Driving

This Is Why You're Hooking It

July 11, 2016

How was your round last weekend? Anything go wrong? Wouldn't it be nice if you had a teacher to fix it? Golf Digest has the best network of teachers and they're here to help you out. All you need to do is send an email to editor@golfdigest.com with whatever went wrong with your game, and we’ll choose one to have a teacher address in our weekly What The Heck Happened segment.

One of our readers, Taylor, emailed us saying he can't stop hitting hooks. He says he's tried tinkering with his alignment and messing with his grip, but nothing is helping.

To be able to fix a hook, you first need to understand why hooks happen.

Gia Liwski, one of our Golf Digest Best Young Teachers, explains that the arms open the clubface going back as the right elbow folds (for right-handed golfers), and they close the face going through with the bending of the left arm.

When the body turns onto the target leg, the clubface opens. So, you have the body opening the clubface at impact, while the arms close it. Liwski says this means that when your body and your arms are working together in sequence, the clubface is square at impact.

If you’re hooking it, it’s probably because your body isn’t getting through the ball. If your arms are swinging through and your body isn’t, your arms are going to just flip over, shutting the clubface and sending the ball hard left.

Liwski says a good thought to get your body through is to think about getting your weight onto your target leg. This will ensure a full weight shift, a square clubface, and a straight shot.


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