Hook
The shot starts near your target line, then curves sharply to the left, often diving quickly into trouble.
Why it happens
A hook is the mirror image of a slice: the clubface is closed relative to the swing path at impact. The more closed the face is compared to the path, the more the ball curves left, and a severe version (the "duck hook") can dive left almost immediately after contact.
Possible causes in your swing, and how to fix each one
Tap any cause to see its fix. Work through them one at a time, usually one or two are the real culprit.
1Grip is too strong
Hands rotated too far away from the target on the handle tend to deliver a closed face at impact by default.
2Excessive in-to-out path with an active release
An inside-out path is normally good, but paired with hands that rotate over aggressively, it produces a big pull-hook.
3Flipping / over-releasing the hands through impact
Actively flipping the wrists to try to add power closes the face faster than the body is rotating, sending the ball left.
4Ball too far back in the stance
This encourages an in-to-out path with the face still closing, since you catch the ball before it fully squares up.
5Clubface closed at address
If the face is aimed left of target before the swing even starts, a technically fine swing will still deliver a closed face at impact.
When to stop self-diagnosing
If you've genuinely worked through two or three of these causes over several range sessions and the miss keeps showing up, that's not a failure since it usually means the real cause is something you can't feel or see in your own swing. A single 30-minute lesson with a certified instructor, who can watch you hit balls, will find it faster than any website. Bring this page along and tell them what you've already ruled out; it'll save you both time.