Why Am I Hooking My Irons? (Causes, Fixes & Proven Drills)
Hooked iron shots tend to fly further than slices and fades. The problem with this is that you can be left in a lot more trouble. The ball starts okay, then snaps left (for right-handers), flies low, and runs forever.
Underneath almost every iron hook is the same pattern:
- Clubface too closed
- Path too far to the right
- Wrists and grip making it easy to over-close the face
We will show you exactly why these things happen and how to fix it with clear, repeatable steps.
If you’re fighting hooks with every club in the bag, you’ll also want to read our full guide on how to fix a hook in golf and our driver-specific article on how to stop hooking drivers.
Why Am I Hooking My Irons? (Key Takeaways)
- Iron hooks come from a clubface that’s too closed relative to your swing path at impact.
- Common causes: grip too strong, lead wrist bowing (flexing) too early, and a swing path that’s too far to the right.
- Your path to the right is often just a compensation for a closed face – get the face right first.
- Fixes: neutralize your grip, keep a little lead-wrist extension in the takeaway, and train a more neutral path.
Contents
1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?
What Causes Iron Hooks? Understanding Face vs Path
Irons hook because at impact the clubface is pointed left of where the club is traveling. This face-to-path relationship is usually caused by two things.
- The face keeps closing during the swing: this can happen due to a strong grip or the lead wrist bowing (flexing) too much in the takeaway or at the top of the backswing.
- You swing more to the right to try to “save” that closed face: an in-to-out path to stop the ball from starting left can turn into a hook when the timing is off.
The fix for hooking iron shots is to make the face less closed and then remove the compensation in your path.
How to Fix a Hook with Your Irons
Now that we know why your irons are hooking we can move into how to fix them.
Follow this three step process to make sure all the basics are covered and you have a handle on what it takes to fix your hook.
Step 1: Neutralize Your Grip
A strong grip isn’t automatically wrong. In fact, some people need a stronger grip just to be able to square a clubface. But too strong and poor wrist control will lead to a hook.
For a right-handed golfer look at your lead (left) hand at address:
- Seeing 2–3 knuckles is fine.
- If you see 3+ knuckles and the hand is way on top, that’s very strong.
- Check your trail (right) hand: If it feels like it’s underneath the club (more under than on the side), it also wants to close the face.
To neutralize the grip, set the lead hand first and place the grip more in the fingers than deep in the palm. Rotate the hand slightly towards the target. Place the trail hand more on top of the grip.
Once you have the club in your hand, twist it back and forth a little and open the club face. With a neutral grip, it should feel like you can open and close the face equally, not just slam it shut.
Neutral Grip vs. Strong Grip (Quick Comparison)
| Grip Type | What It Looks Like | How It Affects the Clubface | Common Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral Grip | 2–3 knuckles showing on lead hand; trail hand more on top | Easier to keep the face square; clubface can open/close equally | Straighter shots, higher ball flight |
| Strong Grip | 3+ knuckles showing; lead hand sits “on top”; trail hand sits underneath | Clubface wants to close early in the backswing; harder to keep it neutral | Hooks, low left shots, timing-based golf |
Once your grip is adjusted, hit 5–10 shots with the HackMotion sensor and check your lead wrist angle at address and takeaway.
A more neutral grip makes it much easier to keep a small, consistent amount of extension instead of bowing the wrist and smashing the face closed.
Step 2: Fix the Wrist Move That Closes the Face
Lead-wrist flexion (bowing) too early is a huge cause of hooks.
- At setup: your lead wrist has a small amount of extension (slightly cupped or flat).
- If you keep or slightly increase that extension in the takeaway, the clubface stays neutral.
- If you add a lot of flexion early, the clubface points down at the ground, the clubhead goes inside, and the face is already shut halfway back.
To check to see if you have too much flexion in the lead wrist when the shaft is parallel to the ground in the backswing (at about hip-high) you want the lead wrist to feel flat or slightly extended (not bowed).
In addition, the clubface should be in a position where the leading edge is close to vertical but not pointing straight at the ground.
With HackMotion: Look at your lead wrist flexion/extension graph. You’ll likely see a spike toward more flexion early in the backswing on your hook swings. Your job is to flatten that curve and keep a touch more extension through the takeaway.
Step 3: Straighten Your Path and Remove the Compensation
Once the face is under control, then you can clean up the path.
Most golfers who hook their irons are compensating for the closed face and the path shifts more in-to-out to the right. If this isn’t timed correctly, it leads to issues.
If you keep swinging way to the right and just open the face, you’ll see:
- Pushes
- Soft draws instead of big hooks
That’s okay at first. You’re simply removing the extreme match-up (closed face + big in-to-out path). However, you eventually want a path that’s closer to neutral and a clubface that’s not dramatically closed to that path.
The easiest way to train this is by setting up a simple “barrier” station, placing alignment sticks or headcovers where you can’t hit them.
This forces your path to stay neutral while you layer in the new wrist pattern so the clubface and path finally match up.
How HackMotion Helps You Fix Iron Hooks Faster
You can guess at grip and wrist changes.
But with HackMotion, you don’t have to guess, you can measure exactly what your wrists are doing in the swings that hook versus the swings that don’t.
With HackMotion you can:
See where the face is getting shut
- Too much lead-wrist flexion in the takeaway?
- Too much flexion at the top?
- Or late in the downswing?
Compare patterns
- Record a few big hooks and a few straight/high shots.
- Compare lead wrist angles at key checkpoints (shaft parallel, lead-arm parallel, top, impact).
Get custom practice
- The app suggests wrist-pattern drills based on your own swings, not generic advice.
Drills to Stop Hooking Your Irons
Below are three focused drills you can plug straight into your practice.
HackMotion Lead-Wrist Extension Takeaway Drill
The takeaway drill helps you from shutting the clubface too early in the backswing.
You’ll learn to keep just a little extension in the lead wrist when the shaft is parallel to the ground.
Lead-Wrist Extension Takeaway Drill – Step by Step:
- Set up with HackMotion on your lead wrist: Open the app and use real-time mode so you can see flexion/extension feedback.
- Find your baseline at address: Take your normal setup. Note the number (or range) for your lead wrist at address. That’s your starting reference.
- Slow-motion takeaways: Move the club back until the shaft is parallel to the ground. Stay close to or slightly more extended than address, not jump quickly into flexion.
- Check the clubface: Leading edge close to vertical = good. Leading edge pointing at the ground = old hook pattern.
- Rehearse, then hit: Do 3–5 rehearsals, holding that “more extended” feel. Step in and hit a ball, trying to recreate the same takeaway. Review the data: the good swings should have less early flexion and a more neutral face.
Anti-Hook Training Station (Path and Face Match-Up)
Setting up the anti-hook training station will help you remove the in-to-out “save” and train a straighter path while keeping the face more neutral.
Path and Face Match-Up Drill – Step by Step:
- Lay down your target line: Place an alignment stick or club on the ground, pointing at your target the ball sits just inside that stick.
- Add a path guard: Place a second stick, headcover, or foam noodle just outside the ball and slightly behind it, on the same angle as your shaft. If you swing too far in-to-out, you’ll hit this object.
- Combine with your new wrist feel: Use the feel from Drill 1: a bit of lead-wrist extension at shaft-parallel. Make half swings, brushing the turf in front of the ball without hitting the outside object.
- Progress to 3/4 and full swings: Gradually lengthen the swing while still missing the path guard and keeping the clubface from pointing at the ground in the takeaway.
Inside Takeaway Guard Drill
This drill will help you create some awareness of the clubface on the takeaway.
Dragging the club too far inside in the takeaway, often goes hand-in-hand with a closed face and hook pattern.
If your takeaway tends to get too far inside early, this drill is for you.
Inside Takeaway Guard Drill – Step by Step:
- Set an alignment stick on the toe line: Put an alignment stick along your toe line, parallel to the target.
- Place a second stick just inside the ball line: This stick should be slightly inside the ball and angled roughly with your shaft. It acts as a barrier so the club can’t whip too far inside early.
- Make takeaway rehearsals: Move the club back to shaft-parallel with the goal of: Clearing the toe-line stick, Staying outside or just above the inside stick, not crashing into it and keeping the clubface more vertical, not looking at the ground.
- Add HackMotion if you have it: Use real-time feedback to keep a little lead-wrist extension at shaft-parallel. You’re training two things at once: a better path and a less-closed face.
Final Thoughts
Hooking your irons almost always comes back to the same pattern: a closed clubface that forces you into compensation. Fix the grip, keep a touch of lead-wrist extension in the takeaway, and use a simple barrier station to straighten out your path.
Work through the drills for a few sessions and pay attention to the first shots that fly higher and stay online. That’s the pattern you want to repeat.
HackMotion helps you lock it in faster by showing you exactly when your wrists start to close the face, so you can adjust instantly and build a swing that holds up on the course.
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