Mid Round Hooks...

[Milwaukeeguy]

On Saturday,on the front 9 and hit a number of really nice high draws with my driver and hit 5 out of 7 fairways. The ball starts slightly right of the target line and draws back to the target line. Great ball flight. About 250 carry (which is long for me).

On the back 9, I hit 2 our of 7, and I lost 3 balls hard left into the woods. Shot a 49. Ugh. The ball is still going 250, but once it hits the ground it's moving HARD left and jumps out of play.

My miss usually starts straight at the target, and turns hard left and ends up in the left rough or the woods.

The past 3 times I've played, this miss becomes exaggerated on the back 9, and once I get a "case of the lefts", it leads me to lose confidence and eventually hang back and block it into the woods. FUN!

So, my question is:

What sort of mid-round small corrections could I try? I think I'm delivering the club from the inside and slamming the face closed, which leads to the hooks. Should I consider weakening my grip on the later holes? Maybe open my stance (relative to the target line) to give my hips a chance to clear? I know how to hold the club off and hit an ugly fade, but I hate to try that and double cross it way right.

I know I could try swinging more towards RF or first base, but I'm a little hesitant to try to deliver the club MORE from the inside... and then get stuck inside.

Any thoughts on what has worked for people? I can't be the only guy who has his swing change throughout the day.

 

[tequila4kapp]

FYI that initial ball direction is mostly determined by face angle, resulting directional changes are mostly the result of swing path. I'll leave the rest to Freddie.

 

[Awkward silence]

Could it just be a fatigue issue?

 

[jlukes]

FYI that initial ball direction is mostly determined by face angle, resulting directional changes are mostly the result of swing path. I'll leave the rest to Freddie.

*face angle relative to Path.

Start straight and going left = inside out swing with club slightly closed to path (but square to target)

 

[TripleBogieTim]

You mentioned that your miss creeps in on the back 9 usually...I have had that issue before too

A nice draw turns into a PULL HOOK....for me it's all about weigh shift and getting though the ball....when you get tired you dont fire through the ball as much and your arms out race your body which makes them turn over quicker and fast which will make the ball start left and hook.

Concentrate on tempo and starting the downswing with a "BUMP" of the lead hip to get the body engaged.

**This tip was given to me by Freddie on the range at last years Morgan Cup**

 

[jlukes]

And I agree with Tim - it happens to me when I get lazy and release the hands while hanging back with the lower body.

 

[flog2424]

This was my case for many years that I fought consistently. For me.... As a little fatigue set in my lower body would get lazy and my upper body would take over. I would hit pull hook after pull hook. I agree with the statement above, really focus on the hips and lower body and make sure they stay aggressive throughout the round


Proud Member of #TeamParadise

 

[Tadashi70]

FYI that initial ball direction is mostly determined by face angle, resulting directional changes are mostly the result of swing path. I'll leave the rest to Freddie.

*face angle relative to Path.

Start straight and going left = inside out swing with club slightly closed to path (but square to target)

I appreciate the thoughts but please refrain from side topics in these threads.

 

[jlukes]

I appreciate the thoughts but please refrain from side topics in these threads.

Don't think it was necessarily a side topic - I think it's important to understand what is producing a certain a shot (face/Path relation) and then work backwards to the causation (weight shift/tempo)

 

[Tadashi70]

Don't think it was necessarily a side topic - I think it's important to understand what is producing a certain a shot (face/Path relation) and then work backwards to the causation (weight shift/tempo)

It's not important to this thread. Some times less is more and swing path charts aren't needed in this occasion. I don't think I have ever requested this until now so please refrain. Don't take it personal, I am making a legit request.

 

[Milwaukeeguy]

Ya, fatigue and hanging back sound right, but would that cause the face to slam shut? I think my clubhead is traveling a similar path the entire round, but I'm closing the clubface down a few degrees, which starts the ball straight and then it goes left, vs starting right, and then coming back.

At least, that's what I THINK is happening.

Should I just concentrate on holding off my release a little bit? Maybe cheat a little by dropping my lead foot back a little as I get tired?

Also, sorry to look for the quick fix, but I'm driving the ball pretty well, so I'm hesitant to try a lot of new swing thoughts/techniques.

OR, maybe I'm being stupid trying to find band-aids for my driver swing...

 

[mancest]

Tired legs leads to hanging back. For me that was straight pulls, for some it is pull fades and some it is pull hooks.

That would be my totally uneducated guess without seeing anything if this is something that isn't regularly occurring.

 

[Tadashi70]

Do you walk or ride? If you ride, I'd start eating a snack on say the 8th hole. An energy bar or protein bar. Maybe stay hydrated to off set the fatigue you are encountering.


As for the face slamming shut, that is not happening. Based on the description of your shot the club is traveling down the target line with a delay in the hips release. If you get the hips to release then let the club follow you will not have this shot. Cheating will make the shot even worse. I would also check your alignment.

Ya, fatigue and hanging back sound right, but would that cause the face to slam shut? I think my clubhead is traveling a similar path the entire round, but I'm closing the clubface down a few degrees, which starts the ball straight and then it goes left, vs starting right, and then coming back.

At least, that's what I THINK is happening.

Should I just concentrate on holding off my release a little bit? Maybe cheat a little by dropping my lead foot back a little as I get tired?

Also, sorry to look for the quick fix, but I'm driving the ball pretty well, so I'm hesitant to try a lot of new swing thoughts/techniques.

OR, maybe I'm being stupid trying to find band-aids for my driver swing...

 

[Milwaukeeguy]

Do you walk or ride? If you ride, I'd start eating a snack on say the 8th hole. An energy bar or protein bar. Maybe stay hydrated to off set the fatigue you are encountering.


As for the face slamming shut, that is not happening. Based on the description of your shot the club is traveling down the target line with a delay in the hips release. If you get the hips to release then let the club follow you will not have this shot. Cheating will make the shot even worse. I would also check your alignment.

Ya, we ride most of the time... and we're drinking beer often. I guess I'll try to mix in some granola with my Miller Lite.

Now, as far as hip release, I assume weight shift is apart of that? I've looked up a couple of drills, namely the "ball forward" drill, and the "stride" drill (take a step with your left foot as you swing).

I assume getting up on my left side will cure my hip rotation?

 

[blugold]

Ya, we ride most of the time... and we're drinking beer often. I guess I'll try to mix in some granola with my Miller Lite.

Now, as far as hip release, I assume weight shift is apart of that? I've looked up a couple of drills, namely the "ball forward" drill, and the "stride" drill (take a step with your left foot as you swing).

I assume getting up on my left side will cure my hip rotation?

hahaha. As a fellow Wisconsinite, I love your granola solution. hahaha.

"cut out beer? Eff that. I will just eat some tree bark."

 

[Milwaukeeguy]

hahaha. As a fellow Wisconsinite, I love your granola solution. hahaha.

"cut out beer? Eff that. I will just eat some tree bark."

Ya, I mean, I've been working on my game, and I want to improve.

HOWEVER, golf is recreation for me and my friends, so we're going to drink beer while we play. Sometimes it's A LOT of beer. Doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to score well

 

[blugold]

Ya, I mean, I've been working on my game, and I want to improve.

HOWEVER, golf is recreation for me and my friends, so we're going to drink beer while we play. Sometimes it's A LOT of beer. Doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to score well

I like how you think.

 

[Arkie_3_fan]

I know that sometimes the same thing happens to me and it's usually because my tempo has gotten a little too quick as the round progresses. It's a problem that I fight quite often and for the longest time, I didn't even realize I was doing it.

 

[Brianbigoats]

I acually get them at the start of a round because i get to Quick as i get tired i have an easier time stopping the hook

 

[jhstew1]

if it happens to me, 99% of the time it's because I stood to far away from the ball on that swing

 

[Milwaukeeguy]

Just to complete this thread in case anybody searches in the future... here is the update:

#1 Freddie was right, my sequencing was off and I was hanging back.

#2 I also found that when I get a little tired or even frustrated, I tend to stand up and lose the correct spine angle, which makes it tough to deliver the club correctly

#3 (this is the biggest one): TEMPO!

I've hit balls at the range a lot this spring, and my ballflight has been really good/great. However, I've struggled to take it to the course with me. Once I'm on the course, the ball starts going left. Not terribly left, but EVERY ball just wants to go left.

Well, what I have found is that when I'm on the course I'm usually a little more amped than I am at the range. I unconsciously speed up my tempo, which then leads to my sequencing being off and I start to hang back a little and over-rotate my hands (I guess it's a flip-type move).

When I slow my tempo down, it seems to help my sequencing and I'm able to get into (and hold) a better position at the top, and start the down swing from my hips, not my arms.

I also worked on some drills to help me with a hip bump as well, but the tempo was really the key for me. I had to slow down just a little bit, which seemed to match my range tempo a little more, and the ball flight was much better.

So, in conclusion, if you find yourself losing consistency on the course vs the range, check your tempo. You might be speeding yourself up without really knowing it.

 

[hometeamdawg]

If you can shoot a video, make sure the upper body doesn't move toward the target at the top of the swing. Even a slight forward lean of the upper body affects the spine angle. On the range as you start down you might even want the sensation that the spine leans a touch more away from the target. Lower body leads, hands don't flip, no more pull hook.