The Anti-Hook Plane Drill

A hook is almost always the result of an in-to-out swing path combined with a clubface that is closed relative to that path at impact. The root of the in-to-out path is usually a flat, rolling takeaway — the club gets buried too far inside early in the backswing, which forces an aggressive loop from the inside on the way down. Mark Heartfield's Anti-Hook Plane Drill targets the takeaway directly by placing a pathpal and alignment stick behind the ball, creating a physical boundary that prevents the club from rolling inside from the very first move.

Mark splits the pathpal into a two-station setup: one unit behind the ball with an alignment stick to guard against a flat, inside takeaway, and a second unit in front of the ball to guard against an in-to-out follow-through. The rear stick catches any club that rolls inside going back; the front stick catches any path that swings too far right through impact. Together they create a 3D channel that physically forces the correct plane in both directions — something a single alignment stick on the ground simply cannot replicate.

"Swinging left" means the club's path through the impact zone moves from in-to-out toward neutral or slightly out-to-in — left of the target line for a right-handed golfer. When combined with a square or slightly open clubface, this produces a fade rather than a hook. Mark targets a path of around -0.5° (slightly left) and achieves -5.6° in his demonstration, producing a controlled baby fade. The key insight is that swinging left doesn't mean pulling — it means neutralizing the excessive in-to-out bias that the flat takeaway was creating.

Yes — and Mark demonstrates exactly this in the video, filming from his indoor simulator at The Ridge Club during winter. The pathpal's padded foam construction makes it simulator-safe, and the alignment sticks sit securely in the built-in slots without any risk of damaging the bay. The added benefit indoors is that simulator data — specifically club path in degrees — gives you precise, real-time confirmation that the drill is working. Mark targets -0.5° path and sees -5.6° with a square face, confirming his fade is genuine and not just a feel.

Mark targets a club path of approximately -0.5° — just slightly left of the target line. Paired with a square clubface (near 0° face angle), that combination reliably produces a straight shot or a gentle fade. If your path is reading +4° or higher (positive = in-to-out) and your face is also closed, you have the classic hook recipe. The goal isn't to overcorrect to a steep out-to-in path; it's to bring the number toward neutral. Mark's result of -5.6° in the drill is slightly aggressive for a target, but directionally correct and producing the shape he wants.