The dreaded snap hook can rear its head at any moment, and it can affect any ball-striker and any handicap. But how do you get rid of it when it becomes an annoying pattern?
It’s an issue teachers see all the time, and in the latest edition of GOLF’s Home Practice, GOLFTEC’s director of teaching Zach Lambeck takes pro Hannah Gregg through both the problem and solution.
As you can see in the video above, Lambeck explained that in one swing Gregg took, her forearms were turning too far left in her follow through, and she was pointing the toe of the club more to the left.
“The more the toe of that club points to the left, the more closed that club face gets,” Lambeck said.
But the formula for the anti-hook, Lambeck said, is to make sure the forearms aren’t turning as much, which will help the toe of the club point more toward the right, which helps keep the club face more open in the follow through.
The fix
Lambeck asked Gregg to take a swing like she’s hitting a greenside bunker shot and to hold the follow through. Once she does, Lambeck points out how the forearms are straight and the toe of the club is facing away from her.
“How often do you snap-hook a greenside bunker shot?” Lambeck asked.
“Almost never,” Gregg said.
The drill
That’s why this is such a good drill to help solve the snap-hook issue. Lambeck then instructed Gregg to start with a 50-yard shot, and that greenside-bunker-strike mentality helps solidify that preferred path. He said he was looking for the ball not to draw but possibly even fade a touch, which is exactly what happened when Gregg made contact.
Start small, because doing this drill will help straighten out your path, and then you can move to full swings and, if all goes well, kiss those snap hooks goodbye.