Hooking with my driver

[dant]

Awhile back I had a new shaft placed in my driver (TaylorMade R7 260).
An Aldila NV 75-s 350. I had the stock shaft taken out because it just felt to light and I was slicing the ball. Now with my new shaft things were going just fine but lately I am hooking the ball like crazy. Some very bad duck hooks etc. I really like the feel of my new shaft and when the shots are good there very good. It could just be my swing also. The driver is the only club this happens with. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Dant

[Avid Golfer]

Re: Hooking with my driver

Awhile back I had a new shaft placed in my driver (TaylorMade R7 260).
An Aldila NV 75-s 350. I had the stock shaft taken out because it just felt to light and I was slicing the ball. Now with my new shaft things were going just fine but lately I am hooking the ball like crazy. Some very bad duck hooks etc. I really like the feel of my new shaft and when the shots are good there very good. It could just be my swing also. The driver is the only club this happens with. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Dant

Did you mean an r7 460 instead of the 260 you typed?

The stats of the 460 stock stiff shaft (if you had the stiff there as well) is mid tip, 3.5 torque, and 65 grams weight. The stats of the NV 75-s is 78 grams, 2.8 torque, and a mid tip.

While shafts can make a small difference in your game (optimizing your balls lauch conditions) they would not drastically alter your ball flight (changing a slice into a hook as you reported). If you are experiencing duck hooks it is very likely your swing. (The driver having the least loft, and designed for low backspin, which allows increased side spin, it will highlight your swing flaws).

If you're hooking shots I'd check the following:

• Make sure your grip isn't too strong (if the top hand is too much on top of the club, and the bottom hand too much underneath the clubface is likely to be shut at impact and delofted).
• Make sure your weight isn't to far back on your heels and too much on your back foot at setup (which promotes an inside to outside downswing path).
• Make sure you aren't standing to far away from the ball and getting too bent over at setup (which may promote excessive rotation during the swing).
• Make sure you aren't getting your clubface aimed too far left, and/or your body aligned too far right.

If you elimanate or reduce the above mentioned problem areas you should be able to reduce your unwanted hooks.

[BrianW]

Re: Hooking with my driver

Good advice from Avid.

I would just like to summarise some points to help you:

Make sure your feet are not pointing right of target at address.

You may be casting the club from the top and swinging across the ball. Try swinging on an inside, square, inside path.

Your grip may be too strong and closing the clubface too much at impact which will also remove loft making the ball fly low and left.

[Kenisu]

Re: Hooking with my driver

Hi all.

My two cents would be:

Check if you properly transfer your weight to the front foot in the downswing and check if your hips don't stop rotating through the impact zone.

Toni.

[Matt10]

Re: Hooking with my driver

Dant - you're from the US, so I can use what helped me. If you've ever played baseball, start off by trying to hit the ball to first base - should go far right, then try hitting the ball between 1st and 2nd base. When I just focused on doing this, it really straightened out my shot - now drawing the ball with the driver.

Just a suggestion - don't hurt me if it doesn't work :P

[slater170]

Re: Hooking with my driver

dant,
here is the solution to your hooking
1.) neutral grip
2.) dont pull the club inside on the takeaway,
3.) keep head behind ball at impact.

i was hitting hooks with driver till i made these changes now i smoking my drives long and straight

[golfndawg]

Re: Hooking with my driver

I played a draw for many years and still do. The hooks came in just like a slice for faders. But got that straightened out. Once I kept the arms/hands in front of my chest on the backswing and not letting the club get behind my hands (kinda like snatching it back) things are very good now.

Something to think about but if ya didn't have this prob until the new shaft, that's above me.

[dant]

Re: Hooking with my driver

Thanks all. I will take everyones suggestions and give them the old trial & error and see which one works.
Dant

[SuperGolferMan]

Re: Hooking with my driver

It's hard to say without seeing your swing but one great piece of advice is to check your ball position. If you have the ball too far forward, you will be ahead of your bottom of your swing arc (center of your chest) and you will be on the closing side of the swing, resulting in a hook. Your hands might be too active through impact as well.

Drills would be to check ball position, keeping it around left center, and for active hands would be to practice with an extremely weak grip to feel the sensation of not being able to flip your hands at the ball. (the feeling is hitting more with the body and less with the hands.

Hope this helps!