How to stop a hook with the Driver

by George Z.

Bo,

If I stand up in a nice driver position I will hit a hook usually 150-200 yards about 10 feet high. If I crouch down and reach way out, open club face a little I can hit some great drives but I also hit some big fades or fat shots not to mention bad balance.

Should my arms stay in front of my chest on the takeaway or do the arms lead away to create resistance and then the chest catches up some. No pros for help within 100 miles, any ideas or suggestions appreciated.

George Z.

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George,

To stop a hook with the driver you must first evaluate where the ball flight is starting. For example, is your ball flight starting left of your target and then curving more offline?

If this is the case then you have an issue with your swing path and clubface alignment through impact. The ball will always start 85% to wherever the face is pointing at contact then if there is a difference in the direction of the face and swing path then in most cases you will have curvature of the ball. To understand what this looks like visit D Plane.

Once you have narrowed down what your face and swing path are doing through impact then you can start to diagnose what is causing the issue in your swing. Without video and what you have described in your question, I believe you are experiencing what is called a pull hook.

A pull hook is a ball flight that starts left of the target and curves more away from your target. Whenever you open the face is when you experience a curve in the opposite direction.

In order for you to fix this you will need to strive for a swing path through impact that is more in line with the target and a club face that is square. There are several ways you can accomplish a swing path that is more neutral and not so far left of the target by doing the following:

• Use less rotation of the hips through impact and follow through

• Focus on the pressure in your left foot when you finish your swing and make sure it is placed in the upper left ball of your foot and not on your heel

• The right foot at your finish should have weight on the left side of your big toe which will prevent excess rotation of your hips

• Make sure your left arm in the backswing and downswing stay underneath your left pec muscle

By following those guidelines I am confident that you will experience a more neutral swing path through impact. Remember that your clubface has the most importance at point of collision with the ball, so adjust accordingly.

For your case, once the path is more neutral then be sure to open your club face at address a few degrees to experiment. The goal isn't necessarily to hit straight shots every single shot but rather a consistent shot shape.

I hope this helps. Please comment below if you have any further questions about how to fix a hook with the driver.

Bo