The Golfer's Other Curse: A Systematic Guide to Fixing Your Hook

A draw is a controlled, gentle right-to-left ball flight (for right-handed golfers) that typically adds distance and is considered the "pro" shot shape. A hook is an uncontrolled, severe right-to-left curve that often results in lost balls and penalty strokes. The key difference is the degree of face-to-path relationship: a draw has a slightly closed face to path (-2° to -4°), while a hook has a dramatically closed face to path (-6° or more).

Look down at your lead hand (left hand for right-handed golfers) when you grip the club. If you can see 4 or more knuckles, your grip is likely too strong and will encourage the clubface to close through impact. A neutral grip should show 2-3 knuckles, and the "V" formed by your thumb and index finger should point toward your trail shoulder. If you're consistently hooking the ball, weakening your grip is often the first adjustment to make.

When you aim your body to the right to compensate for a hook, you're essentially setting up for an even more exaggerated in-to-out swing path. Your body naturally wants to swing along the line where it's aligned. So aiming right encourages your club to approach the ball from even more inside, which increases the face-to-path differential and creates an even more severe hook. This creates a vicious cycle where each compensation makes the problem worse.

The timeline varies by individual, but with focused, deliberate practice using the right drills and feedback tools, many golfers see significant improvement within 2-4 weeks. The key is consistent practice with immediate feedback—this is where training aids like the Pathpal system excel. By providing physical constraints that prevent the old pattern and encourage the new one, you can retrain your motor patterns much faster than with verbal cues alone. Most golfers report noticeable changes within the first few practice sessions, with lasting improvement after 3-6 weeks of regular practice.

Yes! This is where the versatility of the Pathpal system shines. Because a slice and a hook are opposite swing path problems, a training aid that can create different physical guides for different paths is ideal. The Pathpal's adjustable alignment stick slots allow you to create barriers that prevent an over-the-top move (for slicers) or an excessive in-to-out path (for hookers). Its ground tunnels also ensure perfect alignment every time, which is the foundation for fixing either issue. This makes it an excellent investment for golfers at any skill level, as it can adapt to whatever swing flaw needs correcting.

The "stuck" position occurs when the club drops too far behind your body on the downswing, usually caused by an overly flat swing plane or excessive lateral hip movement. When this happens, your body rotation stalls because there's no room for the club to pass through. The only way to save the shot is a violent flip of the hands, which snaps the clubface closed and produces a hook. To avoid getting stuck, focus on keeping the club more in front of your chest throughout the swing and ensure your body continues rotating through impact. The "High Hands Exit" drill described in this article is specifically designed to train this movement pattern.