Hook, pull hook, drop kick or push

Question
Hi Eddie

I am 9 handicap with a high ball flight and a high swing speed (>108).  I have struggled for the last several years with hitting the ball to the left in the form of hook,drop kick, or pull.  This problem is more extreme with long irons and most extreme with my driver.  Over the years, I have had several lessons with different pro's who have focused on pointing the butt of the club towards right field to avoid coming over the top.  Others have mentioned making a divot at 1 o'clock.  I have been told by one pro that I "scoop" my wrists in my follow through as opposed to fully releasing them.  I also have had several people tell me I get "quick" and I have a hard time visualizing what that means and how to fix it.  As additional information, when I hit the ball well with long irons/driver, it typically starts to the right with a slight draw, but sometimes it is just push out to the right.

Any suggestions on how alleviate the hook, pull, hook, drop kick, but avoid the push?  Any suggestions/drills to work on proper tempo?

Best

Trey Jones

Answer
Hi Trey:
Wow, you've received a lot of information on how to go about fixing this!  Let me break it down for you as I see it from your comments:  First, focus on pointing the butt of the club towards right field to avoid coming over the top.  That aids a hook, pull, push, fat and thin and duck hook.  Second, you don't come over the top.  Third, make a divot at 1 o'clock ... again, aids in what I said before.  Fourth, "scooping your wrists" .... I understand but ??????.  Fifth, quick is a feeling of being out of control ... nothing to do with your issue.  Ball starts right and slight draw when swinging well, but sometimes a straight push to the right.  

Guess what?  Easy to fix.  As a 9 handicap, you know you will need to work at this, but it shouldn't be a big deal.  Everything you have mentioned causes and aids a push, a hook, a drop kick, fat, thin, pull.  You are swinging too much from in to out as the club approaches the ball.  A push occurs when the face is square to that path.  A draw or hook occurs when you over rotate your hands closing the face, which imparts right to left spin on the ball.  So depending on how much you close the face through impact swinging from in to out, your ball would start right of target and hopefully hook back to the target.  If your timing is off, it's brutal to control.  

Here's how to fix it!

You need to work on drills to get the club moving into the impact area a little more down the line.  I like to use the clock picture as well because it's easy to understand.  You will feel as though the club is swinging from 6 o'clock (on your target line) to 10 o'clock.  Remember it's just a feeling.  If you try it and put it on video you won't believe how good it looks.  Ideally, eventually, you will swing your club into the impact area from 7 o'clock to square and back to 11 o'clock on the forward swing past the ball.  

You need to control your club better Trey and it sounds like you can do that ... you just need the right information ... because you have gotten all the information needed to do exactly what you do.  So, it's time to do the opposite to produce a different result.  Basically speaking, as you swing your club through the impact area, I would be trying to swing it towards 11 o'clock.  Control the club better and swing it towards 11 o'clock through the ball.  

By the club moving down this path, you will contact it more solidly, and not spin it so much (meaning sidespin).  The two things that influence a golf ball the most are the path the club is swinging on  and the clubface.  It sounds like you can control the clubface pretty well but you do need to change your path.  

Let me know how it works, it's a game of constant adjustment.  You have gotten into an inside - out swing path.  You need to do the opposite and watch your ball fly straighter with less spin (sidespin).  

Good luck, let me know if you have issues.  

Eddie