Correcting a bad golf shot. The hook, in which the ball curves from right to left for a right-handed player, has two major flight patterns. One begins left of the target and curves farther left 2 (1); the other heads to the right of the target, then turns left (2). A focus for correcting either is TheLine, an imaginary line through the golf ball at rest and the target.
The left-to-left hook begins with poor address (the position a golfer takes before striking the ball). As a hook becomes worse, the player may aim farther to the right, only aggravating the problem.
Correct it by thinking of a straight line through your shoulder blades and another through your big toes. When you address the ball, set these lines parallel to The Line. Next, reset your grip by turning both hands counterclockwise, placing the right hand on top of the club grip.
During the first 3 feet of the backswing, keep the club head on The Line; during the downswing, follow the same path. The golf ball should fly higher and along the target line.
In the right-to-left hook, the player makes a downswing inside The Line, strikes the ball at an angle, and continues the swing outside The Line. Solve it by raising the right shoulder and rotating it slightly counterclockwise at address. Don’t change the grip. Take the club head back outside The Line but keep the club face open.
Turn your hands so that the back of your left wrist faces the sky at the top of the backswing. Start the downswing along The Line. The golf ball should leave the club face along or left of the target and fade to the right slightly.