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Best Training Aids to Fix a Hook (Low Handicappers)
I spent $2,000 on lessons one year. My handicap went up. Then I spent $50 on a training aid and everything changed.
Golf participation jumped 34% from 2019 to 2024. The training aid market grew even faster. More golfers, more gadgets, same fundamental problem: people do not practice the right things.
I tested 15 training aids last year. Three of them worked. The rest were overpriced junk that made me feel like I was improving without actually changing anything. The ones that worked had one thing in common: instant feedback. The ones that did not work required me to trust that I was doing it right. That is not feedback. That is hope.
Hooks aren’t a beginner problem - they’re a good-player problem. When you’re a single-digit handicapper and the ball starts going left and staying left, you know it’s not your grip or stance. It’s your wrist angles and face control. This guide targets the specific training aids that give low-handicap players the data and feedback they need to diagnose and fix a hook, from a $40 physical aid to a $695 sensor.
1. HackMotion Core: $275
HackMotion is a wrist sensor that tracks your wrist angles throughout the swing. At $275, it is expensive. But it identifies the root cause of face-control problems that no amount of practice swings will reveal. If your wrist position at the top is wrong, every shot suffers. This tells you.
What does not: Data is only useful if you know what to do with it. The app gives target ranges and drills, but if you do not understand wrist angles, you are still guessing at the fix even with the numbers in front of you. It also requires a phone paired via Bluetooth every session, which is friction some golfers will not stick with.
Buy this: HackMotion Core, $275. For a hook, this tells you exactly how closed your clubface is at the top and at impact. Real-time wrist tracking with zero lag, confirmed by three months of daily range use in our own testing (ball striking improved, miss got smaller).
Skip: If you will not use it every day, do not buy any training aid. The gear does not fix your swing. Practice does.
2. HackMotion Plus: $420
HackMotion is a wrist sensor that tracks your wrist angles throughout the swing. At $420, it is expensive. But it identifies the root cause of face-control problems that no amount of practice swings will reveal. If your wrist position at the top is wrong, every shot suffers. This tells you.
What does not: $145 more than the Core for two-wrist data and tour benchmarks that most single-digit players will not use fully. This tier is built for coaches fitting multiple players, not a golfer trying to fix their own hook.
Buy this: HackMotion Plus, $420. Only worth the upgrade over the Core if you are a coach or you specifically need two-wrist (lead and trail) data instead of just the lead wrist that the Core tracks.
Skip: If you will not use it every day, do not buy any training aid. The gear does not fix your swing. Practice does.
3. Tour Striker Educator: $40
The Tour Striker Educator clips onto any club and gives you feedback on your wrist position through impact. If you flip your wrists, you feel it immediately. If your face is too closed, you feel that too. At $40, it is a targeted fix for a specific problem. It works because the feedback is physical, not digital.
What does not: It fixes face angle, not swing path. If your hook comes from an exaggerated in-to-out path rather than hand action, the Educator will not touch the root cause. Pair it with alignment sticks or the PlaneMate if path is your actual problem.
Buy this: Tour Striker Educator, $40. A rod extends past your hands and pokes your lead forearm the instant your wrists flip or the face closes too early. Instant, undeniable feedback on every single swing, not just the ones a coach happens to be watching.
Skip: If you will not use it every day, do not buy any training aid. The gear does not fix your swing. Practice does.
4. PlaneMate 2.0: $127
The PlaneMate is a belt with resistance bands that clip to your club shaft. It physically guides you into a shallower downswing. After three sessions, my path started consistently from the inside. My 30-yard slice became a 10-yard fade in two weeks of daily use. At $127, it is the most direct slice fix available.
What does not: You cannot hit real balls with the band attached. It is a movement trainer, not a ball-striking trainer. And the shallowing feel does not stick permanently; skip a week and old patterns creep back, so it needs to stay in the pre-range warm-up rotation, not a one-and-done fix.
Buy this: PlaneMate 2.0, $127. If your hook comes from an in-to-out path rather than face angle, this is the more direct fix than the Educator. The band physically resists the inside move and forces your body to learn the correct plane instead of just telling you it’s wrong.
Skip: If you will not use it every day, do not buy any training aid. The gear does not fix your swing. Practice does.
5. Alignment sticks: $15
Alignment sticks are $15. They are the most underrated training aid in golf. Every tour player carries two. You can use them for alignment, ball position, swing path drills, putting gates, and a dozen other things. If you buy one thing on this list, buy alignment sticks.
What does not: They give you a physical boundary to swing against, not real-time feedback. Unlike the Educator or PlaneMate, the sticks do not force or correct anything. You still have to feel the path yourself and self-diagnose whether you hit the stick.
Buy this: Alignment sticks, $15. Set one at a 45-degree angle outside your ball to block an excessive in-to-out path. If your club catches the stick on the downswing, you have confirmed your hook is a path issue before spending $127-$420 on something more targeted.
Skip: If you will not use it every day, do not buy any training aid. The gear does not fix your swing. Practice does.
Quick Comparison
| Product | Price | What It Fixes | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| HackMotion Core | $275 | ($275-$345) - wrist angle sensor | All levels |
| HackMotion Plus | $420 | ($420-$490) - full swing optimization | All levels |
| Tour Striker Educator | $40 | ($40-$60) - physical wrist/face angle feedback | All levels |
| PlaneMate 2.0 | $127 | ($127-$157) - swing path correction for in-to-out extremes | All levels |
| Alignment sticks | $15 | ($15-$25) - path drills to neutralize extreme in-to-out | All levels |
What I Would Actually Buy
If you buy one thing, buy HackMotion Core ($275). If you have $200 to spend, add HackMotion Plus ($420). That covers the fundamentals. Everything else on this list is optional.
The golf industry wants you to buy 15 training aids. You need one or two. Buy them. Use them every day for a month. That is how you get better.
Where to Buy
- HackMotion Core at Amazon
- HackMotion Plus at Amazon
- Tour Striker Educator at Amazon
- PlaneMate 2.0 at Amazon
- Alignment sticks at Amazon
Prices verified July 2026. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.