What Is a Push Hook?
A push hook is a golf shot that:
- Starts to the right of the target
- Curves aggressively back to the left
For a right-handed golfer, this usually means the club is traveling too far from the inside, while the clubface is closed relative to that swing path.
Note: For left-handed golfers, the directions are reversed.
The Impact Conditions That Create a Push Hook
To understand a push hook, focus on two key impact factors:
- Clubface direction — where the face is pointing at impact
- Club path — the direction the clubhead is traveling through impact
A push hook happens when:
- The clubface is pointing right of the target, which makes the ball start right.
- The club path is even farther to the right than the face, meaning the face is closed relative to the path.
- That closed face-to-path relationship creates strong hook spin, causing the ball to curve sharply left.
Face Angle vs. Swing Path
A common point of confusion is that the clubface can be both:
- Open to the target
- Closed to the path
That is exactly what happens in a push hook.
For example, if your club path is moving well out to the right, and your clubface is also pointing right but not as far right as the path, the ball will start right and then curve left.
In simple terms:
- Face right of target = ball starts right
- Face left of path = ball curves left
- Excessive inside-to-out path = bigger hook curve
Why the Ball Starts Right
The ball primarily starts in the direction the clubface is pointing at impact.
So if the ball starts right of your target, the clubface was likely pointing right of the target at impact.
Why the Ball Hooks Left
The curve comes from the relationship between the face and the path.
If the clubface is pointing left of the club path, the ball will have hook spin. The more closed the face is relative to the path, the more aggressively the ball will curve left.
Key Checkpoints for a Push Hook
If you are hitting a push hook, look for these impact conditions:
- Club path traveling too much from inside to out
- Clubface pointing right of the target
- Clubface closed relative to the swing path
- Ball starting right and curving hard left
How This Helps You Fix the Push Hook
Before you can fix a push hook, you need to understand what is causing it. The issue is not simply that the face is closed to the target. In many push hooks, the face is actually open to the target, but it is still closed compared to the path.
That means your correction should often focus on reducing an excessive inside-to-out path and improving face control through impact.
Summary
A push hook is caused by a clubface that is right of the target but left of the swing path. The ball starts right because of the face direction, then curves hard left because the face is closed relative to the path.
Remember this simple formula:
Push hook = face right of target + path farther right than face.
