10 (10 degrees right), so you'd have to start swinging 12 degrees left of where you are now - a BIG change - to start seeing the ball cut. (It's also unlikely that shifting your path left will change the face much, but if it does, it's likely to help it point farther left of the target than anything, so I wouldn't worry about the face pointing more right as you swing more left at all).

Executive summary: swing more left because right now you're swinging way too far right.

[Danattherock]

You might also put some impact stickers on the face of your driver to see exactly where you are hitting the face. The results could be humbling.

Great info above from Erik, been working through similar issues lately as I have hooked the ball for the better part of 20 years. For me, it was a box drill that helped. Take a small cardboard box (or big one) to the range. Line it up 1" from your ball, too far away you should consider as cheating. The box is parallel to your target line essentially. Hit the ball without beating the crap out of the box. If you swing too inside to out, you will hit it, likely binging the ball off the box after impact. It is important that the box extend about one foot or so forward of the ball (toward the target). This will make you swing more to left field if you will. It will facilitate swinging less inside to out. Cheap too.

Lastly, be sure your upper body/shoulders are not stalling in the downswing. If so, it is possible you arms could out race them down and into impact, closing the face as the arms wrap around and in front of you toward the target with shoulders hanging behind. You might try firing your hips, belt buckle, sternum, what ever works, toward the target and ensure you are not letting the arms get away from you. Helped me fix my issues with hooking.

-Dan

[jaredshows1]

Thanks.  I actually hit my driver yesterday and I swung more left like Erik suggested and it worked.  I hit them high and straight with a baby draw that averaged 295yds.

I will continue to work on this issue because it ALWAYS reoccurs at some point.  I will try that drill, it sounds like it could be very effective.

To your last,Danattherock, that is huge issue in my swing.  I tend to not use my lower body.  That is something I am constantly working on.  I used to have too much lower body movement until I had my lesson and they told me that I needed to quiet my lower body.  Since then I have unknowingly taken that advice to the extreme.  As a result my arms outrace everything.

[jaredshows1]

Okay so I played Saturday and I hit two straight drives all day! It was one of my worst days off the tee with a driver.  I was hitting a real bad Pull Hook!  I know I am rotating my hands/arms over too quickly causing my clubface to be closed at impact.  What can I do to stop this???  Any and ALL advice will be appreciated!

[Lefty88888]

Standing closer to the ball fixed my Driver hook!

For me, the distance between my hands and my body is 3/4 the width of my driver.  When I had my hook it was closer to 2 driver widths between my hands and my body.  Play around with this distance because it is very specific.  And make sure this distance doesn't change from swing to swing.  Hope this helps.

This website is the best.  I have improved my game so much because of tips from these instruction forums.  Thanks everyone for all your help.  I hope to get good enough and knowledgeable enough to contribute more myself.

[jaredshows1]

Seriously this is getting old! I don't know what to do to fix this hook. I am hitting big pull hooks. I know that I am rotating the club too quickly causing the club face to be closed at impact but what can I do to stop it!?!?  PLEASE HELP!!!!!

[dak4n6]

Dude, relax. I too enter into wicked pull-hook phases periodically, but I always come back eventually. If your index is a 6 you must have also gone throught this before?

I am just emerging from a two month long pull-hooking phase.  Turns out I had really flattened my swing trying to show my son how to not come OTO and out-in.

Try making your swing plane more vertical and come into the ball a little more steeply.  If you still need more rightness, weaken the left hand a bit.  I am now hitting pretty consistent power fades, although a pull still pops up every now and then..

[Sultan Gris]

Jared,

I am sure you understand your club-head is out of position at impact.  Now you need to understand what is causing it so lets work backwards.

What movement initiates your downswing?

There is another possibility but with your handicap and distance off the tee, I  am guessing your problem starts and ends with the start of your downswing.

[jaredshows1]

Oh yeah I know it all has to do with face impact.  I have taught my self to initiate my downswing with my lower body and drop my right elbow, that whole swing thought.  When I don't, my arms outrace by body and I hook the ball. When I purposefully do start the downswing with my lower body I either nail it down the middle with a little draw or I block it off the map.  The hooks just come out far too often.

This has all appeared since I was told by a pro that I had too much movement/rotation in my lower body. So I stopped using so much of my lower body and now I am hooking it.