Fixing a snap hook?

jjfcpa

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I use a Skytrak at home for working on my swing and recently - the last few months - I've had a problem with the ball going left. Most of the time, it will start on line, but then veer to the left. I think this was caused by my trying to increase my distance with each club. I've diagnosed this as a snap hook and watch a few videos online that explain how to fix it.

One of the most informative ones stated that on the follow through, try and lead with the butt end of the club instead of the head of the club. This will keep the club head from closing and should straighten out your shots.

I haven't had a chance to test this out yet because I just watched the video last night but wanted to see if this is the recommended way to fix this issue.

I did verify that's it's definitely my swing because I've used a 7 iron from 3 different sets and I get the same results. What's weird is that this is new this year because I didn't have this problem 6 months ago. Probably from trying to generate more swing speed? I guess I have to play within my abilities and stop thinking I can be a golfer that I'm not.
 
Make sure your grip hasn't become too strong. Make sure you are getting your weight onto your front side/foot on your down swing. Snap hooks are usually caused by using your arms too much, and your body not enough. So make sure you are rotating through the ball with your body and getting onto your front foot. 2 things I would look at first.
 
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My grip is pretty neutral. I did have a slightly strong grip when I was attempting to fix a driver slice (didn't really slice any other clubs). I'm pretty sure I'm getting my weight to my front foot because I've even tried adding a slight delay at the top of the swing just to make sure I was initiating the downswing with a hip and lower body movement instead of my arms. However, I have gotten the feeling lately that I'm putting too much arm movement into my swing as I tried to gain more distance.
 
My grip is pretty neutral. I did have a slightly strong grip when I was attempting to fix a driver slice (didn't really slice any other clubs). I'm pretty sure I'm getting my weight to my front foot because I've even tried adding a slight delay at the top of the swing just to make sure I was initiating the downswing with a hip and lower body movement instead of my arms. However, I have gotten the feeling lately that I'm putting too much arm movement into my swing as I tried to gain more distance.


To avoid too much arm swing a common swing thought among Tour pros is "get shoulder under the chin at the top of the backswing".
 
A closed face to the path could be from a lot of things. I wouldn't start at the follow through. The error is probably happening before that point in time, especially since the follow through is usually an artifact of a previous portion of the swing.
 
Generally speaking initial ball flight is determined by your club face at impact and subsequent ball flight is determined by swing path. Since your ball is starting straight then turning left you likely have a swing path issue (probably coming too far from the inside). The drill about leading with the butt end of the club sounds like it could work because - to me at least - leading with the butt end of the club reads like the drill wants to get your path more down the line.

edit: to combine this with blugold's comment... your face is square at impact but your face is closed relative to your path.
 
Over swinging is a major cause for snap hooking. The hands and shoulders are not in sync and the hands take over and close the face. In addition, the shoulders are rolling in a circular motion, where they should be on a more rocking plain.

So how do you fix it...........slow the back swing down and even shorten it up, until you get back to where you need to be. Rebuilding muscle memory.......
 
A closed face to the path could be from a lot of things. I wouldn't start at the follow through. The error is probably happening before that point in time, especially since the follow through is usually an artifact of a previous portion of the swing.

Here is what I meant by that, maybe follow through wasn't right wording.

from Butch: With most snap-hooks, there's another telltale sign: Your weight never shifts to your front foot during the downswing. Combine that with a stalled turn, and it's easy to snap it. I see this a lot on uphill tee shots, where there's an urge to hang back and help the ball up, or when nerves or fatigue work against a full turn through the ball.
Here's what I tell my players who are fighting the hooks: "Get your belt buckle to the target." Keep turning until the middle of your body faces forward. And be sure you shift off that back foot. Shift forward, turn through. You'll beat those nasty hooks.


 
Generally speaking initial ball flight is determined by your club face at impact and subsequent ball flight is determined by swing path. Since your ball is starting straight then turning left you likely have a swing path issue (probably coming too far from the inside). The drill about leading with the butt end of the club sounds like it could work because - to me at least - leading with the butt end of the club reads like the drill wants to get your path more down the line.

edit: to combine this with blugold's comment... your face is square at impact but your face is closed relative to your path.

Yes, that makes sense. I was really trying to get inside thinking I need to get my path to the right to end up at the target. Didn't work. Seemed to make matters worse. I may be getting too much inside.
 
Do all of those sets have a significant offset? As you improve the hand action will improve and might turn over quicker. The offset that helps on slices becomes a liability.
I noticed this when TM was giving out those 6 Irons a few years ago. WAY too much offset for me- every shot was a pull/hook. Granted, it went further-but offline.


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A quick video should easily give you an idea of what is causing the snap hook. That's where I would start.

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During my experimentation at home to try and fix it, I think the biggest problem was the wrist angle at the top of the back swing. I'm working on keeping the club head in line with the left forearm. That seems to be helping and also helping me make better contact.

I think I had the club head too flat at the top of the backswing. Then when I come through the down swing the club head is closed a little. Make sense?
 
Here is what I meant by that, maybe follow through wasn't right wording.

from Butch: With most snap-hooks, there's another telltale sign: Your weight never shifts to your front foot during the downswing. Combine that with a stalled turn, and it's easy to snap it. I see this a lot on uphill tee shots, where there's an urge to hang back and help the ball up, or when nerves or fatigue work against a full turn through the ball.
Here's what I tell my players who are fighting the hooks: "Get your belt buckle to the target." Keep turning until the middle of your body faces forward. And be sure you shift off that back foot. Shift forward, turn through. You'll beat those nasty hooks.


Good post. Exactly my point when I posted "It's easy, just reverse pivot". The club simply follows the forces of inertia.
 
Finally got around to texting my fix and it worked superbly. Here was the problem. In an attempt to gain a little more distance, I had flattened my swing plane. Saw a video that stated that you need to make sure the club head is not too open at the top of the backswing.

I did some slow motion swings where I lift the club to about 1/2 back swing and checked to make sure the face was the same as my left forearm. Then elevated the club to the top of the backswing, then swing normally. Nice and straight with a little fade sometimes.

Also resulted in much better contact with the ball and less stress on my back.
 
Finally got around to texting my fix and it worked superbly. Here was the problem. In an attempt to gain a little more distance, I had flattened my swing plane. Saw a video that stated that you need to make sure the club head is not too open at the top of the backswing.

I did some slow motion swings where I lift the club to about 1/2 back swing and checked to make sure the face was the same as my left forearm. Then elevated the club to the top of the backswing, then swing normally. Nice and straight with a little fade sometimes.

Also resulted in much better contact with the ball and less stress on my back.
We all make comments but in reality, you know your swing the best. Good news!!
 
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