Ever hit a golf shot that starts left of your target and just keeps veering left with a mind of its own? That frustrating, uncontrollable hook or pull is one of the most common issues golfers face, and often, the root cause is a simple concept: a closed club face. This article will show you what a closed club face is, identify the common habits that cause it, and give you practical, easy-to-follow steps and drills to get your club face back to square and starting the ball right on target.
Simply put, for a right-handed golfer, a club face is “closed” when it is pointing to the left of your intended target line at the moment of impact. If it's closed before you even start your swing (at address), you're already setting yourself up for trouble. But the most important moment is impact - that's what dictates where the ball goes.
Think about it like this: the club face is your golf ball's steering wheel. If the steering wheel is pointed straight ahead at impact, the ball will start straight. If the steering wheel is pointed right (an open face), the ball will start right. If it’s pointed left (a closed face), the ball is going to start left. No amount of swing heroics can overcome a severely closed club face at the critical moment of truth.
It's important to understand that a "closed" face is relative to your target line. You can also have a club face that is closed relative to your swing *path*, which is what causes different kinds of crooked shots. Don't worry about getting bogged down in the physics, just remember this key idea: a closed-at-impact face is sending that golf ball somewhere you don't want it to go.
A consistently closed club face doesn't just produce one bad shot, it creates a pattern of mis-hits that can destroy your confidence and your scorecard. Here are the two main culprits that show up on the course:
Beyond the directional misses, a closed face also robs you of distance by de-lofting the club - turning a 7-iron into something more like a 5-iron - and creating an inconsistent, low ball flight that doesn't hold greens well.
Fixing a closed club face starts with identifying the habit that’s causing it. More often than not, it's one of these four common swing characteristics. Let's look at each one and how you can correct it.
In golf, a "strong" grip is a bit of a misleading term. It doesn't mean you're squeezing the life out of the club. It refers to the positioning of your hands, specifically having them rotated too far away from the target (to the right for a right-handed player). This is easily the number one cause of a closed club face.
How to Spot It: Look down at your grip at address. If you can see three or four knuckles on your top (left) hand, your grip is likely too strong. You may also notice the "V" formed by your thumb and index finger is pointing towards your right shoulder or even outside of it. This position pre-sets your wrists to naturally want to roll over and "close" the face through impact.
The Fix: The Neutral Grip
Your hold on the club is the steering wheel, and a neutral grip gives you the best chance to keep the club square.
It will feel weird at first. Any grip change feels odd, but committing to a neutral grip gives your hands a more passive role, allowing the large muscles of your body to control the swing and square the face without extra manipulation.
Your swing is heavily influenced by how you set up to the ball before you even take the club back. A couple of subtle setup flaws can force you into a motion that shuts the face.
How to Spot It: The main issue here is ball position. Playing the ball too far back in your stance (closer to your trail foot) is a common cause. When the ball is too far back, you make contact with it too early in your swing arc. At that point, the club face hasn't had time to rotate back to a square position and is naturally still closed.
The Fix: Find the Middle
Getting your ball position right provides the time and space for the club to return to square.
Try placing an alignment stick on the ground to give you a clear reference for the middle of your stance, and check it as you practice.
Some golfers get a little too "handsy" at the bottom of the swing. This is an aggressive rolling of the wrists and forearms through the impact zone, where the hands and club head race past the body. It’s often a player’s attempt to fix a slice, but they overdo it and create a hook instead.
How to Spot It: On video, it looks like a "flip." The lead wrist bows significantly through impact. As a feel, it feels like all the power is coming from your hands and arms actively snapping the club through the ball, rather than from a powerful body turn.
The Fix: Unwind From the Body
The power in the golf swing comes from your body’s rotation, not your hands. The downswing should be initiated by a slight shift of weight to your lead side, followed by the unwinding of your hips and torso. Your arms and hands are just along for the ride. The sensation is that your hands are staying relatively quiet while your body turn pulls them through the impact zone. This synchronizes your club with your body and makes it much easier to deliver a square face.
This is closely related to the previous point. If your lower body - particularly your hips - stops turning through the shot, your arms and hands run out of room and are forced to flip over to keep the club moving. This rapid flip slams the club face shut.
How to Spot It: Look at your finish position. Are you "flat-footed," with most of your weight still on your back foot? Is your belt buckle still pointing at the ball or behind it? These are signs that your body stalled, and your arms took over.
The Fix: Finish Toward the Target
Your primary thought should be to rotate your whole body all the way through to a full, balanced finish. As you come into impact and beyond, keep turning. The goal is to get your chest and hips facing the target. This ensures your weight gets to your lead foot (about 90% of it) and your trail foot heel comes up off the ground naturally. A good finish isn't just for looks, it's proof that your body led the way, preventing that face-closing stall.
Understanding the concepts is one thing, but feeling the correct motion is another. Here are three simple drills you can do at the range.
Grip the club with your hands separated by 3-4 inches. Taking slow, half-speed swings, you’ll immediately feel how your body rotation, not your wrists, controls the club face. It’s almost impossible to "flip" the club with this grip, forcing you to develop the feeling of a body-led release.
Take two tees and place them in the ground just outside the heel and toe of your clubhead at address, creating a narrow "gate." Your object is to swing throughインパクト without hitting either tee. This drill promotes a neutral swing path and discourages the kind of in-swing hand manipulations that lead to a closed or open face.
This is less of a drill and more of a swing focus. Hit short iron shots at 70% speed. Your only thought is to get to a perfectly balanced finish position and hold it for three full seconds after the ball is gone. Make sure your chest is pointing at the target, your weight is on your lead foot, and your trail heel is up. This ingrains the feeling of your body pulling the club through instead of stalling.
A closed club face is a frustrating issue responsible for momentum-killing hooks and pulls, but it's completely fixable. By systematically checking your grip, setup, and key swing motions, you can diagnose the true cause and use targeted feels and drills to get your club back to delivering a square face at impact.
Of course, sometimes it helps to get an pair of outside eyes on the problem. Golf can feel like a lonely puzzle, but it doesn’t have to be. For those moments when you’re on the range or the course and just can't figure out why every shot is going left, we designed Caddie AI to be your swing coach on demand. You can take a quick video of your swing and ask it to analyze what's causing your hook, or you could snap a picture of a tricky lie in the rough and get simple, straightforward advice in seconds. It’s a great way to skip the frustration and get instant, actionable feedback to help you understand your swing and play with more confidence.
Thinking about hosting a golf tournament fundraiser is the first swing, executing it successfully is what gets the ball in the hole. This guide will walk you through the entire process, step-by-step, from laying the initial groundwork months in advance to watching your happy golfers tee off. We’ll cover everything from securing sponsors and setting your budget to planning the on-course fun that makes an event unforgettable.
A golf handicap does more than just give you bragging rights (or a reason to demand strokes from your friends) - it’s the game’s great equalizer and the single best way to track your improvement. This guide breaks down what a handicap is, how the supportive math behind a handicap index a is, and exactly how you can get one for yourself. We’ll look at everything from Course Rating to Adjusted Gross Score, helping you feel confident both on the course and in the clubhouse.
The compression of a Pinnacle Rush golf ball is one of its most defining features, engineered specifically to help a huge swath of golfers get more distance and enjoyment from their game. We'll break down exactly what its low compression means, who it's for, and how you can use that knowledge to shoot lower scores.
Figuring out which spikes go into your new (or old) pair of Puma golf shoes can feel like a puzzle, but it’s much simpler than you think. The key isn't the brand of the shoe, but the type of receptacle system they use. This guide will walk you through exactly how to identify your Puma's spike system, choose the perfect replacements for your game, and change them out like a pro.
The Golf Genius app is one of the best tools for managing and participating in competitive golf events, but figuring it out for the first time can feel like reading a new set of greens. This guide cuts through the confusion and shows you exactly how to use the app as a player. We’ll cover everything from logging into your tournament and entering scores to checking the live leaderboard so you can enjoy the competition without any tech headaches.
Walking onto the first tee with sweaty palms, worried you’ll be a good partner to paly wtih...or even asked back again ...We’ve all been there - trust me! The real trick of feeling confortable... is about how you handle you’re ready to plsy. THIS guide explains the simple rules of the rode to show you hnow t play golf while staying calm relaxed and focused... an having much morse fun while you,',re aat it? You'll also play with confidence a dn make fiendsa while you're at i
Just ask a question or share a photo and Caddie gives personalized guidance for every shot - anytime, anywhere.
