why do i push my golf shots to the right

The Proper Correction for a Golf Swing and Pushing the Ball to the Right

• Poor Alignment. Almost all golfers have problems with their alignment at one time or another. ...
• Ball Back in Stance. Because the swing is an arc, the clubhead actually moves toward the right during the downswing. ...
• Pulling Down. ...
• Sliding Hips. ...
• Falling Back. ...

Full Answer

How to stop pushing golf shots right?

It is also possible that you are pushing shots to the right because you are committing a golf swing error known as blocking shots. Blocking – or in other words not finishing the swing or staying committed to it – leaves the body and clubface open to the target at impact.

Why does my golf ball keep going right?

It sounds simple, but this basic misalignment is a common culprit. Ball Position: The ball might be too far back in your stance. This causes you to make contact when the club is still swinging to right field. Backswing: You might be too far inside on …

How to fix pulling golf shots?

Because the swing is an arc, the clubhead actually moves toward the right during the downswing. If you place the ball too far back in your stance, …

What causes pulled golf shots?

Feb 07, 2022 · The problem here is that the club strikes the ball too early on its arc. The club will naturally be pointing a little right in this scenario. This can often happen to golfers who regularly play in the wind - they move the ball back in their stance to help them play the low punch shot. However, it becomes too extreme and ends up causing a push.

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 keep your golf club from pushing?

Stronger Grip: You can also turn your top hand more towards the center of the grip, so you see three knuckles on the top hand. Having the top hand in this position helps keep the angle of the club from turning open at impact thus avoid the push! 2. Don’t Slide.

How to close the clubface?

Steps: Close the clubface by either using a stronger grip or practice the club toe drill. Don’t slide to the body back or forward during the golf swing. 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.

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!

How to prevent an open clubface?

To prevent an open clubface, you have to release the face faster an impact. Practice Drill: Grab a club and make practice swings feeling like the toe of the club is going to head the ball first.

What is flat lie angle?

A flat lie angle starts the ball off to the right of your target (right-handed) or left of your target (left-handed). To Fix This: Take your normal golf stance and take two small steps back, so it feels like you are reaching more at the golf ball. When in this golf stance, you will change the lie of your club to a more upright position causing ...

What does it mean when a golfer hits the ball to the right of the target but on a straight line

A right-handed golfer hitting the ball to the right of the target but on a straight line is hitting a push shot. Your divot, if there is one, will point right of your target line.

What causes a golfer to make contact with the ball?

Ball Position: The ball might be too far back in your stance. This causes you to make contact when the club is still swinging to right field. Backswing: You might be too far inside on the backswing, pulling the club away from the target line.

What is the difference between a right handed golfer and a left handed golfer?

If you are a right-handed golfer you are pushing the shot or pushing the ball. If you are a left-hander, you are pulling the shot or pulling the ball . Below, golf instructor Roger Gunn gives us a checklist of possible causes for these types of mishits, but the faults and fixes differ depending on the golfer's handedness.

Where should the golf club be on the downswing?

The club should be over your shoulder at the top, not over your head. Downswing: Your arms are likely pushing away from your body at the transition. Keep your arms in so that they pass close to the left pants pocket on the approach. Make sure your head doesn't move toward the target until after impact.

Is it a good sign to point right after a tee shot?

It's not usually a good sign when a golfer is pointing right after a tee shot, as Vijay Singh does here. Robert Laberge/Getty Images. Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism.

What is a push shot in golf?

A pushed shot happens when the golfer comes too much on the inside on their downswing. This action sees the golf club moving on an inside to outside path to the right of the target line.

Why do I push my golf club to the left?

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. 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.

Why do I push the ball with my driver?

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.

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.

Why do I push the ball when I hit the ball?

You may be pushing the ball because you are moving your swing axis to the left. As you do this your swing arc will in effect reach its extreme outside point after the ball has been hit and not at impact as it should.

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 part of the body can golfers aim to?

Although golfer can aim any part of our bodies to the right—knees, hips, or shoulders— it is our shoulders that most often cause the problem since we tend to swing along our shoulder line.

When hitting a short iron, should the ball be closer to the left instep?

The ball should be no more than halfway back in your stance for a short iron shot, and closer to your left instep when you hit a drive.

What hip do you use to start a downswing?

Another popular swing thought is “sliding and turning” the left hip to start the downswing. Although this works for some players, too many players overdo the slide and end up pushing their left hip too much toward the target.

How far back should the ball be in your stance for a short iron shot?

The ball should be no more than halfway back in your stance for a short iron shot, and closer to your left instep when you hit a drive.

Is it better to push or duck hook?

Although many players prefer a pushed shot to a duck hook, it is better to avoid both. Fortunately, most pushing problems fall into two categories, setup problems and “leaning” problems.

Can you swing with your shoulders?

A better solution is to feel as if your start your hips and shoulders turning at the same time; your lower body will still start the swing. It must, as it is physically impossible to start the swing with your shoulders, but your hips will stay more under you and prevent the lean.

How to stop pushing iron shots?

Instead, keep your body fairly central through impact just as it was at address. Rotate around your body around your lead hip and don’t let your left knee (for right handers) flex too much through the ball. Get all these things right, and you should stop pushing iron shots.

Where should the butt of the golf club be pointing?

Then, as you continue to the point where the club is pointing at the sky, the butt of the club should be pointing down behind the ball.

What position should a 7 iron be?

With a 7-iron, for example, ball position should be just ahead of centre. Hand position is another thing to watch out for.

What happens when you block a shot to the right?

Checkpoints for Practice. If you tend to block a lot of shots to the right, you may be shifting your hips toward the target in the downswing. Shifting the hips moves the base of the spine, creating spine tilt and tilting the shoulder plane.

Why do golfers slide their hips laterally?

In order to give the hands time to get back down on plane, their hips will slide laterally toward the target while delaying the rotation of the upper body back to the target. This move drops the club back to the inside and is unnecessary in a more rounded type golf swing.

Why is the base of the spine important in a one plane swing?

The base of the spine in the one plane swing is very critical because that is your central point that allows you to rotate around and keep everything on plane and on axis.

How does the upper spine affect golf?

First, the upper spine tilts away from the target, which in turn, changes the plane angle of the shoulders. This change in the shoulder plane drops the right shoulder beneath the desired plane which, in turn, drops the club beneath the plane. From this position the golfer must rely on his hands to square the club and control the ball flight.

What is a one plane swing?

Most of these golfers come from a two plane swing background that teaches the golfer to drop the arms back down from their “high above the head” position at the top of the swing.

What happens if you don't square your club face back to square?

If the golfer does not have an overly strong grip and does not try and rotate the club face back to square with the hands, the ball will be blocked to the right.

Should your hips rotate or slide?

Your hips should rotate, not slide and your shoulders must rotate on the same plane back and through with no dipping of the right shoulder. Notice in the photo above that I have rotated my body aggressively through the shot while "swinging left" but the ball has come out perfectly straight and on line with the target.

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.