Nothing is more frustrating than hitting what feels like a powerful, solid shot, only to watch it break sharply left and dive out of bounds. The overdraw, or hook, is a destructive shot that can turn a potential birdie into a double-bogey in a hurry. The good news is that a hook is usually caused by just a few common issues that are entirely fixable. This guide will walk you through how to diagnose the root cause of your hook and give you clear, actionable steps to turn that overdraw back into a straight shot or a gentle, controllable draw.
Before we can fix the problem, we need a simple picture of what’s happening. A golf ball hooks (for a right-handed golfer) for one simple reason: at the moment of impact, your clubface is pointed significantly to the left of your swing path. Think of it like this: your club is swinging out towards the right of your target, but the face of the club is looking left of where the club is heading. That combination of path and face angle is what puts that violent, left-curving spin on the ball.
A gentle draw is a beautiful, controlled shot shape that many players desire. An overdraw or a hook is that shot on steroids - too much of a good thing that has gone rogue. The cause is almost always an exaggeration of the elements that create a draw: an overly closed clubface, an excessively inside-to-out swing path, or a combination of both.
Most hooks aren’t born from one single flaw, but a chain reaction of a few common faults. Let's look at the most frequent culprits. When you read these, be honest with yourself about which one sounds most like you.
This is ground zero for a majority of hooks. Often, golfers hear the term "strong grip" and think it means gripping the club tighter, but it actually refers to the positioning of your hands. A strong grip is one where your top hand (left hand for righties) is rotated too far over the top of the club, away from the target. From your perspective at address, you might see three, four, or even all the knuckles on your top hand. Your bottom hand then typically rolls too far underneath to compensate.
Why it causes a hook: This hand position naturally wants to return to a neutral state during the swing. As you swing down and through impact, your hands will over-rotate, causing the clubface to slam shut. You’ve pre-loaded the club to be closed at impact, and it takes very little effort for it to get there.
Self-Check:
If you answered yes to either of these, your grip is a likely source of your overdraw.
To hit a draw, the club needs to approach the ball from slightly inside the target line and swing out towards the right of the target (for a righty). This is a good thing! The problem begins when this path becomes extreme. Players who hook the ball often drop the club way too far behind them on the downswing, getting it "stuck."
Why it causes a hook: When the club gets stuck too far behind you, your body's athletic instincts take over to save the shot. You have to use your hands and wrists to aggressively "flip" the clubhead at the ball to try and square it up. This rapid rotation of the hands almost always causes the clubface to shut down too an overdraw. Your body recognizes it can't lead the swing properly, so it hands over control to the small muscles in the hands, which are incredibly difficult to time consistently.
Self-Check:
This fault is closely linked to the a path that is too far from the inside, but it can also be a standalone problem. The engine of the golf swing should be your body’s rotation - your hips and torso turning through the shot. When golfers stall this rotation and stop turning their bodies through impact, the arms and hands have no choice but to take over.
Why it causes a hook: Think of your body as the ship and your arms as the rudder. If the ship stops turning, the rudder has to do all the work, swinging wildly. When your hips stop rotating toward the target, your arms and hands fly past your body and snap the club shut. Powerful, tour-level swings look effortless because the body turn and the arm swing are synced beautifully. A hook often happens when that sequence breaks down.
Self-Check:
Now that you have a better idea of what might be causing your overdraw, let's get to work on fixing it. Focus on one of these steps at a time. Trying to change everything at once is a recipe for frustration.
If you identified the grip as your main issue, this is your starting point. It will feel strange - even weak - at first, but stick with it. This is the single most important connection you have to the club.
Hit short, easy shots at the range with this new grip until it starts to feel more normal.
To train your swing path to be less aggressively from the inside, you need physical feedback. Here are two fantastic drills.
This is a simple but effective one. Place one ball where you'd normally hit it. Place a second ball about four inches outside (further from you) and two inches behind the target ball. The goal is to hit the target ball without making contact with the outside ball. If your path is too far from in-to-out, you will hit the second ball on your downswing. This drill forces you to keep the club moving more down the target line through impact.
Another great visual tool. Place your headcover about a foot outside your ball. Place another object (like a towel or another headcover) about a foot inside your ball and slightly back. You’ve created a "gate" that you need to swing the club through. This makes it very obvious if the club is coming too far from behind you or over the top.
The best way to quiet overactive hands is to give your body a bigger role to play. The goal here is to feel the big muscles lead the way, not the small ones.
Take your normal setup and make swings where you only go back until your left arm is parallel to the ground (9 o'clock) and follow through until your right arm is parallel to the ground (3 o'clock). In this shorter swing, it's very difficult to get "flippy" with your hands. You'll be forced to use your body rotation to power the shot. Focus on the feeling of your chest finishing the swing pointing at the target, even on these short shots.
One of the best swing thoughts to encourage body rotation is to focus on your finish position. After you hit the ball, hold your finish until the ball lands. You should feel about 90% of your weight on your front foot, with your belt buckle and chest facing the target. If you can achieve a balanced, full finish, it's almost impossible to have stalled your rotation and flipped your hands at it.
Taming a hook comes down to matching up your clubface and your swing path. By neutralizing your grip, feeling a less extreme path into the ball, and letting your body rotation lead the downswing, you can eliminate the major causes of an overdraw and get that powerful, destructive shot out of your game for good.
Diagnosing these swing faults on your own can be tough, and sometimes an objective eye makes all the difference. That's why we created Caddie AI. If you're on the range struggling with a persistent hook, you can send a video of your swing and get instant, clear feedback on what might be the culprit. Our AI can help analyze your grip, path, and body motion to give you the personalized insight you need to practice with a purpose and finally straighten out that ball flight.
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