Driver Low Hook

[Long Dugg]

Hello,
After recently golfing again I have picked up where I left off, the low hook off the tee. I have been working on creating lag and it has done wonders for my long irons but still eludes me with driver. I have changed ball position, closed stance, open stance, back shoulder low, tee higher, tee lower, went from reg. to steel shaft. (10 degree driver) and once in a while get good trajectory but more often not. My swing speed is pretty fast as I hit 300 yds. plus when good shots appear. This is what's killing my game as most all other clubs are solid and on track. I don't know if I'm out of time with the driver or what. Most tee shots (even with other clubs) are low pulls to the left or duck hooks. Any help might salvage next weekend with something new to work on.
Thanks!

[TeachingPro]

Re: Driver Low Hook

Sounds to me like you're "smothering" the ball low left. Just a guess, because we can't see you swing. An educated guess!

But try this:
Take your stance in front of a pane of glass or mirror. Check to see that your spine is tilted slightly right, your left shoulder is higher than the right. Should should feel like you're standing up a slope.

Okay, now swing around your spine, as if it was the axle on a wheel. You really have to feel that your body and the club are turning around the spine.

If that doesn't help, your hands may be beating the club to the ball and therefore the club is de-lofted (hence the lower flight) and the hands have already turned over by the time the club reaches the ball (hence the hook). It may be a millisecond, but that is all it takes.

I'd also go back to a graphite shaft (steel shafted drivers are normally very heavy) and put in a flex that suits your club head speed. From the sounds of it, you need a stiff or X-stiff shaft. If you don't like graphite, there are special material shafts available from Graphalloy, Taylor Made, Fujikira and a few others.

Sorry I con't give you a pin-point cure. But if you post your swing on the website I could be more accurate.

[Long Dugg]

Re: Driver Low Hook

Thanks for the advice Pro, I'll have to try it out this week. My setup is how you advised and you may be right about my hands beating the club back to the ball because the more foward I play the ball in my stance the less of the low hook effect I get. When I play it just inside my front heel or further back it has loads of topspin as it comes off hot but dives down and left with lots of roll. Thanks again!

[gord962]

Re: Driver Low Hook

Sounds like you have a slide in your swing. What this essentially causes is your centre of your swing to move. Instead of the centre of your swing being between your feet, a slide will move the centre (depending on the severity) to the left foot. Moving your ball even more forward than inside your left heel is getting the ball closer to where it would be in your stance if you weren't sliding, creating a better ball flight.

[Long Dugg]

Re: Driver Low Hook

Thanks for all the tips guys! Played yesterday and worked on a more level shoulder turn, neutral stance, focused on staying behind ball through downswing and impact and brought my back (right) shoulder up some in my address ( i think I had it dropped too much causing a severe upswing creating top spin on the ball). Still hooking a bit but nowhere near as bad and getting good distance. Best I've hit driver in a while! Thanks!

[LowPost42]

Re: Driver Low Hook

I guess it's safe to assume that your shaft is the proper flex? (I would assume with a 300yd drive, X or XX flex is your brand).

[jamesh]

Re: Driver Low Hook

Hello,
After recently golfing again I have picked up where I left off, the low hook off the tee. I have been working on creating lag and it has done wonders for my long irons but still eludes me with driver. I have changed ball position, closed stance, open stance, back shoulder low, tee higher, tee lower, went from reg. to steel shaft. (10 degree driver) and once in a while get good trajectory but more often not. My swing speed is pretty fast as I hit 300 yds. plus when good shots appear. This is what's killing my game as most all other clubs are solid and on track. I don't know if I'm out of time with the driver or what. Most tee shots (even with other clubs) are low pulls to the left or duck hooks. Any help might salvage next weekend with something new to work on.
Thanks!

I am a lefty with a low ball flight that goes to the right. I have been taking lessons,and the pro thought the problem was a clossd club face at impact and my weight wasn't moving forward - and of course, an over the top swing.

James

[bdbl]

Re: Driver Low Hook

Most tee shots (even with other clubs) are low pulls to the left or duck hooks.
Thanks!

I suffered duck hooks for years and was close to packing the game in until I got some advice from Brian.

Unfortunately the link he sent me doesn't work anymore but in essence next time out (on the range perhaps first) it might be worth concentrating on ensuring you complete the backswing before entering the transition.

Silly as it might sound but, for me, the combination of countless advice about a controlled 3/4 ("don't overswing") length swing plus a subconscious desire to get the damn tee shot over before the rest of the world saw the duck hook created a vicious circle.

An abbreviated rushed backswing led to a d-h which led to an abbreviated and rushed backswing which led to ....

If the other ideas don't fully solve the problem then give it whirl; full turn, full swing, let it go - grip it and rip Daley style

[dant]

Re: Driver Low Hook

LD
I was having the same problem. I have been to the driving range and seemed to have found what cured me. What I noticed is my left arm would bend before impact instead of keeping it straight at impact which help to keep my hands in front of the ball. I noticed this after I filmed my swing. What I try to do is take a practice swing and stop at the point of impact and keep that feeling of the arm straight and hands ahead of the ball then I follow through maintaining that straight arm as long as possible. I try this to get the mind set of how I want it to feel. This also helps me from bringing my arms to far around my body and fininshing with my hands high and around my shoulders. I don't know it seems to help me and I was hooking the ball real bad and low.
Dant

Hello,

After recently golfing again I have picked up where I left off, the low hook off the tee. I have been working on creating lag and it has done wonders for my long irons but still eludes me with driver. I have changed ball position, closed stance, open stance, back shoulder low, tee higher, tee lower, went from reg. to steel shaft. (10 degree driver) and once in a while get good trajectory but more often not. My swing speed is pretty fast as I hit 300 yds. plus when good shots appear. This is what's killing my game as most all other clubs are solid and on track. I don't know if I'm out of time with the driver or what. Most tee shots (even with other clubs) are low pulls to the left or duck hooks. Any help might salvage next weekend with something new to work on.
Thanks!