Hook
The shot starts near your target line, then curves sharply to the left, often diving quickly into trouble.
Why it happens
A hook is caused by the clubface closed relative to the swing path at impact. The more closed the face is compared to the path, the more the ball curves left.
Possible causes in your swing, and how to fix each one
Tap any cause to see its fix. Work through them one at a time, usually one or two are the real culprit.
01
Grip too strong
Hands rotated too far away from the target on the handle tend to deliver a closed face at impact by default.
02
Swinging too far from the inside (excessive in-to-out path)
A path that loops too far under and around from the inside tends to close the clubface through the bottom of the swing arc on its own, even without any deliberate hand action, producing a big, often sudden hook.
Set an alignment stick or a headcover just outside your ball on the target line, and practice swinging through without clipping it, this limits how far from the inside the path can approach and helps moderate it back toward normal.
03
Flipping / over-releasing the hands through impact
Actively flipping the wrists to try to add power closes the face faster than the body is rotating, sending the ball left.
Work on keeping the left wrist flatter through impact, a common feel is "covering the ball" with your chest as you strike it.
04
Ball too far back in the stance
This encourages an in-to-out path with the face still closing, since you catch the ball before it fully squares up.
Move the ball slightly forward, closer to the inside of your left heel, the standard position for a driver.
05
Clubface closed at address
If the face is aimed left of target before the swing even starts, a technically fine swing will still deliver a closed face at impact.
Check your face angle at setup, lay a club on the ground square to your target line and match your clubface to it before you swing.
Recommended video
5 SIMPLE WAYS TO FIX YOUR GOLF HOOK - GUARANTEED
Rick Shiels Golf
How do you compare to the pros?
Fairways hit
A Hook is one of the most direct hits to this number, since the ball starts or curves outside the fairway instead of down the middle.
Sources: PGA Tour driving accuracy stats (season average, about 60 to 61%); Shot Scope and Break X Golf amateur data aggregates (about 42 to 48% depending on handicap band).
When to stop self-diagnosing
If you've genuinely worked through two or three of these causes over several range sessions and the miss keeps showing up, that's not a failure since it usually means the real cause is something you can't feel or see in your own swing. A single 30-minute lesson with a certified instructor, who can watch you hit balls, will find it faster than any website. Bring this page along and tell them what you've already ruled out; it'll save you both time.