Hooking Irons

[schmed]

Hey Colin,

Have you got any tips or drills to help me stop hooking with my irons? I hook all of them except my wedges. I hit my woods fairly straight, a little left to right.

[Colin Orr]

Well Schmed what it sounds like is happening is that you are getting a little quick at the top of your swing. Try to slow down your tempo and accelerate through the ball not to the ball. A good drill for this is to take your 5 or 7 iron and try to hit them 100 yds using a slower body turn not just your arms. This is a good drill to help slow down your transition from back swing to down swing, it will also help improve your tempo

[ParT]

Hooking is commonly caused by an outside in club path. Try this. Place a shaft so that it is lined up with the target. When you first start your backswing, fallow the shaft with the head of your club. This will start you reaching a bit further back (be carefull not to start body motion towqrds the back). Next, when you club is parallel to the grond, check the club face of your club. The club face shoud be pointing straight up and down. Next continue your backswing to the 3/4 mark. The angle of your club should be such that it is pointing straight at the shaft you have placed on the ground. Do this several times to geat a feel for the path.

Don't be in a hurry with your backswing. Slowdown and make note of how and where you start from. Good luck

[Weazl]

Some good ideas and things to try here. I may just try them myself as I can't hit a long iron for the life of me! Let me hit my Big Dog all day !

[Andy4Par]

You should also check your grip. A extra strong grip tends to close the club face down at impact resulting in a hook or pull. Wedges are comfort clubs, less distance equals less forcefull swings and impacts....resulting in smoother hits even with a strong grip

[mr shank]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ParT
[B]Hooking is commonly caused by an outside in club path.

This contradicts everything I've heard about hooking or slicing.

If your swing is outside in, would this not cause the ball to slice?

Anyone?

[golfdoc]

If you have an outside-in swing path, but leave your clubface open at impact, you will slice the ball.

If you have an outside-in swing path, but close the face at impact, you will hook the ball.

If you are right handed, and have an inside-out swing path, with a closed clubface at impact, you will hit anything from a slight draw to a hard hook.

An outside-in swingpath and a closed clubface will result in a hard pull, and not really a hook.

[lazzal]

If the ball starts straight and then curves to the right, is that a swing problem or a clubface problem??

If the ball goes straight, but to the right, a push, no curve, is that a swing problem or a clubface orientation problem??

If the ball starts straight and then curves to the left, is that a swing problem or a clubface problem??

Now, the pull, no curve, I assume that is a swing problem [over-the-top] with the clubface orientated too far left??

What do you think??