One of the key movements essential to consistent ball striking and accuracy is the rotation of the left hand through impact.

However, if the left hand begins to over rotate through impact, the results on ball flight can be quite dramatic. Normally, an over rotation of the left hand will lead to shots that begin low and left of the intended target line, the greater the rotation, the more the ball will move to the left during its flight.

For golfers to hit more successful shots, it's important not to over rotate the left hand. Here are a few ways players can practice a correct rotation.

• Slow down rotation - At the point of impact, the back of the left hand should be pointing directly down towards the target. This helps ensure the club face is square when it reaches the ball. To practice this position, players can practice striking through the ball, feeling the back of the left hand is pointing down the target line for as long as possible.
• Check your grip - If a player's left hand is over rotating it could be the cause of an overly strong grip. When the left hand becomes too strong it sits on top of the grip showing three or more knuckles when viewed from above. As the left hand comes into impact, the hand will rotate to a neutral position with the back of the hand facing the target. This will cause a closed club face and a shot flying off to the left. To ensure this doesn't happen, players should focus on keeping the left hand in a neutral position, this means two and a half knuckles when viewed from above with the V created by the left thumb and forefinger, pointing up towards the right shoulder.
• Ensure the hips are turning - If the hips become inactive during the down swing, the hands can become over active in an attempt to compensate. The hips need to turn through impact so the upper body can follow. If they don't turn through impact, the hands can 'flip' over through impact. To ensure the left hips turn through impact, ensure you finish the swing with the belt buckle facing the target.
• Don't get wristy - If the wrists and hands become too active during the back swing they could return to impact in the same manner. Practice taking the club away with the shoulders keeping the hands, wrists and arms connected.

How to Stop the Left Hand Over Rotating Through Impact

They way your hands behave through the hitting area is one of the most important aspects of your swing. Of course, this part of the swing happens in just a fraction of a second, as the club head can easily be moving at 100 MPH or more at this time. To use your hands correctly takes not only excellent eye-hand coordination, but also solid technique and plenty of practice. Using your hands properly will help you to produce beautiful ball flights, while making a mistake can lead to ugly results. Only when you refine this part of your game to allow for a consistent pattern of movement will you be able to rely on your ball flight swing after swing.

This article is going to deal with one specific mistake you may be making through impact – over rotating the left hand. If you over rotate the left hand through impact, you are likely to hit a quick hook to the left. While the slice is the ball flight that gets the most 'attention' in golf, most players would agree that a hook is actually a bigger problem. When you hit a slice, the ball will hold up in the air and land pretty softly when it comes down. A hook, on the other hand, it a shot which is out of control. It ducks down to the ground quickly, and it usually takes a big bounce and has plenty of roll. Neither of these ball flights is desirable, of course, but you will usually be better off with a slice as compared to a hook in most cases.

As you will see as we go through this article, there are a number of potential causes for an overactive left hand at impact. Once you determine that this is a problem that is plaguing your game, you can get to work on finding a fix as quick as possible. It is hard to have much fun on the course when you continually hit quick hooks, so this is an error that needs immediate attention. Put aside other parts of your swing that you would like to work on and focus in on this issue until it is solved once and for all.

There is some good news to be found if you realize that your left hand is too active through the hitting area. In most cases, this is a problem with a relatively easy solution – and once it is fixed, your swing might be in a great place. Unlike those who hit a slice consistently, players who hook the golf ball are usually quite close to hitting good shots. With just a couple of tweaks to body positions or swing mechanics, that nasty hook just might be able to turn into a beautiful ball which soars down the fairway.

All of the content below is based on a right-handed golfer. If you play left-handed, please reverse the directions as necessary, as it will be your right hand that needs to be corrected.

Spotting Trouble

One of the best skills you can have as a golfer is the ability to diagnose problems in your own game. You are usually all alone out there on the course in terms of trying to fix your game – even if you take lessons from a pro, he or she is typically not going to be with you when playing a round of golf. So, with that in mind, you need to develop the ability to spot problems in your game and fix them before they become bigger issues.

As it relates to the topic of this article, there are a few signs you can watch for which would indicate that you are over rotating your left hand through impact. Three of those signs are listed below.

• Consistent hooks. A pattern of shots which are hooked to the left of your target would be the biggest sign that you are allowing your left hand to over rotate through the hitting area. It is tough to even get around the golf course when you are fighting a hook, so this is a problem that you will certainly notice as soon as it arises. Not only will you struggle to shoot a good score while dealing with a hook, you will likely lose several golf balls along the way. A hook is even harder to deal with than a slice, meaning the game probably isn't going to be much fun while you work on correcting this issue. An overactive left hand is not the only potential cause of a hook, but it is almost always at least a part of the story.
• Deep divots. If you let your left hand turn the club down too aggressively while approaching impact, you are likely to stick the club head way down into the turf. As a result, you are going to pull a big chunk of turf out of the ground, and you shot will have too much backspin on your shots as well. While it is usually good to take a small divot on most of your iron shots, you really don't want to smash your club into the ground time after time. If you can manage to reduce the amount of left hand action you are using through the ball, your divots should shallow out and your ball striking should improve as a result.
• Inconsistent play. All golfers complain about their inconsistency, but those who have their games move dramatically up and down from round to round may be using too much hand action through the ball. It is hard to time your hand rotation properly at impact, meaning you have to be in a perfect rhythm from your entire round if you want to succeed this way. Taking some of that hand action out of the swing is going to make you significantly more consistent, as your body rotation is far easier to time properly as compared to hand rotation. If your scores vary wildly from day to day, it will be worth looking into the possibility that you have too much left hand rotation in your action.
• Poor play around the greens. You can actually use your performance around the greens to judge the way you are performing in the full swing. Do you struggle to make solid contact with your chip shots? If so, it may be that you are using too much hand action in your full swing – and that excess action could be carrying over into your short game. While it is okay to use a little bit of hand action around the greens, you don't want to have your chipping motion made up of all hands and wrists. By stabilizing the way you swing the golf club on full shots, your chipping motion should come together nicely as well.

You should never ignore signs of trouble in your golf game. No matter what those signs may be indicating, it is always wise to address them as soon as possible. Instead of just hoping your game will fix itself on its own – which isn't going to happen – you can be proactive and take matters into your own hands. With regard to over rotating your left hand, watch for the issues above and get down to work on the necessary corrections once the problem has been identified.

The Role of Your Grip

The way your hands and wrists work as the club moves through impact is going to have a lot to do with how you hold the club during the swing. It is common for amateur golfers to ignore the technical side of their grip, instead focusing on other parts of the swing. This is a mistake, of course, as your grip is one of the biggest fundamentals in the game. Get your grip right, and everything else gets easier. In fact, if you can get your grip right, you just might find that your excessive left hand rotation solves itself without any other steps being required.

If you decide to improve on your grip as a way to improve your swing overall, you need to know that you are in for a significant amount of work. Grip changes are notoriously difficult to complete, as you are going to be changing the entire way your hands interact with the club. However, while it is going to be tough, it can be extremely rewarding as well. There is the possibility that a grip change will take your game to a new level – and that should be enough motivation for you to see this through from start to finish.

When you are ready to get down to work on your grip, make sure you keep track of the following points.

• Set your left hand in a strong position. The vast majority of amateur golfers are going to be served well by using a strong left hand grip. It is possible to play well with a weak grip too, of course, but that is usually a more difficult path. Also, that style of grip is going to require plenty of hand action through the ball, and hand action is exactly what we are trying to avoid here. When you look down at your left hand from address, you should be able to see at least two of the knuckles on the back of your left hand, if not more. Many golfers play well while looking at three knuckles at address, although you probably want to stop before you get to the point of seeing all four.
• Match your right hand to your left. You should always place your left hand on the grip prior to your right. Once your left hand is in place, add the right hand by matching it up to the position of your left. In other words, your palms should be facing each other perfectly when the grip is completed. One of the common grip mistakes made by amateurs is having the two hands working against each other. If your hands are going to work properly through the hitting area, they need to be perfectly coordinated from start to finish. Make sure your right hand matches up with your left as the grip is formed and you will be a big step closer to using your hands correctly.
• Modest grip pressure. It is easy to make the mistake of squeezing tightly onto the grip when you address the ball. A tight grip is a problem because it puts too much of the control of the movement of the club into your hands and fingers. You would rather control the club with your big muscles because those muscles are more predictable and easier to manage. You don't need a particularly tight grip to maintain control during the swing, so practice using light grip pressure to allow your hands to work more effectively. If you are having trouble getting comfortable with a light grip, practice on some short shots before working your way up to full swings. You never want to lose control of the club as you swing, of course, so find a happy medium where you have control and yet still have the freedom you need.
• A snug connection. You are free to decide how you would like to connect your two hands during the swing – but you do need to make sure they are properly connected. Many amateur golfers choose the interlocking grip because it firmly connects the right hand to the left, but the overlapping grip has plenty of supporters as well. Experiment with different options until you decide which grip gives you the best results overall.

It probably won't be very exciting to work on your grip for an extended period of time, but you need to stick with it if you are going to have big improvements come your way in the end. A solid grip is something that can give you confidence as you head around the course, and you can never have enough confidence in this game.

Body Rotation is Key

Once you are sure that you have a solid grip working for you, the next step is to check on the body rotation you are using through the ball. Your body rotation is the biggest element of the downswing, and a good turn will make it very unlikely that your left hand will rotate too aggressively at impact. The combination of great grip technique and an aggressive body turn will virtually eliminate any chance of your left hand rolling over at the bottom of the swing.

To give yourself a good chance of rotating properly in the downswing, the first thing you should do is start with hip action immediately from the top. Don't bring your arms down first and then try to catch up with your hips later – it needs to be the hips which start the turn toward the target. When your hips get out in front and lead the way for your golf swing, it will naturally become easier to deliver a controlled, powerful blow into the back of the ball.

Assuming you do get the downswing off to a good start, you can't just rest on the fact that everything else will take care of itself. The swing can still go wrong, and you need to remain focused and work hard to ensure that you get through the rest of the motion properly. The biggest potential risk is giving up on your rotation and letting it come to a stop before the shot has been sent on its way. This is an error which is made by countless amateur golfers, and it is one which may encourage your left hand to roll over. As the club is approaching impact, don't let up at all – keep turning hard toward the target and trust that the ball is going to take off in the right direction once it is struck.

The golfer who makes a great turn – both back and through – is going to be in excellent position to hit quality shots. If you ever watch golf on TV, you will notice that professional golfers always use a powerful turn, and you should be doing the same. You can't build enough speed with your arms alone if you want to hit long, solid shots toward your targets. Also, the swing you make with your arms and hands is never going to be as consistent as the one you make with your body. Focus some of your upcoming practice sessions on quality body rotation and you can be sure your game will move in the right direction.

Hand Action in the Short Game

We touched briefly on the topic of the short game earlier, but it deserves a bigger mention here because your hand action is important when playing on and around the greens as well. You aren't going to shoot low scores if you struggle with the short game, so this area of your technique deserves just as much attention as your full swing.

Right off the bat, we can eliminate the putting stroke as a point of concern with regard to hand action. Why? Simple – there should be no hand action in the putting stroke. Your putting stroke should be managed entirely with your shoulders and arms, while the rest of your body stays perfectly still. If you do allow your hands to move while trying to roll the ball toward the hole, it is likely that the club will be twisted off of the intended target line. Also, it will be difficult to control your speed when your hands are too active. Take all hand action out of your putting stroke, and work on improving your results through plenty of repetition during each practice session.

When you step off of the green, you will need to engage your hands in the action in order to chip or pitch the ball properly. This is where you have to again watch out for the mistake of over rotating your left hand through impact. Often, this over rotation will take place when you get nervous. When the nerves kick in, you might force the action a bit, using your hands to gouge the ball out of the grass aggressively. It is hard to control these kinds of chip shots, and you are more than likely going to miss-hit some of them as well. To avoid over rotation, keep your left wrist firm through the ball and keep the club moving toward the target. As long as the club head doesn't slow down or stop during the forward swing, you should be able to strike a solid chip without much trouble.

If you find your ball in a greenside bunker and you are planning to play an 'explosion' shot to get the ball out of the sand and onto the green, you will need to plan on using an aggressive release. In this specific situation, it is okay to fully release your wrists and hands through the shot in order to cut the club through the sand successfully. Aim for a spot in the sand a couple inches behind the ball and swing hard. With a full release, you should be able to send the club head under the ball cleanly, and the shot should float up softly out of the trap and onto the green.

Over rotation with your left hand can lead to a serious problem in your game. Fortunately, most players will be able to get over this issue with a combination of an improved grip and great body rotation. Once you fix any grip technique errors which may have been in your game, and once you learn how to turn through your shots efficiently, the quick hooks that you were likely hitting should be a thing of the past. Now that you don't have to worry about the hook, you can look forward to bigger and better things on the course. Good luck!