What Is a Hook in Golf?

A golf shot that dives sharply to the left on an uncontrollable curve can be one of the most destructive shots in the game. This shot, known as a hook, robs you of distance, accuracy, and confidence. This article will break down exactly what a hook is, the common reasons it happens, and provide you with clear, actionable steps and drills to straighten out your ball flight for good.

What Exactly Is a Hook in Golf?

At its core, a hook is a shot that, for a right-handed golfer, curves significantly and uncontrollably from right to left. For a left-handed golfer, the ball will curve from left to right. Its often a low, quick-diving shot that seems to fall out of the sky and can easily turn a straightforward hole into a scramble for bogey or worse.

Many golfers confuse a hook with a draw, but they are not the same. A draw is a gentle, controlled right-to-left shot shape that many pros use for added distance and positioning. A hook is an overdone, uncontrolled version of a draw. Think of a draw as a fine-tuned instrument, a hook is the same instrument being played too loud and out of harmony. The ball starts right of your target and then curves so dramatically left that it misses the target entirely on the other side.

The Simple Physics of a Hook

To fix a hook, it helps to understand why the ball is curving so much. It all comes down to two things at the moment of impact: your clubface angle and your swing path.

• Clubface Angle: This determines the initial direction of the spin imparted on the ball. In the case of a hook, your clubface is "closed," meaning it's pointing to the left of your swing path at impact.
• Swing Path: This is the direction the clubhead is traveling through the hitting area. A hook is typically caused by an "in-to-out" swing path, where the club attacks the ball from inside the target line and swings out toward the right.

Here’s a simple way to think about it: Imagine your swing path as the direction your car is driving, and your clubface is the steering wheel. With a hook, the car (swing path) is heading out to the right, but the steering wheel (clubface) is cranked hard to the left. The result is a violent left turn after an initial push to the right.

The Main Culprits: What Causes a Devastating Hook?

Now that you know what's happening from a physics perspective, let's look at the most common flaws in the swing itself that produce this result. You’ll probably find that one or more of these apply to your swing.

Culprit #1: An Overly "Strong" Grip

The number one cause of a hook is almost always the grip. When coaches talk about a "strong" grip, they don’t mean how tightly you hold the club. A strong grip means your hands, particularly your top hand (the left hand for a righty), are rotated too far away from the target, over the top of the handle.

• The Checkpoint: Look down at your grip at address. If you can see three or all four knuckles on your top hand, your grip is likely too strong. Another checkpoint is the "V" formed by your thumb and index finger on your top hand, if it points outside of your rear shoulder (your right shoulder for a righty), it's a dead giveaway.
• Why It Causes a Hook: This hand position pre-sets the clubface in a closed position or encourages your hands to rotate aggressively through impact. Your body naturally wants to return to a more neutral state, and for a strong grip, this means the hands will "roll over" and shut the clubface down at impact, sending the ball left.

How to Fix It: Neutralize Your Grip

Getting your hands into a neutral position is the foundation for a straight shot. Follow these steps:

1. Let your lead arm hang naturally by your side. Notice how your palm faces slightly inward, not straight forward or backward. That’s the position we want to replicate on the club.
2. Place your top hand on the grip so you can see only two knuckles when you look down.
3. Check the "V" between your thumb and index finger. It should point roughly at your trail shoulder (right shoulder for righties).
4. 's do the same for your bottom hand (right hand for righties). It should slide onto the club so its palm is essentially facing an extended left hand, almost as if you’re palms in, getting ready for applause. The "V" on your bottom hand should also point toward your trail shoulder.

This will feel strange at first if you're used to a strong grip. You might even feel like you're going to hit a massive slice, but stick with it. It’s the correct foundation for controlling the clubface.

Culprit #2: An Extreme Inside-to-Out Swing Path

A little bit of an in-to-out path is good - it's what creates a draw. But too much of a good thing quickly becomes a problem. When your swing path gets excessively from the inside, you are forced to use your hands to "save" the shot, which often leads to a hook.

• The Cause: This path is often the result of your arms getting "stuck" behind your body during the downswing. As your hips fire and turn aggressively, your arms can get left behind, forcing them to swing out to the right to catch up. Another cause is getting your weight stuck on your back foot.
• The feeling here is as if your whole swing feels trapped on the way down, and you have to "throw" your arms and the club at the ball.

How to Fix It: The Alignment Stick Gate Drill

This drill is fantastic for retraining your swing path to be more neutral, or "on plane."

1. Take two alignment sticks or even two headcovers.
2. Place one on the ground just outside and behind the golf ball.
3. Place the second one just inside and in front of the golf ball.
4. This creates a "gate" that your club must swing through. To avoid hitting either stick, you're forced to bring the club down on a more neutral path, not an excessively in-to-out one. Start with slow, half-swings to get the feel before moving to full speed.

Culprit #3: Overactive Hands and Wrists

This often goes hand-in-hand with a stuck-in-to-out swing path. When your body rotation stops too early through the hitting zone, your hands and arms take over to generate speed. This "flipping" motion sends the right hand rolling over the left (for righties) in a hurry, which snaps the clubface shut and puts ferocious hook spin on the ball.

• The Cause: The body leads the downswing through rotation. If your hips and chest stop turning toward the target at impact, the arms have no choice but to take over independently. Power should come from the big muscles (your core and glutes), not the small muscles (your hands and forearms).

How to Fix It: Feel Your Chest Finish at the Target

To combat overactive hands, you need to feel your body leading the swing all the way through the shot.

1. Set up to the ball normally.
2. Hit shots at about 70% of your normal speed.
3. Your one and only swing thought should be: "Rotate my chest so it faces the target at the finish."
4. Focus on keeping your hands and wrists quiet and passive. They are just holding on for the ride. You’ll feel a sense of connection between your arms and your torso, as if they are one unit. When done correctly, the clubface remains stable through impact instead of flipping shut. Your shot might feel less powerful at first, but it will be much straighter.

Turn That Nasty Hook Into a Powerful Draw

Here’s the good news: if you are hooking the ball, you have some power in your swing. A hook is simply misdirected power. Unlike a slice, which often comes from a glancing blow with an open face, a hook comes from a compressed hit where the face is just aimed in the wrong direction. You’re already doing something right, we just need to dial it back.

Once you’ve worked on the fixes above, try this finishing thought to transform your hook into a controllable draw:

• "Hold Off the Release": As you swing through impact, feel like the back of your lead hand (your left hand for a righty) points toward the target for just a split second longer. Imagine you are trying to "hold off" that rapid roll of your hands. This doesn’t mean you stop your body, your chest should still be rotating through. This feeling will prevent the aggressive clubface closure that defines a hook, turning it into a gentle, controlled curve.

Final Thoughts

Struggling with a hook can be incredibly frustrating, but understanding the root cause is the first step toward a permanent fix. That wild left curve is almost always a product of a closed clubface in relation to an in-to-out swing path, frequently caused by a strong grip, a stuck downswing, or overactive hands. By methodically checking your grip and using drills to neutralize your path and quiet your hands, you can tame that hook into a reliable, powerful shot.

It can often be a challenge to self-diagnose what's going haywire in the heat of a round. With my technology, Caddie AI acts as your personal on-demand coach. If a hook suddenly appears on the 5th hole, you can describe your shot or even take a photo of a tricky lie to get instant advice on what might be happening and how to play the shot. Off the course, you can ask for specific drills for any swing fault, getting a simple, actionable plan to work on at the range so you show up to your next round feeling confident and in control.