Occasionally, you might come across situations in golf where you need to think fast and decide quickly to keep the game going. The duck hook is one such shot that might come in handy when it matters.
A problematic shot
If you are a right-hander, the duck hook is when you make a shot where it curves to the left, hard! In most situations, the duck hook is one that gets you into some trouble which is hard to get out of. That said, it does not mean that a duck hook is a dead end because there are ways where you can overcome or to avoid hitting one at all.
Guide to avoid a duck hook
What happens during a duck hook is that you hit the ball with a closed clubface and an inside-to-out swing, causing it to behave erratically. Here, you need to learn how to swing with a square clubface and to ensure that the club is released precisely and properly. Besides that, you also need to ensure u follow on the right path during your swing.
- First, the grip. Use your left hand to grip the club and you should be able to see 2 knuckles here. With your right hand, grip the club in such a way that your right thumb and index finger are pointing to your right shoulder while your right pinkie is now between your left hand’s index and middle fingers. Remember that you should be able to see your left hand’s knuckles. To avoid a close clubface during the swing, use a neutral grip.
- Next, the swing. Do the backswing and when the club is at the height of your hip, point the toe straight up so that it maintains an open clubface
- Now, ensure that your left arm is straight in the swing. This will help you not to have an early release which will happen when you lose your wrist hinge and will result in a close clubface. When your left shoulder is about just below your chin, stop the backswing.
Here, you need to turn your hips towards the target. This will be the start of your downswing and you will notice that your arms will follow suit. As your approaching contact point, keep turning your hips so that it is towards the target. Like the previous step, it will avoid early release. - As you swing through to the impact, keep the clubface square. Take note that you should not let the club over-rotate. Instead, you have to keep turning your hips until the swing is completed. You are at the finished position when your belt buckle is facing the target and that should get you to the results you want.
