Why does a loose clubhead cause hooks?

[cliveb]

For a couple of rounds my 5 wood kept hooking. I very rarely hook, but this was happening all the time. I persevered trying to correct it, but to no avail.

Then on the third round of this trouble, it felt distinctly strange on a backswing and I discovered the head had come loose. I was able to just pull it off the shaft. (This is an old fashioned fixed head, not adjustable). After having it mended, I played yesterday (our course finally opened, hooray!) and the hook was gone.

Can anyone come up with an explanation why a slightly loose club head would cause hooking? I'm thinking perhaps on the downswing the weight of the toe end might be twisting it round and closing the face, but surely if it was loose enough to do that the head would just fly off the shaft?

 

[Captain_Black.]

Weird things happen with golf clubs.
I played with a guy a few weeks ago, he was using an older Taylormade driver (non adjustable)
He hit a stonking good drive, right up the middle, he then went to put the head cover on, only for the head to just fall off!
The shaft had snapped where it enters the hosel, I've never seen anything like it.

 

[sjw]

Weird things happen with golf clubs.
I played with a guy a few weeks ago, he was using an older Taylormade driver (non adjustable)
He hit a stonking good drive, right up the middle, he then went to put the head cover on, only for the head to just fall off!
The shaft had snapped where it enters the hosel, I've never seen anything like it.

I think people underestimate the forces imparted by a golf club. Something like 4000lb of force and thousands of Gs?

 

[Deleted member 25172]

I had the same, but opposite, last summer while down in Kent playing Princes. It's well known that I'm wild off the tee among my playing partners, but this day it truly was something else as we got to the back 9. I was absolutely dumbfounded at what I was seeing. The ball flight was literally like a boomerang with big slinging slices, where the ball was going backwards in the end before going to the ground, about 75-100 yards offline. All I could do was to laugh about it.

As I got home and got my clubs back in I obviously got the driver out the bag for a few practice swings. That's when I heard a rattling sound from the club head. I turned the club and felt that the clubhead was loose, on the brink of coming off.

Got it fixed, but unfortunately I can't say that it has helped my driving in any way shape or form anyway.

And speaking of forces, below is that very same driver a few months back. Heard a very tinny sound, more so than usual with a Ping. Looked down at it, and saw this.

 

[jim8flog]

In old terms hitting off the toe produces a right to left flight. With a loose head you may well have been effectively hitting off the toe.

 

[Orikoru]

Just thinking aloud and spit-balling... Let's say you set the club down on the ground behind the ball and it looks square, but only because pressing it on the ground makes it look that way. Then as soon as you lift it, where it's slightly loose it drops a little due to gravity and closes the face a touch? Could be anything really.

 

[cliveb]

In old terms hitting off the toe produces a right to left flight. With a loose head you may well have been effectively hitting off the toe.

I think you may have the answer.
I do understand the gear effect, and guess a loose head might amplify it.
And if a loose head allows it to it twist back, it could create a gear effect even with hits out of the centre.
On reflection I think this is more likely than the head twisting forwards and closing the face.

 

[SocketRocket]

It's because the face is shutting.

 

[cliveb]

It's because the face is shutting.

That was my first guess, but after further consideration I couldn't think of a plausible way this would happen, thinking about the dynamics of the forces imparted during the swing.

Do you know what it is that causes the face to shut when the clubhead is slightly loose, or are you just assuming it happens because of the hook?

On reflection I think it's more likely that the swing forces are turning the loose clubhead open, causing an extreme gear effect.

But I'll keep an open mind and hope someone who knows for sure can explain it.