Hooking with Short Irons

[silliwilli]

yeh he says under pressure he can hit a low cut off the heel which he can get into play, not as long as his usual drives but he can control it

[VanillaEps]

Update:

So, as others have suggested, and I had guessed, it was the grip that was causing the severe hooks in my iron game. Yesterday, I scheduled an hour lesson at a small par 3 course in the Hamptons, and was able to cure the hook and learn a lot of new things as a result of my lesson.

First off, for some reason, I had come away from my first lesson thinking that a proper address meant forward pressing on all my iron shots. Its no wonder that I was getting very low ball flights from my iron shots. This instructor promptly told me that forward pressing is suitable for chipping and certain chip shots. In addition, also not a bad idea for windy days where you want to prevent the ball from being carried away. Otherwise, I should be addressing the ball with my hands just inside the inner thigh of my left leg (RH) with the ball placed in relation to the club in hand.

Second thing the instructor taught me was how to create lag between my hands and club. Trying to aim the end of the club towards the ball on the downswing. The first few shots, in trying to implement this new piece to my swing, went awry. But, once I got the hang of it, the ball carried farther, straighter, and with more purpose. I now knew what it meant to create torque and add power to my swing! In doing so, I no longer possessed a natural fade, but created a natural draw to my swing. It was unbelievable to watch and a joy to start to understand.

Hopefully I can recreate this session on the range this week.

[Leek]

You aren't describling a hook, but rather a dead pull. Your path is outside in, and your clubface is closed to the target line.

Fix the path, then fix the clubface.

[lagolfer]

I have the same problem, except with the mid-long irons. I played today and had three bogeys, all from hooks or pull hooks on my approach. This probably happens 50% of the time with a 7 iron and up in my hand. I'm thinking of just opening the clubface and aiming a little left. Or I can try aiming right, as long as right of the green isn't shortsiding myself. Any suggestions?