Harnessing your Hook
Some people say that fixing a hook is easier than correcting a slice. Perhaps it is, but personally, I think they are equally hard to fix. To me it seems that the person with the hook struggles just as much to correct it as the person with a slice works to fix the slice. To correct a hook, you need to make some adjustments to your swing and you need to practice those adjustments until they’re ingrained.
Let’s take a look at the various ways to fix a hook:
Use a slicer’s grip
If you hook the ball, it may be due to excessive hand and wrist rotation through the downswing. So instead of hitting the ball with a squared clubface, you hit it with a closed one. If that’s why you hook curing the problem is to adopt a slicer’s grip. At address, instead of having the two folds in your hands between both thumbs and index fingers pointing to the right shoulder (right-handers), point both folds more toward your sternum. The change not only prevents a closed clubface at impact, but also encourages you to get more of your body into your swing.
Turn and burn
Another reason why you may hook is that your body fails to turn during your swing. When the body fails to turn, the clubface closes too fast, causing the ball to hook. If that’s the case, the way to cure the problem is simply to speed up your turn to the target. Increasing your body’s rate of rotation delays the closing of the clubface, eliminating the hook.
Equipment changes
A third way to fix a hook is to make some equipment changes. For one thing you could fatten your grips. That makes it more difficult for you to over-rotate and hook the ball. Another thing you might try is shortening the shafts on your club. The shorter shafts make you stand a little more upright. You may lose some distance doing this, but it’s better being on the fairway short than out of bounds long.
Any of these three approaches will correct your hook. The trick is discovering which one works for you. That’s the one you want to practice until it becomes second nature.
Article used with permission from Jack Moorehouse, who has developed a unique and proven handicap slashing system. If you want to get your handicap down to a respectable level then he can help. Golf doesn’t have to be so difficult and his goal is to help you put the “fun” back in your game.
You can check it out at http://www.break80today.com
