x
Skip to main content
Golf Logo
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
There are 4 different kinds of hooks. Which one is yours?
SHARE
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Golf Logo
  • News
    • Latest
      • News
      • Features
      • Shows
      • PGA Tour Schedule
    • Series
      • Tour Confidential
      • Monday Finish
      • Hot Mic
      • Rogers Report
    • Shows
      • The Scoop
      • Subpar
      • Seen & Heard
  • Instruction
    • Game Improvement
      • Driving
      • Approach Shots
      • Bunker Shots
      • Short Game
      • Putting
      • Rules
      • Fitness
    • Series
      • Top 100 Teachers
      • Rules Guy
      • The Etiquetteist
      • Emergency 9
    • Shows
      • Warming Up
      • Play Smart
      • Short Game Chef
      • Pros Teaching Joes
  • Gear
    • Clubs
      • Drivers
      • Irons
      • Hybrids
      • Fairway Woods
      • Wedges
      • Putters
    • Other Gear
      • Balls
      • Shoes
      • Apparel
      • Golf Accessories
    • Series
      • ClubTest
      • Winner’s Bag
    • Shows
      • Fully Equipped
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • Travel
      • Course Finder
      • Courses
      • Resorts
    • Lifestyle
      • Accessories
      • Celebrities
      • Food
      • Style
      • Betting Advice
    • Shows
      • Super Secrets
      • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Shop
      • Clubs
      • Shafts
      • Training Aids
      • Balls
      • Bags
      • Technology
      • Apparel
      • Accessories
      • Our Picks
      • Shop All
    • Collections
      • The GOLF Collection
      • The Birdie Juice Collection
      • The Fully Equipped Collection
      • Shop All
  • Newsletters
    • Sign Up for GOLF’s Newsletters
      • Hot Mic
      • Monday Finish
      • Play Smart
      • Our Picks
      • Top Stories
      • Sign Up for All
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Features
    • Shows
    • PGA Tour Schedule
  • Instruction
    • All Instruction
    • Driving
    • Approach Shots
    • Bunker Shots
    • Short Game
    • Putting
    • Rules
    • Fitness
  • Gear
    • All Gear
    • Drivers
    • Irons
    • Hybrids
    • Fairway Woods
    • Wedges
    • Putters
    • Balls
    • Shoes
    • Apparel
    • Golf Accessories
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • All Travel
    • All Lifestyle
    • Course Finder
    • Courses
    • Resorts
    • Accessories
    • Celebrities
    • Food
    • Style
    • Betting Advice
  • Series
    • Tour Confidential
    • Monday Finish
    • Hot Mic
    • Rogers Report
    • Rules Guy
    • The Etiquetteist
    • Emergency 9
    • ClubTest
    • Winner’s Bag
  • Shows
    • The Scoop
    • Subpar
    • Seen & Heard
    • Warming Up
    • Play Smart
    • Short Game Chef
    • Pros Teaching Joes
    • Fully Equipped
    • Super Secrets
    • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Clubs
    • Shafts
    • Training Aids
    • Balls
    • Bags
    • Technology
    • Apparel
    • Accessories
    • The GOLF Collection
    • The Birdie Juice Collection
    • The Fully Equipped Collection
  • Newsletters
    • Hot Mic
    • Monday Finish
    • Play Smart
    • Top Stories
    • Our Picks
    • Sign Up for All
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
InsideGolf
Instruction

There are 4 different kinds of hooks. Which one is yours?

By: Luke Kerr-Dineen
  • Follow on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Follow on Instagram
July 30, 2020
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
hook

Knowing which hook you have is important.

Getty Images

Every golfer on earth hits bad shots, and when they do, there’s one miss that is perhaps the most terrifying of all.

There are lots of reasons why your golf swing may be causing a hook, but sometimes, the most helpful first step is understanding what causes the ball to hook in the first place. For that, let’s consult Marijan Mustac’s latest Instagram post. Mustac is a German golf coach based in Malaysia who doubles as one of my favorite follows on Instagram because of his visually striking and informative posts.

Before we get going, there are two things you need to know:

Club path, which is the direction your club is swinging, and clubface angle, which is where the clubface is pointing at impact. The relationship between those two things determines which direction the ball goes, and how it curves.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDOkF5lF68F/

The four different kinds of hooks

1. Draw

A draw is the very best kind of hook. Some reason may disagree that it’s a hook at all, but it’s included here because a draw is on the hook end of the spectrum, which is important to know.

Draws generally happen when both the path and the face are pointing to the right of your target, but the club path is pointing more to the right that the clubface.

2. Push-hook

A push-hook is a pretty common miss among good players. It’s essentially an overcooked draw, which is what happens when the path is pointing significantly more right than the clubface. This could be the result of your golf grip being too strong, which causes the clubface to close too much.

3. Pull hook

Definitely the most terrifying of all the hook, a pull hook is when the ball starts left and curves more left. It happens when the club path is neutral or moving left, and the clubface is pointing even more left.

4. Standard hook

And then there’s the standard hook, which is when the path is moving to the right, and when the clubface is pointing left. The result is a ball flight with far too much side spin, and a ball that dives down and to the left.

Latest In Instruction

25 minutes ago

J.J. Spaun's heroic U.S. Open-winning shot, explained

3 hours ago

Sergio Garcia's 6 keys for pure contact with your irons

4 hours ago

An in-depth look at Adam Scott's swing evolution

2 days ago

The $10 training aid Sam Burns is using at the U.S. Open

Luke Kerr-Dineen

Golf.com Contributor

Luke Kerr-Dineen is the Game Improvement Editor at GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com. In his role he oversees the brand’s game improvement content spanning instruction, equipment, health and fitness, across all of GOLF’s multimedia platforms.

An alumni of the International Junior Golf Academy and the University of South Carolina–Beaufort golf team, where he helped them to No. 1 in the national NAIA rankings, Luke moved to New York in 2012 to pursue his Masters degree in Journalism from Columbia University. His work has also appeared in USA Today, Golf Digest, Newsweek and The Daily Beast.

  • Author Facebook Account
  • Author Twitter Account
  • Author Instagram Account

Related Articles

Instruction

This elite amateur struggled with missing left — here’s how he fixed it

By: Luke Kerr-Dineen
Instruction
jonathan yarwood demonstrates

If your miss is a hook, try this simple swing thought to fix it

By: Zephyr Melton
Instruction

Top 100 Teacher: This is 'the best way' to fix a common golf swing flaw

By: Luke Kerr-Dineen
Instruction

A one-word swing thought can help you stop slicing the ball

By: Luke Kerr-Dineen
Instruction

Coming over the top? These 2 foolproof drills will instantly redirect your swing

By: Luke Kerr-Dineen
Instruction
tiger woods and butch on the range

What is young Tiger Woods working on in this interesting old video?

By: Luke Kerr-Dineen
Instruction

39 degrees: Why this important number can help you hit better, longer drives

By: Luke Kerr-Dineen
Instruction
golf teacher demonstrates drill

This trash-can drill will boost your 'arm speed' and help you hit draws

By: Luke Kerr-Dineen
Instruction
collin morikawa swings

All great ball-strikers have these 2 things in common

By: Todd Sones, Top 100 Teacher
Sign up for GOLF's Newsletters
Get the latest news, the hottest instruction tips, new product releases, golf media insider reports and more delivered directly to your inbox. Choose your favorites now.
Sign Up
Categories
  • News
  • Instruction
  • Gear
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
Services
  • Masthead
  • GOLF Media Kit
  • GOLF Magazine Customer Service
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Opt-out of Ads/Sharing
  • Your Privacy Choices
Social
  • facebook
  • x
  • instagram
  • youtube
Membership
InsideGOLF Logo
More than $140 Value for JUST $39.99

INCLUDES 12 SRIXON Z-STAR XV GOLF BALLS, 1 YR OF GOLF MAGAZINE, $20 FAIRWAY JOCKEY CREDIT - AND MUCH MORE!

LEARN MORE

© 2025 EB Golf Media LLC. An 8AM Golf Affiliated Brand. All Rights Reserved. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.

Go to mobile version