Hook All clubs Expert / Intermediate ⏱ 3 min 🇬🇧 Video in English, summarized

Strong Grip Without a Hook: The Thumb-Off Drill

Name: Strong Grip Without a Hook: The Thumb-Off Drill
Uploaded: 2023-05-24T12:00:00+00:00
Duration: 3 min 17 s
Description: Mike Malaska responds to a member with a strong grip who was alternating between a push fade and a hook. His advice is surprising: don’t change your grip. Instead, change the path and the way your hands guide the club through the swing with an exercise that involves removing your thumb from the shaft.

Mike Malaska responds to a member with a strong grip who was alternating between a push fade and a hook. His advice is surprising: don’t change your grip. Instead, change the path and the way your hands guide the club through the swing with an exercise that involves removing your thumb from the shaft.

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Malaska Golf · his YouTube channelFree lesson selected by Fred P.

To be continued

7 minSame problemWall exercise for the hook shot with irons: grip firstChris Ryan · Intermediate / Expert 11 minSame problemHow to Fix a Hook with a Driver in Five StepsRick Shiels · Intermediate 7 minSame problemSnap Hook, the Real Cause: Clay BallardClay Ballard · Intermediate

What the lesson shows

Mike Malaska's member had a strong grip. To avoid getting hooked, he had learned to come from the very inside When he kept the clubface square, the ball would fly far to the right—a push fade. If he rotated the clubface as instructed, it would hook. The instruction: maintain grip, but change two things. The path must lead to more on point, rather than from the inside. And your hands need to let the club go.

To feel it, he removes the thumb of the left hand on the neck (based on the demonstration and feedback from members): For most golfers, this thumb pushes forward, locks the wrist, and turns the clubface. Without it, you let the clubhead pass and the left wrist bend, and the clubface doesn’t close. You can then swing as fast as you want, with a wider path to the left, without pulling a hook.

The Exercise, Step by Step

Keep your strong grip as usual.
Remove your left thumb from the neck.
Swing the club, letting the clubhead follow through and your left wrist bend after impact.
Look at the face: it shouldn't be turned toward the floor.
Make the path through the ball straighter—less from the inside.
Put your thumb back and experience that same feeling as you accelerate.

Key Takeaways

A strong grip doesn't mean you have to hook the ball.

Coming in from very far inside while holding the clubface creates push fades.

The path needs to go more straight into the ball.

The left thumb often pushes against and closes the face.

Without using your thumb, the clubhead moves through the swing without the clubface closing.

You can then accelerate without worrying about a pull hook.

Mistakes to Avoid

Reflexively loosen your grip instead of adjusting your hands.
Come in from very far inside, holding the face.
Rotate your forearms to close the clubface.
Holding the club back out of fear of the left.

Driving Range Mode

Keep it in plain sight, on the rug.

Swing Without the Left Thumb
A straighter path through the ball
Accelerate by letting the clubhead pass through

Your Questions

Should you loosen your grip when you hook the ball?

Not necessarily, according to Mike Malaska. He recommends keeping a strong grip and changing the path and the way you use your hands.

Why take your thumb off the handle?

Because that thumb tends to push, locking the wrist and closing the clubface. Without it, you let the clubhead go through without closing the clubface.

Why was that member doing push fades with a strong grip?

To avoid hooking the ball, he took a very inside swing while keeping his face closed. The ball flew far to the right of his target line.

Learn More

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