Pull Hook in Golf (Get Rid of The Pull Hook For Good, Causes & Fixes)
When standing on the tee box, there is always a ton of short green grass out in front of you. The trouble is hitting that short green grass! A pull hook is a problem because it ends up further left than you ever imagined your golf ball flying.
As a golfer who has struggled with the left side of the golf course in the past, a pull hook is a shot that I truly can’t stand.
I’ll show you how to get rid of the pull hook; it’s easier than you may think. Then I’ll follow that up with a bunch of drills and tips to help ensure the pull hook stays away for good.
How to Fix a Pull Hook in Golf – In Short
The best way to fix a pull hook is to work on the transition at the top of your backswing.
Most pull hooks are caused by golfers trying to control the transition of the backswing to the downswing by using their hands and arms and not incorporating the lower body.
Make a swing to the top, start the transition down with the lower body, and allow your arms to drop into place.
Contents
1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?
What is a Pull Hook in Golf?
A pull is a shot that heads directly left of your target. A pull hook is a shot that is heading left and then makes a turn to the left. The pull hook often feels like a pure hit, similar to a hook, and usually goes quite far, but the distance in the wrong direction is not helpful.
What are the Most Common Reasons for a Pull Hook?
The most common reason for a pull hook is coming over the top with a closed clubface. If your swing ends up getting a little armsy and you forget to incorporate your legs, the pull hook is the result.
However, there are a few reasons you could be setting yourself up for the pull hook.
Alignment
You would think a pull hook would be caused by a golfer aiming to the left, but this is not always true. In fact, golfers that aim too far right of the target and then swing across their body are more likely to hit a hook.
Alignment issues are common!
In fact, most amateur golfers have alignment issues and don’t even know it.
Grip Too Strong
A strong grip is great when going through the slice-fighting stage of golf. However, once you fight this slice, you need to get the grip back to neutral.
Slices are bad, but pull hooks are a problem as well.
Take a look at your left hand (for the right-handed player). Most times, the left hand is turned too far to the right. You will see too much of the top of your left hand on the club. Turn the hand a little left and then see what that does to the position of the right hand.
The slight turn of the hands should get you back to a neutral position.
Poor Ball Position
The pull hook can be a result of having the ball too far forward in your stance. When the golf ball is in the center, it’s easier to bring a square clubface to impact and hit a straight shot.
Golf ball position forward of center can lead to a pull hook.
If your ball is positioned forward in your stance, past the bottom of the swing arc, it could be closed by the time the club gets to impact, and the club will be traveling left of the path.
For a driver or fairway wood, the forward ball position is fine; however, for a mid iron or a wedge, make sure the ball is in the center, or you will pull hook your irons.
Ball position issues are so easily avoided you should have them as part of your mental checklist before you swing the club back.
Over the Top Swing
The over the top swing can cause a pull hook. At the top of your swing, instead of letting your hands drop into place and release towards the target, you use them to pull the club across your body and to the left of the target.
I can tell you that I know exactly why you do this; it feels powerful.
In reality, the over the top move is not all that powerful, and it’s incredibly inconsistent.
Learning to allow the club to drop into place from the top of the swing is a much better motion. It will take a little work, but with tools like HackMotion, it becomes much easier.
1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?
Closed Clubface At Top (and At Impact)
A closed clubface at the top of the swing is a tough thing to recover from. Closing the clubface typically means you have flexed your wrist a bit too much, and now you have to recover before you get to impact.
In addition, this closed clubface could leave you having to make corrections as you get close to impact resulting in a significant loss of power. Anytime you are cautious in approaching the ball, there is a loss of speed.
Study and understand the golf ball flight laws so that you can see how a closed clubface can impact your golf shots.
How to Fix Pull Hook in Golf
Now you have the details about what causes a pull hook in golf, how can you fix it?
I’ll give you some of my favorite drills and tips to stop pull hooking your driver, irons, and wedges (although that’s probably a less common shot for you).
Alignment
Fixing alignment takes attention to detail and a bit of practice. First, make sure that you are practicing using alignment sticks. It’s really simple to set up with sticks on the range so that you know you are square.
Once you have the alignment down on the range, start to take your time approaching each shot and ensuring you are setting yourself up directly to the target.
Proper alignment should be part of your pre-shot routine. Always approach the golf ball from behind, never from the side. Approaching from the side could lead you to hit shots that end up right of your target.
After each shot you hit, try to analyze if this was a result of an alignment issue or a poor shot.
Grip
A strong grip fixes slices, but it can encourage more of a pull hook ball flight. If you become confident in how your left hand (right-handed golfer) is sitting on the club, you can then incorporate the right hand into place.
It’s worth mentioning that a small grip change can have a big impact. Don’t feel the need to exaggerate the new grip position. Instead, allow just a slight turn of the hand back to neutral and see how it helps.
You will be amazed how much impact just a ¼ turn of the hands can have on ball flight and sometimes even distance.
Ball Position
Ball position should be centered for the majority of your clubs. Drivers and fairway woods are mostly off of the inside left heel, and wedges can sometimes move forward or center, but they mostly stay centered.
The ball position is an easy fix.
Start using alignment sticks when you practice determining where the center of your stance is. Ball position fixes are typically the easiest, so you should see some change in the ball flight right away if this is your issue.
If the ball starts going somewhat straight or ends up with a slight draw, you will know the rest of your issue is a slightly closed clubface at impact.
HackMotion
The clubface angle is what causes the hook part of a pull hook. Swinging the club over the top and having a closed clubface will take your shot from straight to pull to pull hook.
HackMotion wrist sensor is the perfect tool to fix a pull hook because it can help to set the proper wrist position at setup, top of the backswing, and then again at impact. Golfers that hook the ball often have too much flex in their wrist position.
If you set up with that strong grip (HackMotion can tell you) and then on the backswing, you continue to add to that flexion and close the clubface; it’s nearly impossible to recover near impact.
Here are a few of the best HackMotion drills for working on your pull hook in golf.
1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?
Establish a Baseline and Collect Data
There is no perfect wrist position in golf. In other words, I can’t give you exact angles in order to fix a pull hook in golf. However, we can look at patterns, mostly relating to flexion and extension, to determine the issues with your wrist position.
The first thing to do is to collect data from a range session; I would collect for both irons and driver. Once you have that information, take a look at how you compare to professional golfers.
Look not to match the numbers but instead to have similar ratios.
Use Biofeedback Mode
The biofeedback mode on your HackMotion wrist sensor is one of the only golf training devices that allows you to work on your swing in the middle of a shot.
Think about how many of the golf training aids require you to get your feedback after you swing the club. For some players, it’s too late; the knowledge and understanding are already gone.
Once you determine where your wrist is flexing more than it should, set a desired goal and then swing with your HackMotion sensor. If your position is falling within the proper range on the sensor, you will hear a noise; if you fall out of the range, the noise turns off.
Use this not just during practice swings but while hitting shots as well.
Half Swing Check
The HackMotion works in real-time, which means you can swing back and take a look at the results and where your wrist position is. If you want to stop pull hooking irons (or even the driver), set your phone or Ipad up on the range so you can see the swing.
Address the golf ball as if you were going to take a shot. Swing back halfway, check the HackMotion wrist angles. Do this two or three times, and then hit a shot. Practice like this, where you check the position at the top, can lead to more consistency in your game.
FAQs
The pull hook isn’t pretty, but most golfers can turn it into just a pull or just a hook in a matter of a few minutes, and then the HackMotion can get you the rest of the way.
Why am I hitting a pull hook?
A pull hook occurs when you swing the club over the top, and the clubface of your club is closed. To fix a pull hook in golf, learn to improve ball position, alignment, and wrist position at the top of your golf swing.
How do I stop hitting pull hooks on my irons?
To stop hitting pull hooks on your irons, check your ball position; it is often an issue because the ball position is too far forward. Ensure that your club is square at the top and your grip is not too strong.
Lastly, work on letting the club drop into place at the top of your swing, don’t initiate the transition from backswing to downswing with the upper body.
Does a steep swing cause a pull hook?
A steep golf swing is not typically the cause of a pull hook. In fact, a shallow swing is more likely to be the cause. However, an over the top swing with a closed clubface can be the cause for pulling golf shots and seeing a hook.
Does hitting off the toe cause a hook?
Hitting off the toe of the club will cause the spin access to turn left, and it can cause more of a right-to-left ball flight. I would not expect this to cause a hook all on its own simply because most golf clubs are relatively stable at impact, and that will help reduce some of this side spin.
Final Thoughts
Getting your pull hook under control is going to take a few sessions at the range.
Spend some time working with your HackMotion, removing that over-the-top motion in the downswing and squaring the clubface at impact. Eliminating the pull hook lets you swing through the ball with confidence again.
Your feedback shapes the future of our articles. Help us deliver the best content for you.
Great to hear! But what could we add to make it even better? Share any suggestions to make this post top-notch.
We're sorry to hear that. Could you share what was missing or off?
