Why Am I Pushing The Golf Ball? Expert Tips
If you are pushing your golf ball to the right (for a right-handed golfer), it means your clubface is pointing right of your swing path at impact. This common issue plagues golfers of all skill levels.
Causes of a Golf Push
A pushed golf shot is frustrating. It often happens when your swing path moves too far to the right of your target line. This is linked to several issues within your golf swing mechanics push. Let’s break down the main reasons this happens.
Incorrect Setup and Grip
Your starting position sets the stage for the whole swing. Small errors here can lead to big problems later.
Stance Alignment Issues
If your feet, hips, and shoulders point too far right of the target, your body naturally wants to swing along that line. This is a primary cause of a golf push. You are aiming your body away from the target.
- Check your alignment. Lay two alignment sticks down. One points to the ball, the other points where you want the ball to go.
- Ensure your body lines match the target line, not where the ball is going.
Weak Grip Contribution
A weak grip means the hands are rotated too far to the left (for a right-hander). This causes the clubface to stay open through impact. An open clubface at impact, combined with an inside out golf swing path, results in a push or a push slice.
- Hold the club lighter. Press your left thumb slightly more toward the target.
- You should see two knuckles on your left hand at address.
Swing Path Errors: The Inside-Out Tendency
The most frequent culprit for a golf ball pushing right is a swing path that moves too far from the inside to the outside relative to the target line.
Over-The-Top vs. Inside-Out
Many golfers try to fix a slice by swinging “out to the right.” They try to guide the club from the inside. However, if they overdo this, the path heads too far right.
- If your path is five degrees right of target, and your face is two degrees right of path, you get a push.
- If your path is ten degrees right, and your face is zero degrees to the path, you still get a push.
Early Release of the Clubhead
Sometimes golfers “throw” the clubhead from the top of the swing. This action often shifts the swing plane too flat or too far to the inside. When this happens, the hands flip or roll to square the face, leading to an inside out golf swing path that sends the ball right.
- This is often called casting or scooping. It causes rapid closure after impact, but the initial path is wrong.
Improper Weight Transfer
If you fail to shift your weight correctly onto your lead side (left side for righties), your lower body stays behind the ball. This stalls the upper body rotation.
- Stalling causes the hands to take over. The hands often drop the club steeply from the inside or flip too early.
- This leads to inconsistent strikes and often a push or a push slice.
Deciphering Your Swing Path Issues
To fix a push, you must know exactly what your path is doing. Video analysis is your best friend here. This helps identify specific golf swing path issues.
Video Analysis: Seeing the Truth
Filming your swing from two key angles reveals crucial information about your path.
Down-the-Line View
This view shows the target line and how the club travels relative to it.
- Good Swing: The shaft should look like it’s dropping down the target line or slightly inside it after the transition.
- Push Swing: The club shaft may appear to be moving significantly outside the target line early in the downswing, or the swing arc is too wide, leading to an inside out golf swing that starts too far right.
Face-On View
This shows how the club approaches the ball vertically and horizontally.
- Look at your wrist positions at impact. Are your hands still ahead of the clubhead, or has the club overtaken them too soon?
Using Technology to Measure
Launch monitors provide concrete numbers on path and face angle.
| Measurement | What It Means | Fix Implication |
|---|---|---|
| Path | Direction the club head travels at impact. | If positive (right), you are swinging out. |
| Face Angle | Direction the club face is pointing at impact. | Must be less right than the path for a draw. |
| Smash Factor | How efficiently you hit the center of the face. | Low smash factor often goes with poor path control. |
If your path is significantly positive (e.g., +5 degrees right) and your face is slightly open (e.g., +2 degrees right), you have a push. The fix focuses on reducing the path number.
Fixing a Pushed Golf Shot
Correcting a push requires retraining muscle memory and adjusting setup habits. Here are actionable ways for fixing a pushed golf shot.
Correcting Setup for Better Starts
Start by neutralizing your address position.
Square Up Your Alignment
If you are standing open, your brain tries to compensate by swinging aggressively from the inside to hit the ball straight. This overcompensation often causes the push.
- Place one alignment stick pointing at the target.
- Place a second stick parallel to the first, where your feet should be.
- Ensure your feet, knees, hips, and shoulders align perfectly with the second stick.
Neutralizing the Grip
A weak grip encourages the clubface to stay open. A strong grip helps the face close naturally.
- For a temporary fix while retraining path, try strengthening your grip slightly. Turn your hands a little more to the right, so you see three knuckles on your left hand at address. This promotes better closure.
Adjusting the Swing Plane for Golf Swing Plane Correction
The swing plane dictates the path. We need to shallow the plane slightly without going too flat, which can cause pulls or hooks.
The Takeaway Drill
The first few feet of the backswing are critical. If you lift the club steeply (too vertical), the downswing must compensate steeply from the inside—a prime cause of a golf push.
- One-Handed Drill: Take the club back slowly with just your lead hand (left hand for righties). Keep the clubhead low and outside your hands. This promotes a flatter, wider takeaway, leading to a better slot.
Shallowing the Transition
The transition from backswing to downswing is where many paths go awry. We want the feeling of dropping the club “down the line” rather than “out and over.”
- The Towel Drill: Place a towel under your lead armpit. Try to keep the towel tucked during the transition. This forces your upper body to rotate correctly and prevents your arms from flying wide or casting the club, which avoids that steep outside attack.
Impact Position Focus: Path Control
We need the club to approach the ball slightly from the inside, aiming that path toward the target line, not far right of it. This is key for the golf push slice fix.
Feeling the Inside Move
Many golfers who push need to feel like they are swinging slightly left (for righties) relative to their body line, even if the result is straight. This feeling helps stop the aggressive outside move.
- Gate Drill: Place two objects (like headcovers or yardage markers) slightly wider than your clubhead just outside the ball position. You want to swing between these gates without hitting the outside gate. This encourages an inside out golf swing that is controlled.
Drills for Correcting Golf Push
Consistent practice with specific inputs helps rewire your motor patterns. Use these drills for correcting golf push regularly.
The Step Drill (Weight Transfer Focus)
This drill addresses improper weight shift, a hidden cause of a golf push.
- Start with feet together.
- As you start your backswing, step your lead foot toward the target.
- Finish your swing, ensuring all weight is firmly on your lead side.
This forces proper sequencing and prevents the lower body from stalling, which often leads to upper body compensation and poor path.
The Draw Ball Flight Drill
If you are pushing, you are likely hitting a weak fade or a straight push. To fix this, you need to practice hitting a controlled draw (a slight curve left).
- Set up slightly closed to your target (aim your feet and shoulders a few degrees left).
- Focus on keeping the clubface square to your body line at impact, or slightly closed relative to the swing path.
- Swinging along this slightly closed stance line forces the golf swing path issues to correct toward the inside-out move necessary for a draw. If you still push, it means your face is too open relative to this new path.
Impact Bag Work
An impact bag is excellent for feeling the correct positions at impact without worrying about hitting a ball.
- Hit the bag, focusing on the feeling that the clubhead approaches square, and the low point of the swing happens after the bag.
- Specifically, focus on feeling your lead wrist stay slightly bowed or flat. Avoid the feeling of your trail wrist flipping over (cupping), which leaves the face open and causes the push.
How to Stop Pushing Irons Specifically
Irons demand a steeper angle of attack than woods. How to stop pushing irons involves ensuring proper descending blow mechanics.
Steeper Angle of Attack
When hitting irons, golfers often try to lift the ball, leading to a shallower swing path ideal for drivers but disastrous for irons. A shallow iron swing path often results in an inside out golf swing that misses the target right.
- Feel the Steepness: At the top of your backswing, visualize the club dropping slightly down toward the ball, almost pointing slightly behind you toward the target line at the start of the downswing. This drop promotes an in-to-out move that is more neutral for irons.
Maintaining Forward Shaft Lean
Forward shaft lean—the hands leading the clubhead at impact—is crucial for solid iron contact and controlled path.
- If you release the shaft lean early (casting), the clubhead moves ahead of your hands, leading to an open face and a push.
- Keep feeling pressure in your trail hand through impact, delaying the release until just after the ball is struck. This ensures the face is square or slightly closed relative to the slightly in-to-out path you need for solid iron shots.
Long-Term Progression and Maintenance
Fixing a golf push slice fix takes time. Be patient and focus on feel, not just results, initially.
Consistency Over Speed
When you start feeling the changes, reduce swing speed significantly. Slow motion swings allow your body to register the new feel for path control and golf swing mechanics push correction.
- Hit 50% speed shots for a week before attempting full speed.
Sequencing is Key
A proper sequence is the ultimate fix for path issues.
- Hips initiate: The lower body starts the downswing toward the target.
- Arms drop: The arms drop into the slot created by the lower body rotation.
- Club releases: The clubface squares up relative to the path just before or at impact.
If the upper body initiates the downswing (the main cause of a golf push), the arms fly out, leading to an outside-to-in path or an overcompensated inside out golf swing that still pushes the ball right.
By focusing on alignment, reducing grip weakness, and drilling a proper shallowing move in the transition, you will eliminate the dreaded push shot.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Can I fix a golf push just by changing my grip?
A: While an overly weak grip contributes significantly to an open clubface at impact (a component of a push), it rarely fixes the underlying golf swing path issues. You need to address both grip and path simultaneously for a complete golf push slice fix.
Q: What is the difference between a push and a push slice?
A: A push occurs when the swing path is to the right of the target, and the clubface is either square to that path or slightly open. A push slice occurs when the swing path is to the right of the target, and the clubface is significantly open relative to that path, causing the ball to curve further right. Both stem from golf swing path issues.
Q: Why does my driver push right but my short irons go straight?
A: This often points to a golf swing plane correction issue specific to longer clubs. With the driver, golfers often swing flatter and faster. This flatter, faster swing may encourage a more pronounced inside out golf swing path compared to the steeper, more controlled descent needed for irons, leading to excessive pushing only with the driver.
Q: Are there specific drills for correcting golf push for slower swing speeds?
A: Yes. Slower swing speeds benefit most from setup corrections. Ensure your setup is perfectly square, and use the Step Drill to guarantee weight transfer happens early. For slower players, the feeling of “holding off” the release slightly longer helps keep the face square through impact, preventing the golf ball pushing right.