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Cure that golf hook

By: Mister Putt

By far and away the most common fault of the weekend golfer is the dreaded slice. We have all seen it, a hundred yards down the fairway and suddenly the ball turns right and disappears into the undergrowth.There are a thousand books and articles on it, why it happens and how you can cure it.

But what if you have the opposite problem, a hundred yards straight down the fairway and oh..oh exit stage left.This is the classic hook.How do you cure that? I hear you cry.Never fear Mister Putt is here.Like most faults the quickest wayto cure it is to go back to basics.Let me clear up one myth straight away,listen up..Practice Makes Perfect , no, no, no practice makes permanent (Thank you Dave Pelz )If your practice is faulty your golf will be faulty.

The Basics

Grip;Hold the club in your left hand down by your side, arm hanging down relaxed.Lift the club head up so the shaft is parallel to the ground and then lower it to the floor again, do this three times, feeling where the tension is in your arm.
Concentrate on leaving this tension behind.Now bring the club in front of you and at the same time bring your right hand to the club.Now the hard bit , as you close your right hand around the club try not to manipulate it in any way, by which I mean the club should not turn left or right at all.Now you should have a neutral grip, neither hand being dominant.Hookers have a tendency to turn their right hand over the top .The "V"sbetween your thumbs and index fingers should be pointing up to your right ear.You can check this in a mirror.Now with your neutral grip and relaxed arms just swing the club head backwards and forwards in a small arc.This will ease tension.Golf is a moving game and tension is the enemy of motion.Keep swinging in increasingly larger arcs always being aware of any creeping stiffness( tension) in the arms.Do this every day for ten minutes or so.Remember the object is to swing rhythmically are not attempting a 300 yard drive!

Address;You should stand with your feet just under the width of your shoulders ,a slightly narrower stance helps with balance,and helps you swing more rhythmically. Your toes should be level and in line with your shoulders ,again check in a mirror at home and get used to the feeling.You line up to the target line or fractionally left of it.Ball position is level with your left heel.Further back will encourage a hooking shot.This brings us to the last point, weight transfer.

Weight Transfer;Weight transfer refers naturally enough to the transfer or shift of your weight from the right side to the left.(opposite sides for lefties).The backswing requires you to pull your weight onto the back foot and indeed you should feel this in your right thigh and as you swing through the ball that weight must move onto the left leg, if it stays back on the rear leg you will turn the club over and rotate to the left causing the ball to hook.A practice drill I use is to
address an imaginary ball while my left calf is against a low pillar in my garden, as I swing I concentrate on pushing my leg into that pillar.This also forces me to swing in time and finish in a balanced position.Try it.

I hope these tips can help you cure that hook and give you something to do in the bedroom on a rainy day.

Happy thoughts

Mr Putt is a weekend hacker and gives regular private tuition www.golfamateur.co.uk/golf

Additional Info On Golf Today

Narrow Your Focus
Consistently making short putts is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one. To help maintain concentration, find a blade of grass directly in front of the middle of the hole as you prepare to strike the putt. Don't look at the hole itself or the back of it, but simply try to roll the ball over the spot on the front of the hole. Using the front of the hole makes the target closer and makes your focus that much more specific.
...Golf Tips magazine

You've heard that a golf-specific workout will help you get more distance, so you're pumping iron, jogging religiously, stretching - but you still haven't gained any distance off the tee. What's the deal? An exercise program will indeed help you gain distance, but you also need to have good swing technique to take advantage of your strength and flexibility.
...golf news

You can�t fire a gun unless you pull the trigger, right? A similar concept also applies to the golf swing, which also usually requires a �trigger move� to get the body moving. Now, not everyone has a trigger, some manage to swing well from a static position to a dynamic position. But for the rest of us who often find confusion when it comes to where to start the golf swing, a trigger move can help you start swinging in a fluid and consistent manner.
...The Golf Channel

You learn to play golf by feel, not mechanics alone. Too much detail is confusing. You cannot think your way through a golf swing. You feel your way!
...PGA professional golf

Lean Left
It's critical to start and keep your weight toward your front foot during the entire motion of a bunker shot. This encourages the club to sustain its speed through impact, which in turn creates the wave of sand necessary to carry the ball in the air.
...Golf Tips magazine

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