You’re a good player, but you struggle with hooks • On the tee, you always fear the ball going left • You sometimes follow a snap-hook with a way-right slice
Your most common mistake off the tee during the round you just finished was short and left — an ugly snap-hook that got you into tons of trouble.
You snap it when your right hand slips underneath your left hand in the downswing. The clubface swings open, and the only way to get it square is to arch your right wrist and snap the clubface — and the ball — to the left. To fix it, keep the heel of your right palm on the grip on the way back down so it doesn’t slip underneath and force you to make the snap compensation.
Take a tee and place it between your two hands as you grip the club; the tee should be wedged between the top knuckle of your left thumb and the heel of your right palm at the base of your right thumb. Hit balls on the range and make sure that the tee doesn’t come out during your swing. It may help to imagine that the tee is a thumbtack that you’re trying to push into your left hand at impact.
If you start hitting some shots to the right, that’s O.K. Just start rotating your right hand over your left earlier in your downswing, but always keep your right hand on the grip.
Many good players let their right palm come off the club to keep the ball from going right, but for most players it’s a recipe for regular snap-hooks. Keep it simple and make sure your right hand stays above your left in the downswing.
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