Golf Digest Schools
Here's why you hook the ball—and how to fix it
If you’ve ever battled a hook, you know how nerve-wracking it can be to stand on a tee with trouble down the left. Adding more control to your game is easier than you might think. Follow along with Chad Middaugh, one of Golf Digest’s Best Young Teachers, as he demonstrates a drill from his Golf Digest Schools video “Golfers Like You: Fixing a Hook.” Learn how to keep your clubface square through impact, and you’ll improve your accuracy with the driver—and all your clubs.
Many golfers hook the ball because they flip their wrists through impact, which closes the clubface. Middaugh has a drill for that: Place a small piece of two-by-four on the ground, lengthwise toward the target. Set up normally, then put your clubface against the end of the board. Now, rehearse your impact position, pushing lightly against the board. Your weight should be on your front foot, and your hands ahead of the clubhead. These positions are essential to maintaining a square face and losing that hook.
After you pose impact a few times, take the club back and swing down slowly, stopping at the board to rehearse your impact position again. Once you have that down, try rotating your hips open and pushing the board straight down the line with the clubhead. This will help you flatten your lead wrist—the opposite of that flipping motion. Add this into your practice routine to stop losing shots to the left.
Watch the drill below:
This is just one of the drills Middaugh teaches in “Golfers Like You: Fixing a Hook,” on Golf Digest Schools now. Middaugh and his student, 15-handicapper Alex Talib, go through a 20-minute lesson, reviewing basic fundamentals and the keys to creating a secure grip, proper backswing and powerful impact. If you hit a hook, or play in fear of one, you won’t want to miss this lesson.
“Golfers Like You: Fixing a Hook” is one of more than 100 video programs in Golf Digest Schools. Take your game to the next level with instruction from the top teachers and players. And with the new Golf Digest Schools app, you can bring it all with you anywhere you go. Check out Golf Digest Schools, a revolutionary experience in golf instruction.