Why Do I Hook Driver But Not Irons? (The Surprising Truth)

The driver can often seem like a loose cannon. Standing on a tee box, you have probably had the feeling that you aren’t sure which way the ball is going to go.

You aren’t alone.

However, that feeling is often not the case with irons in hand. Most golfers have some idea that their irons will be relatively straight, maybe a little thin or fat, but close to the line.

Why is this?

I’ll show you; the answer can be incredibly simple, and you may be on your way to hitting much straighter drives this afternoon.

Why Do I Hook Driver But Not Irons?

Hooking the driver is more common than hooking irons because of the length of the driver and the difficulty of squaring up the clubface.

A closed driver clubface causes a hook.

With a driver swing being much longer than an iron swing, the hooking of a driver (but not the irons) is a common issue among amateur players.

A few of the causes that can lead to the hooking of a driver but not the irons include:

• Improper setup and stance.
• Poor weight transfer.
• Trouble setting the correct wrist position.
• Swing path and plane problems.
• Equipment and skill mismatches.
• Tempo and timing that is off.
• Early release of the club head.

Diagnosing the Problem

There are quite a few reasons that will lead to why you hook the driver but not the irons.

The key is to diagnose the problem and work towards a cure.

A few of the best ways to diagnose your issue are to take a video of your swing and to incorporate golf technology and training aids.

I would put a few alignment sticks down on the ground, so you have a visual of what square looks like.

From there, I would video a swing where you hit a hook with your driver and also video a swing where you take a perfectly straight shot with your 7 iron.

These will be helpful when working to diagnose.

If you aren’t a techy golfer, go ahead and just jump right into the fixes; one of them is bound to work; it may just take you a practice session or two to figure it out.

Fixes – Hooking Driver But Not Irons

When hooking your driver but not the irons, you should already see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Many golfers will hook every club in their bag, showing a lack of technique and understanding that still needs to be learned.

If you hit your irons dead straight but struggle to keep the driver in the fairway, these are the fixes you should gravitate to first.

Aiming Right is Not Your Solution

The iron is a shorter club than a driver.

When setting up to hit an iron, it’s just easier to see where you are aimed and whether or not the club is on the proper line.

A Lot of this has to do with how much closer to the ball you are standing when you hit the iron.

As you struggle with the hook, you may start aiming down the right side to accommodate it.

The problem with this is that it can cause your path to be even more hook biased.

The good news?

Your iron aiming technique and strategy must be pretty good.

Take a 7 iron and pay attention to your routine and how you aim your shots.

Use this information to aim the driver. It should be the same!

Aiming a driver may take more time to develop and learn properly, but the technique should be the same.

When fixing the hook with your driver, aim at your target and swing with confidence.

The further right you aim, the harder it is to control your swing path.

Where is the Ball at Address

The ball position is tricky.

Your iron shots likely have you placing the ball right in the middle of your stance. This is a pretty easy position to find.

With the driver, the ideal spot is the inside of the left heel.

I’ll let you in on a little secret, most amateur golfers exaggerate this position and play the ball too far forward.

When the clubface makes contact with a ball placed too far forward in the stance, it is often closed.

Yes, it’s as simple as that.

Some golfers hook the ball with their driver simply because their ball position is just a little too far forward.

To experiment with this, try placing a driver in the center of your stance and seeing where the ball flies.

You may end up overcorrecting here (which is a good thing) and seeing more of a fade or even a slice.

Now, you just need to find the position between that forward spot and middle for you to place a driver at setup.

Inside left heel is the most conventional, and it works quite well.

Strong Grips Can Cause Problems

I’ve said it before (because it’s a good point!), but when you have a strong grip, it can cause a hook.

Are you changing the grip from your iron swing to your driver swing? This is much more common than you may think.

One of the biggest culprits here is inconsistency in grip size or style from one club to the next.

Does your driver have a midsize grip, and do your irons have a standard?

Many players change or upgrade golf grips and are unaware of their impact on the position of the hands.

Stronger grips mean that your left hand is turned slightly more to the right (for a right-handed player).

It also means that the right-hand ends up more on the bottom side of the grip.

From this position, the right hand becomes more active in the golf swing.

Sometimes with this extra activity, players will turn the clubface too much and close it down at impact.

If you think your grip is the problem, take a close look at how your hands are on the club with your iron shots, and then see what changes when you move to the driver.

If there is any variation or adjustment, try weakening the grip a little to see what it would do.

Controlling the Clubface at Impact

Hitting straight shots requires control of the clubface at impact.

Have you ever noticed that a short chip shot around the green likely stayed very straight?

You were close to the ball, playing with a shorter club, and were able to make a consistent impact or contact with the ball.

Now, put the driver in your hand, which is considerably longer, and stand that much further from the ball.

The further you move away, the harder it is to control the clubface angle at impact.

However, controlling the clubface at impact is entirely possible.

One of the best ways to do this is to ensure your wrist position at address and at the top of your swing is correct.

In addition, you will want to make sure that your timing and transition are perfect.

One of the most common mistakes that I see is a golfer rushing the transition from the backswing to the downswing with their driver.

Essentially you get to the top of your swing and get so worried about squaring the face that you rush the process and shut it down too quickly.

The driver swing is long, and that transition at the top can take a second to help you set the wrist position and square the clubface through impact.

Weight Transfer Lagging Behind

When you take your stance for your driver, it is probably a bit wider than it is with the iron.

This is not a bad thing.

However, with the wider stance, many golfers have a hard time understanding what it takes to get your weight transferred from the center to the right side to the left.

It’s great to feel your weight load up on your right side as you swing back; however, for those that hook the ball, sometimes the weight hangs back, and the club is almost wrapped around the body on the follow-through.

This motion ends up causing the clubface to be closed when it makes contact with the ball.

Chances are you can feel this as you swing the club around; it typically feels like the ball will end up well left of your target.

My favorite way to fix this is to try to hit a few drivers with a slightly narrow stance.

You will feel that it is easier to get the weight transferred to the left side.

Once you have it moving that way, feel free to go back to a regular driver-width stance.

You may first feel like you have to push a little to get your weight to the left, but that feeling should not last forever.

Once you make this part of your normal swing transition, you should have no trouble hitting your driver as straight as you hit the irons.

Let’s face it; if you don’t know how to transfer your weight, your irons wouldn’t go straight.

Release is Good, Don’t Overdo it

Releasing a golf club is essential to be able to hit it straight.

Essentially as your golf club swings back, the face opens up, and on the way down, you will have to work to square it so that you can hit a straight shot.

The release is necessary for every golf swing you take; however, sometimes, it feels more exaggerated with the driver.

This exaggerated feel often makes golfers struggle with the timing of the release, or they simply overdo it as they come through the impact position.

Again, giving yourself just a second at the top of your backswing on the driver could help to ensure you are not starting the release process too soon and that your hands are not getting overly involved in the process.

HackMotion Hook Fix

Wrist positions can feel different between the iron and the driver swing, and this often makes it confusing for golfers to hit straight shots with both irons and drivers.

Luckily, the HackMotion golf training aid and feedback tool can help to fix this issue.

Most of the time, a hook is caused by a bowed or flexed wrist.

This wrist position would likely start to become a problem directly after you take the club back.

Your takeaway is a very important part of this process, and HackMotion will alert you if your wrist angle is heading toward a hook.

The problem with these improper wrist angles?

Golfers can’t feel them!

Not only does HackMotion help you get your wrist angles back to an approved zone for hitting straighter shots, it makes it much easier for you to feel exactly where your wrist positions are during your swing.

Getting the wrist a bit less flexed or bowed will square off the clubface and allow for a straight driver shot.

How to Practice to Fix Your Golf Hook with a Driver?

Now that you have all the reasons and fixes, it’s time to head to the range.

I’ll share with you some of my favorite resources for practicing to fix your hook with your driver.

Swing Path Drill

The swing path drill featured in this video teaches you where the club should be traveling when you want to eliminate the hook.

The drill is done with irons, but it also applies to a driver.

With the swing path drill, you will learn that your hook is not necessarily caused by swinging to the left; in fact, it’s probably caused by swinging out too far to the right!

Incorporate HackMotion into Your Practice Session

The HackMotion is one of the best ways to make sure you are practicing fixing your hook effectively.

Having the HackMotion on your wrist is a bit like having a teaching professional helping you at the range.

One of the best things about the HackMotion sensor is that you can adjust it to work specifically for your needs.

In other words, if your hook is severe, and the wrist angles need to be corrected significantly,

HackMotion can be calibrated to do it a little at a time, helping you feel you are making progress day by day.

Switch Between the Irons and the Driver

This is one of the simplest (but sometimes most effective) ways to help fix the issue of hooking the driver but not the irons.

Hit five shots with your irons, adjust your setup, and then hit a shot with the driver.

Most of the time, there is something you are doing correctly in your iron shots that you are not doing with the driver.

Try to capitalize on this and incorporate it into your routine.

Final Thoughts

Hooking a driver with but not your irons is common.

Many golfers have a hard time with this concept because it seems the swing should be the same for all clubs in the bag.

When you can get the proper wrist angles in place and understand how swing plane and setup impact your ball flight, it becomes much easier to straighten the drive out.

Stay motivated; if you can hit your irons straight, chances are the driver fix won’t be difficult.