You're Correct!

Sometimes golfers will hit the ball into a spot they dont want the ball to go! If youve played golf for any length of time this should be obvious.

What should also be obvious is that to escape from trouble situations, players need to be able to hit a wide variety of shots; one of which is an intentional hook.

The hook could be required if a player finds their ball tight behind a tree and needs to curve it around the obstacle to reach the target.

A hook starts right of the aim line before curving left in the air to finish well left of the target. To achieve this combination, a player must get the club traveling on an in to out swing path in relation to the aim line. To hook the ball, the club face must be closed to the swing path and aim line.

When these factors are combined correctly, the ball will start right and turn through the air left.

To intentionally hook a ball follow this guide.

• First of all, establish the target line which starts at the ball and traces down towards the target. The idea is to start the ball right of the target line and curve it left through the air
• The body alignment and club face alignment should be brought around to the right depending how far out you want the ball to start
• A hook requires that the club face be closed to the path and aim line so now angle the club so it points back towards the target. This can also be exaggerated by strengthening the grip (moving the left hand more on top of the club and the right hand more underneath)
• The only thing now required to curve the ball is an in-to-out swing path

Players need to note that the hook shot also causes the club face to reduce in loft. Therefore, an 8 iron hook is likely to resemble more like a 6 iron trajectory. This needs to be taken into account when selecting the shot to play.
When hooking the ball, follow the above routine and technique to achieve the most consistent results.

When playing the hook shot, first of all alter the stance, path and club face alignment. Dont be tempted to simply employ the same set up and drastically drop the club inside the body. This will lead to very inconsistent shots.

Its a common misconception that the hands need to be drastically flipped over through impact to cause a hook. A normal release of the club face would suffice as long as the set-up and swing path are correct.

One of the most common misconceptions about golf is the need to grip tightly onto the club for a greater amount of control. When trying to shape the ball either left or right, you are better relaxing the grip. A tension free grip will lead to better results.