Hook, pull, hook!!

[road2ruin]

For years I have fought against a fade/power fade with irons and a power fade/big slice with my 3 wood/driver. This was generally caused by having a swing that came over the top and from the outside. Through lessons I now have a swing path that is pretty neutral, always within 1 degree of straight (I think that's the correct terminology).

However, my golf is now in a place that is probably worse than it was before! I am struggling with even shorter irons and hooking the life out of the ball!! I know the cause from having been on Trackman and it's having a closed club face at impact. When my path is straight it seems to result in a ball flight that shoots off straight left (with sometimes a little more left towards the end), on a poorer swing (where I get trapped on the inside) the ball just carries on going left!

Having had lessons I know my grip is good, it's pretty neutral and I definitely not on the strong side. I'm just really struggling with club face control!! Are there any drills out that I can try to see if I can find the centre (or even the right hand side) of the fairway again?! I never thought i'd miss my old ball shape!!

 

[ScienceBoy]

This helped me find the centre when I was pulling irons.

Ive posted it a lot recently but I cannot stress how much this has CHANGED my iron play.

[video=youtube_share;AASecTnB6lQ]https://youtu.be/AASecTnB6lQ[/video]

Its not the fix to everything, it may not even be YOUR fix but have a look and see.

After working on this I hit one of my greatest shots every, matching holing out from 150 yards from the light rough (or was it fairway, cant remember). I stiffed an 8 from a bunker to a couple of inchest, perfect contact, perfect flight, almost perfect result!

 

[road2ruin]

Cheers SB, have seen a lot of Crossfield stuff but not this particular video. Like you said, may not be my fix but worth a go at the range!

 

[the_coach]

impossible to be specific not knowing what's really going down

best answer would be to find a Pro with GC2 HMT and preferably with pressure mat or plate system

if the ball never really starts to right of target line would re-check ball position has not gotten a tad too forwards

some other stuff my take would be worth checking over real careful - that at set-up and just before the clubhead moves back that it's not gotten 'toed in' any

although it might seem to a player or playing buddies might have said 'coming over the top' swinging leftfield as 'you are pull hooking these balls'
it's a ways possible to hit what may 'appear' to be a pull hook but in effect really isn't given that the ball starts with irons around 70+% in the direction the face is looking the path could still be a little ways in to out - but the issue with where the face is looking so shot outcomes is around weight distribution and upper body leaning back off some

so through swing motion into/at impact would checkover whether the weight pressure is not staying too much on the trailside with upper body leaning away from target

just as a trial drill say with a 7i - set-up with weight pressure 70% on lead side and leave it there just then small takeback to lead arm horizontal to ground with the shaft angle set to 90º (L shape) but don't allow the weight pressure to move from the lead leg to the trailside then smooth swing through impact to a finish position where both arms and club shaft are again horizontal to the ground (this finish position if viewed from face-on would have the arms & shaft pointing to 3 o'clock)

so executing a small 'punch' type swing but with only around 60% swing effort and see if you can do this with the ball flying straightway so none starting leftfield curving leftfield going to take somewhile to get used to this - but if you can get there and hit them straight mainly no lefts - then a big issue in the full swing would be at transition not getting enough weight pressure into the lead leg so there would be too much weight and upper body hanging back

of course this may not be what's going on just some stuff maybes worth checking over given the description in the OP - but if it is take a look at this video at what is best happening in how to make a pretty sound transition move

[video=youtube;ZwCYNON8JW8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwCYNON8JW8[/video]

 

[bobmac]

The fear of hitting it left can cause you to hit it left.

You stop turning your body because you feel that will hit it left and your arms flip the club round your body.

To help this, you have to stop your arms overtaking your body by turning hard through the shot finishing up balanced with the weight on your front foot and your back toe.

 

[turkish]

Are you flicky with the wrists? I know this is when I hook the life of the ball- best thing for me to stop it is feel that I'm holding off as much as I can to keep club face square

 

[road2ruin]

Thank you for the feedback and thoughts on this.

So, had a play around at the range and ultimately couldn't get anything consistently straight. Decided that I'd have half an hour with one of our pros at my course (regular lessons are with a guy at another course) just in case he spotted something that may have been missed previously.

Having watched me hit a number of balls which fortunately did go left (always seem to play well when I have a lesson so it's difficult to fix a fault) he immediately noticed that whilst my grip was good in terms of position and strength I held the club too much in the palm rather than along the bottom of the fingers so that was the first change.

The second was just getting me to concentrate on the first couple of feet of takeaway. I was lifting the club a little and coming back inside too quickly. He tried to get me to keep the hands lower for longer and keep the wrists still and just move with shoulders to begin the swing.

The final fix was along the lines of Turkish above, with the new grip and better takeaway my shots going left were down to flicky wrists at impact. I was asked to try and keep hitting out after the ball and turn with hips instead of trying to drag my arms around.

A lot to work on but the initial improvements are there, just need to practice!