Instruction
How to eliminate the snap hook from your golf game forever
I went through a rough period as a kid fighting a nasty snap hook; almost 30 years later I can still remember that dreaded feeling. I tried changing to stiffer shafts and “holding on” tighter through impact, but nothing helped. Sadly, no one at that time knew much about the real ball flight laws. I was left to guess-and-check, and basically wait it out.
Today, we are blessed with devices like Trackman that give us an instant MRI of what is going on in the swing. All I would have needed back in the day was one swing and I could have understood why I was snap hooking the ball. I could have fixed it in one range session!
Now, there’s no reason to let your snap hook run wild and poison your game. Read this article, then get on Trackman to diagnose your own swing. Let’s dive in.
Above is a sample swing I made showing a healthy snap hook. The ball started well left of my target and continued to curve further left… not to mention that the ball launched extremely low, so the ball landed hot and keep running. That’s not ideal for hitting greens. This was my plight as a 16-year-old kid during that time period. Ugh!
The real issue here is the club path (which is -4.3 left of the target) and its interaction with the face angle (which is -5.7 degrees left of the target.) We know that the ball mostly begins in the direction of the face at impact (the red arrow) and curves away from the club path (the blue line). So, as you can see above, the face is left of the path by -1.4 degrees, which means this shot is going to curve to the left with a centered hit.
Here is the issue; if you try and manipulate the face right of your current path you will hit a fade as shown below, but if you shove the face right of the target line you will hit a weak slice. That’s a playable shot, but not ideal. The key is to fix the path so you can move the ball right-to-left.
Below is what we’d like your path to look like during impact to eliminate the pull hook, that is, if you want to still move the ball right-to-left.
The path is right of the target and the face is slightly left of the path, but it’s still right of the target during impact giving us a simple little push draw.
So what are the keys to shifting your path to the right during the transition?
- Focus on keeping your rear shoulder back during the transition, allowing it to move slightly downward so the club falls to the inside naturally.
- As the shoulder moves correctly, you will find that the club shaft will flatten a touch during this period.
- From there, you will arrive in a much better delivery position to allow you to begin the ball to the right and have it curve back to the target.
It’s a transition thing: nothing more, nothing less. Fix your path and your snap hooks will go away forever!
There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.
And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.
But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.
When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.
Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.
For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!
Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.
Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.
If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.
1. Cultural mindset
What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!
It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.
2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling
Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.
3. Learning theory basics
It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.
As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.
So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!
Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.
The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).
But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.
Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)
Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.
What Woad did:
• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances
• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins
• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets
• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”
Why most golfers mess this up:
• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”
• Distance becomes more important than accuracy
• They try to be heroic instead of smart
ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.
The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire
Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.
How she responded to pressure:
• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th
• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys
• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th
• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked
What amateurs do wrong:
• Get conservative when they should be aggressive
• Try to force magic when steady play would win
• Panic when someone else makes a move
ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.
Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game
Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.
Her mental approach:
• Focused on her process, not the competition
• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)
• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”
Her physical execution:
• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)
• Methodical iron play
• Steady putting
• Everything effective, nothing spectacular
ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.
Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built
The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”
Her winning mindset:
• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself
• Focused on playing well and contending
• Made winning a byproduct of a good process
• Built confidence through recent experiences:
- Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
- Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
- Each experience prepared her for the next
What this means for you:
• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up
• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine
• Commit to every shot
• Stay present in the moment
ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.
The Real Lesson
Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.
The fundamentals that won:
• Hit more fairways
• Find more greens
• Make the putts you should make
• Stay patient under pressure
That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.
FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!
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Swiv
Jul 10, 2017 at 3:23 am
Not true at all
SoonerSlim
Jul 8, 2017 at 9:54 am
This article is about a pull hook, not a snap hook! There are two entirely different fixes depending on which you suffer from. Tom is OK on how to fix your pull hook. However, to fix a snap hook, the last thing you want to do is swing more right!! That is your biggest problem, the swing path is way too much inside out, the body gets in the way on the downswing, and the hands flip over through impact, thus the “snap hook”. To fix this, first check your grip. If you weaken your grip to the point the clubface is square to the path you will see the ball start way right, the push. The snap hook almost always results from a backswing flaw of getting the club too far across the line at the top and coming from underneath on the downswing. In short, to stop the snap hook you have to get a more online swing path. Exaggerate this correction by trying to hit fades and slices. You will see better impact contact and a higher ball flight immediately.
SoonerSlim
Jul 8, 2017 at 9:37 am
Wrong title for this article! Should have been titled how to cure a “Pull Hook”. A pull hook and a snap hook are two entirely different ball flights. They look very similar, but the swing path for a snap hook is not left of target. It is almost always too inside out and the clubface is way too closed to that path. It almost always results from the club getting way too far behind you on the downswing and the body not properly turning through the shot. The body slides too much, blocks the turn and there’s nothing for the hands to do but flip through impact, thus the “snap hook”.
Anthony
Jul 7, 2017 at 11:35 pm
Hitting with a shut club face at impact causes the on the sweet spot pull draw. Looks great but not optimal. Everything starts at target and curves left. Misses when I get quick and out of sink with longer irons are snap hooks or 50 yard high hooks. You can try to swing inside out all you want but if the face is too shut at impact it will never be a push draw. Launch monitor at Golftech a couple years ago showed me as club face open 5-6 degrees and swing path right 10-11 degrees and that does produce a high push draw; not optimal either. So back to what I am working on to fix my pull draw. The grip can be the issue. My grip is unbalanced and thumb position when to what is easy instead of what is correct; i.e. my grip is getting sloppy so I end up re-gripping the club in the back swing/transition and it becomes shut. I hit a good clean solid shot(not fat and not digging) but hold my finish then re-setup without letting go of the club and the club is shut and pointing towards the direction my last ball took off. This always happens when I take a break from golf.
BrianM
Jul 7, 2017 at 9:19 pm
I cured a bad hook by opening the club face at address and also rotating the club clockwise at the top of the swing (a la Ben Hogan). Using different degrees of opening or rotating, I can vary a fade. A way of stopping the left wrist from closing the club face at impact is to change the grip of the left hand so that the back of the hand is facing the ground – this helps to prevent the right hand overpowering the left. Works for me
david
Jul 7, 2017 at 8:46 pm
sorry most here are incorrect. Besides perhaps a very strong grip, the other main reasons for a hook is: alignment way right of target so your brain has to either pull the ball back to the target or wrist it over, causing the hook. The other reason is because you slowed down your swing, perhaps because you weren’t comfortable or tried to guide it, and the upper body took over and hooked the ball. the other stuff here is way too technical and makes no sense.
Scratch golfer
TG
Jul 7, 2017 at 9:10 pm
As a PGA pro that has taught more lessons then rounds of golf you have played in your life. I have to step in and tell you how stupid and wrong you are. The only way to hit a snap hook is have a closed face in relation to your path. Its all about the face when it comes to the snap hook. It doesn’t matter how fast you swing the club. If you have a fast crappy swing and you slow it down what do you get? A slow crappy swing. Your grip does not hit the golf ball, the face hits the golf ball.
PGA Golf Professional
Brian
Jul 7, 2017 at 2:52 pm
How/where exactly can you “get on a trackman”?
Bob Jones
Jul 7, 2017 at 11:25 am
Another factor that causes a snap hook is a grip that is too strong. The hands naturally return to a weaker position that closes the clubface.
JC
Jul 7, 2017 at 9:59 am
Man, if we could only take Trackman with us on the course……I don’t know how people played golf before Trackman. People are human and will never eliminate bad swings….maybe on Trackman…but out on the course it isn’t going to happen.
Va
Jul 7, 2017 at 2:05 am
How do I stop hitting it on the toe and snapping a hook from there? I seem to be able to hit the toe on command
SoonerSlim
Jul 8, 2017 at 10:08 am
If your correct your inside out swing path for the snap hook, you will start hitting more the center of the clubface. The reason you hit the toe, if you are a hooker is because the face is so closed that the toe of the club is what contacts the ball first. Most people hit the toe of the club because their swing is too much up and down and they hit slices, this is not you’re problem if you are a hooker! Your problem is a swing path problem and possibly a grip fix. Exaggerate your downswing path so that you start fading or slicing the ball and you will gradually see your toe hooks disappear. The best tip I’ve seen for this is to cut a tennis ball in half, tee the ball up, put one half of the tennis ball about six inches in front of the ball and one inch outside your target line; put the other half 6 inches behind the ball and one inch inside the target line. If you are a true snap hooker I’ll bet you will not be able to miss both tennis balls on your downswing. Practice until you can miss both tennis halves and you will stop your snap hook and toe hits.
coops
Jul 7, 2017 at 12:49 am
It is indeed more of a pull hook that he describes – which is an awful thing anyway, as i know very well…
Get a copy of “The Perfect Swing” form the 1960’s – that’s more than 40 (!) years ago – and you’ll find the ‘modern’ ball flight ‘laws’ aren’t remotely modern or anything whatsoever to do with Trackman.
And you don’t need Trackman to diagnose the flaw at the range, either.
Use your eyes – and brain.
Ball starts left of target line – therefore your face is pointing a bit left of the target line at impact.
Ball then curves further left – your face is also closed to the club path.
That’s all you need to know in theory – of course, in reality to fix it is another matter.
If the curve u]is not too vicious, then indeed try to get your path out the right a bit, and the face will probably ( not guaranteed, though) follow it… so maintaining a draw curve but starting to the right of target and resulting in a nice push draw.
A real horror snap hook is another world of pain, mind…
Simms
Jul 7, 2017 at 12:27 am
Single plane setup and swing without a lot of hand action cures this in seconds, just need to work on the straight push right because of path, get the path right and you have a straight shot….thank you Todd Graves..
Yup
Jul 6, 2017 at 8:48 pm
FACE TO PATH???
moses
Jul 6, 2017 at 5:54 pm
Sorry but this article didn’t help. Most people who snap hook are ones who aim too far to the right and have a severe inside to out swingpath. That is an outside in swing path with a closed face at impact which is a recipe for a pull snap hook. Goes left and stays left.
Andrew Cooper
Jul 6, 2017 at 4:43 pm
Sorry Tom, but what was so bad about the 2nd shot? Looks like a decent fade, with good trajectory, carry and landing angle?
Andrew Cooper
Jul 6, 2017 at 4:21 pm
Isn’t this more a pull hook rather than a snap hook? A proper snap hook has a path to the right with a very closed face. The ball starts left and goes further left because of the very closed face, but the swing path is still to the right.
Old Putter
Jul 6, 2017 at 3:10 pm
Hope Tom ran all this information by Observate before he posted it…
I’d hate it if he got something wrong and misinformed the masses
Matt
Jul 6, 2017 at 2:45 pm
Wait….the result was a face to path that is greater than the original (center to center contact this would mean more of a hook than what you started with) just starting more right……. Now toss in a toe hit because i’m coming more from the inside and the snap hook comes back.
Zeke
Jul 6, 2017 at 2:28 pm
That’s what I thought, as well.
Minnesota golfer
Jul 6, 2017 at 12:01 pm
From your analysis, I have to draw the conclusion that Face angle Adjustnent is the only factor to get ride of snap hook, because the face to club angle has stay pretty much the same before and after the fix. No?