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what causes you to push the golf ball

by Jeanne Gaylord Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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These are a few of the potential causes of topping the golf ball:

  • Your arc is too high at the bottom of the swing. When this happens you usually have two options. You either completely...
  • You reach the bottom of the arc before hitting the ball and are on an upswing when the club connects. Again, you’re...
  • You’re reaching the bottom of your arc after you’ve hit the ball.

Full Answer

Why do some golf balls have a push in them?

Feb 14, 2018 · What Causes a Push? Clubface Open at Impact, But Square to the Club Path 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 at impact.

What causes you to top the golf ball?

Jul 07, 2019 · Path Is Too Far Right. Swing path refers to the direction the club is moving through impact (more right or left). All else being equal, a swing path that is more right will send the ball more left – a game of opposites. This can be really frustrating for the uninformed golfer, as they see the ball snap hook to the left, and every bone in ...

Why do my golf shots get pushy at impact?

Sep 19, 2011 · Read on to discover a detailed explanation of each cause. 1. Sliding your hips on your downswing. One of the main causes for pushing a golf shot comes from sliding your hips too much to the left on the downswing. As a result this makes it extremely difficult to clear the left hand side as you descend into impact.

Why are my hands always late to the golf ball?

Feb 24, 2013 · Some players think a push comes from shifting too far toward the target, but this spin-out move is the real cause. When you spin open, your right shoulder tilts down and the club gets stuck to the...

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Likely Reason #1:Are You Aligned Right of The Target?

Before digging further into the causes of your pushed shots you need to make sure they do not occur simply as a result of bad alignment prior to hi...

Likely Reason #2:Inside-Out Swing and Weak Grip?

If you are correctly aiming at the target and are using a square stance to the target yet are still producing pull shots then your club path is mos...

Related Golf Swing Errors

It is also possible that you are pushing shots to the right because you are committing a golf swing error known as blocking shots. Indeed, blocking...

How to stop your body from sliding back when you take a golf ball?

Solution: Lean in your right knee as you turn away from the golf ball. This prevents the upper body from sliding back during the backswing and takeaway.

What happens if you hit the ball too far forward?

For instance, if the ball is too far forward or back in your stance, the arc of your swing will be off, resulting in a topped golf shot. Solution: Position the ball in the middle of your stance for irons and in-line with the lead heel for your driver.

What happens if your arc is too high?

When this happens you usually have two options. You either completely whiff the ball. Embarrassing, but it happens. Or you hit above the equator, topping the ball. You reach the bottom of the arc before hitting the ball and are on an upswing when the club connects.

How to stop choking down on golf clubs?

Solution: Invest in custom-fitted golf clubs or hold the club higher on the grip instead of choking down.

What happens when you hit the bottom of the arc too late?

When the bottom of the arc occurs too late, you’re still hitting above the ball’s equator, meaning you’re hitting at the top of the ball rather than the sweet spot.

What does "topping the ball" mean?

The term “topping the golf ball,” refers to hitting the ball above the ball’s equator.

What happens if you slide your hips back?

Solution: Lean in your right knee as you turn away from the golf ball.

Why is my golf ball in the back of my stance?

For golfers that play the golf ball in the back of their stance, there might not be enough time in the downswing for your body to close the clubface at impact causing an open clubface and a swing path that is coming from the inside creating the push shot.

What causes a golf club to be flat?

Many golfers stand too close to the ball and cause the lie of the clubface to be too flat. A flat lie angle starts the ball off to the right of your target (right-handed) or left of your target (left-handed).

How to get more time in golf swing?

Move the golf ball up in the stance at least a golf ball closer towards your front foot. This gives you more time in your swing to close the clubface and swing more along your target line rather than getting caught in the inside.

How to prevent an open clubface in golf?

Instead, rotate the hips to make sure there is enough room for the arms to swing down at the ball and prevent an open clubface

What happens if you slide backwards in golf?

If we slide either back or forward during the swing, so does our weight and the low point of the swing can either move too far ahead of the golf ball or too far behind.

What is a push shot in golf?

A push for a right-handed golfer starts off to the right of their target and stays on that same line. (Opposite for lefties) Swing path is going towards the right of the target coming from the inside of the target line. Curing the push shot is far easier than fixing sliced or the hook shots.

How to fix a golf ball slide?

To Fix the Slide: Place a club going perpendicular to your target line going right down the outside of your front foot. Use the club as a guide and try to not slide the hips over that line. Instead, feel like the front hip is rotating back to make room for the arms to come down naturally at the golf ball!

What does it mean when your golf swing is pushing?

So, if you are experiencing a golf swing push, your club face is open to the target line at impact – which means that it is pointing out to the right. There isn’t much more to it than that. Knowing what causes a push in golf, all you would need to do is correct the position of your club face at impact and the ball would start on line with the target.

What does it mean when a golf ball pushes off the target line?

The good news is that pushing the ball means you’re not coming over the top, which can be a difficult problem to fix. A push slice happens when the clubhead is traveling directly down the target line or slightly inside-to-outside ...

What is push slice?

A push slice happens when the clubhead is traveling directly down the target line or slightly inside-to-outside at impact, while the clubface is pointed right of this path. The rightward sidespin causes the curve. One more bit of encouraging news: With an inside-to-out clubhead path, you’re just a square clubface away from turning your slice ...

What is slice in golf?

A slice is a result of a swing path through impact that is moving from outside to in, or from right to left as viewed from behind the golfer. This action of the club ‘cutting across’ the ball imparts a left to right spin on the ball, which quickly causes the ball to turn to the right when it gets up into the air.

Why does my golf club face square?

If you are having trouble getting the club face square at impact, you are having a rotational problem somewhere in your golf swing. The club starts out square at address, and as you rotate back it will open up due to the turning of your arms and shoulders. On the way down, that same rotation (but in reverse) should lead you to getting the club back square at impact. Unfortunately, many golfers aren’t able to successfully complete the forward rotation and the club stops turning back toward the target line – leading to the push.

What causes a golfer to hang back on the right side?

Cause: Reverse pivot. Possibly the most common of all golf swing faults, the reverse pivot occurs when the golfer fails to transfer weight from the right to left side on the downswing. In other words, he hangs back on the right side, giving himself no chance to release the club by rolling over the arms through impact.

Why does my golf club have no room to move?

The problem is this – when you take the club away from the ball on a line that is inside of the target line, the club gets too close to your body . Then, as you continue on in the backswing , the club will have no room to move because it is already in so close to you (and your arms are, as well).

How to prevent push shot with driver?

To prevent a push shot with the driver the ball needs to be further forward, which is where the clubface will be square to the target at the top of the swing arc. The shorter the iron, the further back your ball will be in your stance. 2. Move feet closer together.

What is a good swing?

A good swing will have a lot of hip movement. As golf legend Tom Watson suggests, you should imagine yourself rolling in a barrel during the backswing, giving you a cleaner ball strike and lessen the chance of a push shot.

What happens if you hit the ball towards the toe side of the club?

However, to give you the cliffs notes – all else being equal, if you struck towards the toe side of the club, the ball will have more curvature to the left than if you didn’t.

Which way does the ball snap in golf?

This can be really frustrating for the uninformed golfer, as they see the ball snap hook to the left, and every bone in their instinctive body tells them to swing more to the right – but this just exacerbates the problem.

What is a golf hook?

The dreaded golf hook – a ball that can start any direction, but curves dramatically to the left (for a right-hander) – often into the trees or out of bounds. Amateurs try all sorts of things to fix their hook;

How far will a golf ball curve if you drive it 250 yards?

Have an 5 degree right swing path (and square face) The ball will curve 50 yards to the left. For reference, here’s a 5 degree right swing ...

How many things can cause a hook?

With all the info out there on this topic, did you know that there are only 3 things that can cause a hook? This article will explain exactly what they are, so you are more informed as to what to change to fix your hook.

Does swing path create hooks?

With that said, swing path (on its own) does not create a hook.

Can you fade a ball with a right swing path?

Sure – you can’t fade the ball with a right swing path (barring some wild gear effect – see later), but you can manage your hook and turn it into a draw (like Rory Mcilroy, Speith etc) by having the face LESS CLOSED to the path.

Why does my golf ball curve to the right?

Once you have any form of curve in the resulting shot you are looking at club face angle problems. Sometimes you will see the ball start out straight and then curve to the right, this is due to an open club face and is known as a push slice. A push hook occurs when you close the face.

Why are my hands late to the ball?

Your hands are late to the ball because instead of properly making a full hip turn you slide your hips to the left too much. To fix this problem you do need to slow down your hips so as you can release your hands properly and prevent yourself from pushing your ball.

What happens when you drop your golf club too much?

As a result the lower body spins open whilst you drop your club far too much inside. A good tip is to quieten your lower body by practicing shots with a narrower stance than usual. 3. Swinging too much on an inside to outside path. A pushed shot happens when the golfer comes too much on the inside on their downswing.

What does it mean when you sway to the left on the downswing?

This results from you either swaying to the left on the downswing ( too much of a hip slide ) so as you past the position you had at address, or you are playing the ball too far back in your stance towards your right heel.

Why does the ball come off the club face in a straight direction?

To fully appreciate why you are pushing the ball you need to understand that the ball comes off the club face in a straight direction because it is square to the inside to out line it is travelling along at impact. Once you have any form of curve in the resulting shot you are looking at club face angle problems.

Where is the clubface at the bottom of the swing arc?

It’s at the bottom of the swing arc that the clubface is square to the ball to the target line.

What does it mean when you move to the left of the ball?

Consequently it generates a feeling of leaving the club behind you. The movement to the left means body and hands are ahead of the ball at impact and in a nutshell you are essentially fighting a losing battle because the club never catches up as it should.

What is the big push in golf?

When the hips and knees turn aggressively like this ( above, left ), the club drops behind the body and approaches the ball too much from the inside . The club never catches up and never has a chance to release, so the face stays open and the ball shoots to the right.

How to fix a push?

The best way to fix a push is to make the opposite move: Don't use your lower body as much, and swing your arms past your chest through impact ( above, right ). First, set up in a closed stance, which makes it harder for your lower body to rotate open. Then, focus on letting your arms extend and release past you.

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.

What happens if you hit the heel side of a golf club?

However, to give you the cliffs notes – all else being equal, if you struck towards the heel side of the club, the ball will have more curvature to the right than if you didn’t.

How much more will the ball go to the right with a driver?

In fact, with a driver, for every degree you swing the club to the left, the ball will go 4% more to the right. If you’re not good with numbers, let me spell that out for you;

What is swing path?

Swing path refers to the direction the club is moving through impact (more right or left). All else being equal, a swing path that is more left will send the ball more right – a game of opposites.

What is a golf slice?

The dreaded golf slice – a ball that can start any direction, but curves dramatically to the right (for a right-hander) – often into the trees or out of bounds. Amateurs try all sorts of things to fix their slice;

What ear do you put a tee behind?

but you’d be lucky if any of that advice solves it. You’d be more likely to put a tee behind your right ear and start hitting a draw.

Does swing path create slice?

With that said, swing path (on its own) does not create a slice.

Can you draw a left swing path?

Sure – you can’t draw the ball with a left swing path (barring some wild gear effect – see later), but you can manage it and turn a slice into a fade (like Hogan, Nicklaus etc) by having the face LESS OPEN to the path.

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