Golf-FAQ.com

what causes pulling the golf ball

by Dr. Elwin O'Reilly II Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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With that in mind, here are a few reasons why you might be pulling the golf ball:

  • Positioning the ball too far forward, or “up” in your stance.
  • Swinging the club from outside the target line.
  • Having a strong or tight grip.
  • Misaligning your body to the intended target.

Work On Keeping Your Swing Closed Longer | One common cause of pulling your ball is opening your shot too early and not keeping your back to your intended target long enough. By opening your swing too early, your arms move too much, and your swing gets out of whack, which can cause you to pull the ball.Jun 8, 2020

Full Answer

Why does my golf ball pull when I hit it?

If the ball is too forward in your stance or too close to your body it could cause a “pulling” problem. If your stance is too closed, meaning your front foot is too far forward, it can also cause your club face to close at impact.

What causes consistent pull on a club?

The most common reason for a consistent pull is a poor ball position. An easy way to demonstrate how the club works on an arc through impact is laying down balls as pictured below.

What is a pull shot in golf?

The pull shot occurs from when the club face is closed to the target line and the swing path is somewhere around the same amount closed. For example, if your club face is 3 degrees closed or left of the target line the ball will start in that direction.

Why does my golf ball shoot left of the target?

For a shot to produce no side spin, the clubface must hit the ball with an angle that is square to the club path. In effect, the path the club takes must match the direction of the clubface. And because the ball shoots left of the target, it means the clubface was closed at impact and was also aiming left of the target.

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Why do I pull the ball with my irons?

If you are pulling your iron shots they are going left of target (for right handers) and staying left. It's important to say this is not a curving ball flight, it's a straight one. This is down to an out-to-in swing path where your arms are swinging the club across the target line, sending the ball straight left.

How do I stop pulling my golf driver?

4:526:58Video Lesson Tip: Fix Pulls to the Left Shots - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou're going to catch it too late in the swing your clubs going to be swinging to the left you'reMoreYou're going to catch it too late in the swing your clubs going to be swinging to the left you're going to tend to pull it. So put the ball a little bit further back in your stance.

How do you fix a pull in golf?

5:5512:27How to Cure a Golf Pull - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipI've learned to square up the face hit squared up to the path. And everything to shot way over thereMoreI've learned to square up the face hit squared up to the path. And everything to shot way over there so you can see that from the flight scope.

How do I stop pulling the ball?

How To Stop Pulling Your Golf ShotsWork On Keeping Your Swing Closed Longer | One common cause of pulling your ball is opening your shot too early and not keeping your back to your intended target long enough. ... Work On Your Backswing | Your backswing often determines the success of your shot.More items...•

Why do I keep pulling my driver?

If it's a pull, there are two likely reasons why the ball is starting left: 1) your body and clubface are aimed left of the target at address, which promotes an out-to-in path; or 2) you're aiming properly but the clubface is closed too much at the point of contact.

Why am I pull hooking my driver?

Rather than being caused by a lack of rotation in the lower body, a pull hook typically results from lower body rotation that is too fast. When your lower body races out ahead of your upper body – and the club – the result is commonly a wild pull hook.

What Are the Fixes For A Pull Shot in Golf?

This will take patience and allow the club to drop down to te inside and keeping your head behind the ball.

What is a pull fade in golf?

Answer: The ball will start to the left and curve to the right. This would be a pull fade or pull slice. Keep in mind that even though the face is closed to the target line, it is open to the swing path and the ball will curve away from the swing path.

What Are The Fundamentals of the Golf Swing?

The Stack and Tilt Instructors said it best when they described what they believed were the fundamentals of golf. They explained it somewhat similar to this:

What is pull shot?

The pull shot occurs from when the club face is closed to the target line and the swing path is somewhere around the same amount closed. For example, if your club face is 3 degrees closed or left of the target line the ball will start in that direction.

What is the key to golf?

The key to any golf game is hitting the ball from the inside and being able to control the curve of the ball (see fundamental 2 below).

What does it mean when a pull shot creeps into your swing?

When the pull shot starts to creep into your golf swing it can be a scary miss as you have essentially created a two way miss and there is potential for some high scores.

How many degrees does a ball stay on the target line?

If the path is also around 3 degrees closed or left of the target line the ball will stay on that line.

Why do golf balls shoot left?

The reason they do is because the sidehill will promote a flatter swing that will leads to a more aggressive release of the hands. This will naturally close the clubface and send the ball to the left of the target.

What Causes a Pull?

For a shot to produce no side spin, the clubface must hit the ball with an angle that is square to the club path.

Why is the ball aiming left of the target?

And because the ball shoots left of the target, it means the clubface was closed at impact and was also aiming left of the target. But it also means the swing path was outside-to-in, resulting in a clubface that is square to the club path and ultimately a pulled shot. Likely Reason #1:

Why do small grips close?

Generally speaking, small grips promote an active release of the hands ahead of impact, which can cause the clubface to close .

How to avoid over the top swing path?

In order to avoid an over the top swing path you will need to focus on the downswing. Rather than pushing the club outside of the target line as you begin the downswing you will need to focus on bringing the club down from inside of the target line as it should, rotating around your body in the process.

Why is it important to aim with specific clubs?

Aiming right with those particular clubs will help your shots reach the target without changing your whole swing.

What is a pull shot in golf?

In golf a pull – or a pulled shot – is one that sees the ball starting left of the target initially and continuing on straight that line, without lateral spin. It is in effect a straight shot that misses left of the target. Because it ultimately misses the target it constitutes a golf shot error and should be avoided.

How to pull a golf ball?

Loosen your grip; it should be firm, but not tight. Take an entire knuckle out of the grip on your front hand. For more on this, check out our breakdown on How to Grip a Golf Club Like the Pros.

What happens if you hit a golf ball too far ahead?

If your ball is too far ahead of you, you’ll double down on pulling because not only will you strike it with a closed club face, but you’ll be hitting it with the part of your swing that should really be part of the follow-through. I.e., you won’t make square contact with the ball.

What happens when you land on a sidehill?

If you land on a sidehill, you run the risk of swinging down the hill and basically scooping the ball back towards you. Butch Harmon tells his golf students to lean towards the slope and swing up the slope.

How to keep your golf shot clean?

This results in a pulled golf shot. Keep your right shoulder in a bit as you start your downswing. Don’t let it flare out more in the direction of the ball. This will help you maintain your swing line to hit the ball cleanly.

What is a pulled golf shot?

A pulled golf shot is one that beelines off the tee to the left like a hard-hit line drive to left field. A regular pulled shot doesn’t curve in mid-air; that’s an even more serious problem with more mechanics involved. We’ll talk about cuts and hooks later, but for now, let’s talk about left-side misfires in general.

How to get your golf club to flush with the ball?

Address the ball with your natural grip. Then , rotate your back arm a bit such that the sensitive part of inner elbow is facing more towards the ball and upwards, without moving your hands from their position on the grip. This will pull back the head of the club and open the face up to be more flush with the ball.

How to pull shot golf?

The only way you can even achieve a pull shot is by striking the ball on the outside face first. That is, the face of the ball that’s pointing away from your body. The ball can’t have any spin on it for it to stay on a straight flight path the way that it does. This means you’re hitting the ball at a squared off angle with the face of the club.

What does it mean when a golf ball hits a target left?

The ball hitting the target left means that the clubface was closed at impact, and the target was also in the left direction.

What Causes a Pull?

For a shot to produce no side spin, the clubface must hit the ball with an angle that is square to the club path.

Why do you swing sidehill?

The reason they do is because the sidehill will promote a flatter swing that will leads to a more aggressive release of the hands.

How to avoid over the top swing path?

In order to avoid an over the top swing path you will need to focus on the downswing. Rather than pushing the club outside of the target line as you begin the downswing you will need to focus on bringing the club down from inside of the target line as it should, rotating around your body in the process.

What is a pull shot?

Pulls are straight shots that miss the target but not ones that are straight. But if you were not aiming at the target to begin with but were instead aiming left of the target, solving your issues becomes very easy.

How to diagnose a swing problem?

In order to diagnose if this is the problem with your swing simply move the ball back in your stance a little at address. If you have issues with specific clubs, this can be done.

Why do left handed golfers shoot left handed?

Your grip size could also be a reason for left-handed shots.

Why is my ball not rolling across the ground?

In simplest terms, in order to get the ball up into the air — and not rolling across the ground — is to hit down into the dirt. (GETTY) If that’s not happening, there may be a few reasons why. Here are some of the most common I see: 1. Bad Posture. Good posture is the basis for solid contact.

What ruins a golf swing?

Nothing ruins a great golf swing like a loss of balance. Assuming you’re in a good set up to start, it only takes a small loss of balance to cause you to top the ball. A good check of balance is holding your finish until your golf ball lands.

How to throw a golf club toward the ground?

It can be helpful to practice this by placing a ball in your right hand, from your golf posture. Allow the elbow to fold as it would in your backswing and then throw the ball so that it hits the ground.

How to maintain a good path in backswing?

It’s possible to have a proper path in your backswing without sacrificing width. Keeping your hands away from your sternum can help to maintain the width of your backswing, making it easier to brush the grass. One of my favorite drills for feeling this is to hold your lead wrist with your trail hand. From here, make your backswing without a club and feel your trail arm pull your lead arm wide. While you practice, be sure to keep your lead underarm close to your body to maintain a good path and width.

How to get the ball down to the ground?

1. Bad Posture. Good posture is the basis for solid contact. Bowing forward from your hips so that your hands can hang below your shoulders can put you in balance and also get the club down to the ground. Too much knee flex or squatting can often make it extremely difficult to get the club down into the turf, and therefore get the ball into the air.

Why is it so hard to keep your head down?

The problem with keeping your head down is that it limits your body’s ability to move athletically. If you attempt to keep your head down, it’s very difficult to allow your body to rotate properly on your downswing to get the club down to the ground and the ball into the air. 7. Tension in hands and arms.

What happens if you stand too far away from the ball?

If you stand too far away from the ball at address, it’s almost difficult not to top the ball without a heroic move. Reaching for the ball — where your arms often get into a diagonal position — will often lead to a thin shot or a top.

When Hooks and Slices are Useful

Understanding how the slice or hook happens allows you to decide when you actually want to use it as a valuable tool in your toolkit. This is one reason the professional players spend so much time at the driving range. They understand the value of a well-used hook, slice, fade, or draw.

Working on Your Chip Shot

Well, if you sliced your ball into a sand hazard or the rough, you’re going to need to be able to get it back out of there with as little effort as possible. An effective chip shot can really help your short game strategy.

The Difference Between a Chip Shot and a Pitch Shot

Whereas you want your chip shot to roll to an ideal location, your goal for your pitch shot is to loft that ball up higher than a chip shot and have it land in a specific spot. You want your pitch shot ball to sit and stay when it lands.

Setting Expectations

If you’re hitting the links, chances are you have spent time watching the professionals during their tournaments.

Wondering What Happened to Your Putter?

The putter is neither a wood nor an iron. It gets its own special classification.

Making Sure You Sink That Putt!

To take your short game seriously, you need to start with your devoted practice time. At least 50% of your practice time should be devoted to your short game. That makes sense. Of that devoted practice time, focus at least half, if not closer to two-thirds of that time strictly on putting.

Acquiring Your First Set of Clubs

So, you’ve been to the driving range and the putting green to practice and have used the rentals that are available there. You’ve even used a set at the local public course. Now you’ve decided it’s time to invest in yourself and your game. It’s time to buy your own clubs.

Why do I pull my iron shots?

It's a question many golfers often ask themselves: why do I pull my iron shots? The first thing to understand is that the clubface, by and large, dictates the start line. So, if you're consistently starting your irons left of target, that's probably why.

How does a golf club work on an arc through impact?

This exists because you are swinging the club around your body so it stands to reason that if the ball is forward in your stance the face will be slightly closed at impact.

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