Pull Hooked drivers

Question
Handicap= 8   I have an excellent iron/fairway wood swing with most shots having a straight or slight draw shape, however most drives start low and left of target with a hook. I have tried hitting up on the ball and playing it farther forward.  Tired of chipping out.  Please help

Answer
Hi Al:

What you are doing Al is helping you pull hook it.  Whenever I see shots with drivers start out low and left, it means the clubhead is striking the outside of the ball as the clubface is trying to close.  Most occasions, the clubhead is approaching the ball from too far inside the target line and then swinging out on the ball.  This approach with a driver sounds great, however, the more you swing out on the ball, the tendency is to hit up on it as well, and the more you swing out on it, the more likely you are to catch the back outside part of the ball with the clubface closing, producing a right to left spin.  I want you to picture the complete opposite Al.  What would the clubhead have to look like when it hits the ball to produce left to right spin on purpose?  You would feel as though you are swinging towards left field and leaving the face open a little.  If 12 o'clock was your target (say the middle of the fairway), you would feel as though you were swinging towards 10 or 11 o'clock.  If the face does not close, you would put some left to right spin on the ball.  The ball would start out just left of the target and fade back to the center.  So if you are pull hooking drivers, you are catching the ball on the neck of the clubface (outside part of ball) and the clubface is closed.  Suggestion is to back up about an inch further from ball, and get your path coming into the ball more down the line, just like you said you do with most iron/fairway shots.  I am betting with a driver, if you are swinging up on the ball and playing it too far forward, you are swinging too much from in to out, producing the pull hook.  I don't think you are swinging too far to the left, although let's not rule anything out.  Your golf ball Al should be your best judge.  Just to do it for a while, I would have you hit me some intentional fades or slices just to show me you can control the club and the face OK.  If you are trying to hit slices or fades, I doubt you'd ever hit a pull hook.  So practice this and work it back into your swing.  You'll get rid of those in no time.  

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member