Push Right and Hook

Question
Hi,

I've been I have a major problem with pushing every ball to the right when hitting with a driver. I tried to close the face and I would end up with hook. Also, my irons are going hooking, so I tried to open up the club face and it pushes right. My guess is that it has to do with my swing but I have no clue as to how to fix it. Please help!

Answer
Hi Dave:

Remember that the golf ball only does what the club tells it to do.  So let's examine a few things first.  If you push the ball to the right (meaning the ball goes straight right with no curve), then that is a path problem (meaning you are swinging the club into the ball too far from the inside).  If you are then hooking some, that just means that the clubface is turning over too quickly through impact which would curve the ball from right to left.  So if the club is coming too far from the inside and the face is closing at impact, the result is a huge hook.  So if the club is approaching the ball too far from the inside and the face just stays square to that line (out towards 1 or 2 o'clock), then the ball just pushes to the right.  So the effect the path of the club AND the clubface have on the ball is dramatic.  Opening or closing the clubface at address does nothing except create more poor swing habits.  So here is the help to the problem.  You'll have to hit balls to sense this, but no big deal, you'll do it.
Picture how the club is approaching the ball.  If it is coming into the ball from too far from the inside, then the club is striking the ball on the back, inside part of the ball closest to you.  IF THE CLUB APPROACHED THE BALL FROM MORE DOWN THE LINE OR PICTURE THE CLUB APPROACHING THE BALL FROM THE OUTSIDE, would that produce a different flight pattern?  Yes, so I would ask you to hit some slices on purpose.  A slice means you would contact the ball on the outside part of the ball furthest away from you and swing way to the left in a cutting across motion.  This would start the ball to the left and if the face is left open would spin the ball from left to right, producing a slice.  So, play around abit with how the club approaches the ball and see what happens.  The thing to watch for Dave is the path of the club approaching the ball is what tells the ball where to start.  The clubface tells the ball what to do when it gets airborne.  So hit some balls and change the path abit and see what it produces.  You can become your own coach with a little practice.  Write back and let me know your results.  

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member