Help! I can't fix my closed club face!

[Foreleftforsure]

Hey all!

I hope this is the right place to ask and seek the collective power of the interwebs. I've struggled for the longest time with a nasty hook. I constantly fight the dreaded snipe hook, low and left. After about 4 of those destructive shots I usually follow with a gigantic block right to 2 fairways over. So frustrating. I can see from pictures of my swing at the top that my club face is shut (pointing straight up to the sky). I've tried all of the tips and tricks to get that face neutral that I can possibly find. My grip, I belive, is neutral, my wrist seems neutral, I just always end up closed at the top and cannot figure out how to fix it. Path is good-ish, I make quality strikes and usually hit the center of the face, but with face to path varying from -3 to -9, it's hook city or hold it off with a block.

Anyone got a swing thought or technical fix for me to try? Thanks!!

[RickyBobby_PR]

Looking at still photos of the top of of the backswing is almost useless. One would need video of the swing from both gave on and down the line to see what’s going on. The swing is 1/2 over once the lead arm gets to parallel. Anything that happens from that point to impact is a compensation for where the club face is at lead arm parallel.

post a video 

[Foreleftforsure]

Thanks, I'll try to get a video the next time I'm in the sim.

[Micah T]

If you’re swing between -3 and -9 I would not call that “neutral”. that’s an out to in path, and combined with a shut face it will produce shots that are left of left: a hook that starts left due to your club face being left, and then hooks even more left due to the difference between your path and face.  What is your shot shape when not hitting hooks? Are those shots straight? Draws? Cuts? The solution would be different depending on what you prefer to see. But the easiest answer would be that you need a more neutral path, as that will reduce the gap between your club face angle and your club path.

[BMart519]

On 1/14/2022 at 8:15 PM, Foreleftforsure said:

Thanks, I'll try to get a video the next time I'm in the sim.

Your wrist if definitely flat/neutral at the top and not bowed. If you want the club face to be more open at this position, the only solution is to have a weaker grip regardless if you feel your current grip is "neutral". The other option is to start cupping/extending your wrist to open the face which is the opposite of what current instructors are promoting. 

-9 deg face to path will be a struggle to produce functional ball flight unless you get your path 6-12 degrees in to out. Which is a lot... Or consistently aim at the right rough/tree line and hope the hook stays in play. The end goal should be cutting that -9 face to path in half so your range is more like 2-5.

[THEZIPR23]

Golf is about matchups not positions. Positions can help achieve the matchups however chasing positions is usually a recipe for disaster. As others have stated the stills don't do a lot to help diagnose, yeah your club is closed but you could rotate enough to be open and impact. First thing I would work on is getting the face to path relationship better. It is a shorter fix there, than trying to change your path. Path changes are difficult. Trust me I have been working on one for 2 years. There are numerous drills you can use to help accomplish this. Something that gets the face and ball started right of target will help close the gap between face and path.