The Tips and Drill to Fix Pull Shots

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

There are two types of pull shots.

1. Goes left of the target

2. Goes left and curves right (slice)

 

So slice and pull shots are closely related. If the clubface is facing left, you will hit a pull. If the clubface is open to the swing path, you will hit a slice.

 

Few common faults you see with pull shots and slice.

1. The ball is too far left.

2. The swing path is outside in (cutting across the ball)

 

How to Cure it

To cure with your pull shots, you need to work on your ball position and the grip. If your ball position is too far to the left, you will tend to pull it. If it's too far back, you will likely to push it.

 

Here is a good drill that was used by Jack Nicklaus. You can use it to cure your pull shots as well. Use 7-iron for this drill.

1. Pick a target that is 10 yards away.

2. Align your feet, shoulders and knees parallel with the target line. Put  your shaft against your shoulders to see if they are really square.

3. Ask your friend to stand behind the ball. Ask your friend to tell you wether your shot went right or left of your target.

4. Start hitting balls.

5. If it goes left of your target, move your ball back until the ball goes at the target.

 

I don't care if you slice the ball or not. You are only working on the initial direction of the shot. If you move the ball back, you will likely to hit a slice. But that's fine.  After correcting the initial direction of the shot, let's start working on your grip next. Turn both hands to the right until you see 3 knuckles of  your left hand. When you grip a club, make sure you lower your right shoulder and then grip it. This will help you grip the club correctly. Hit shots with your new ball position and then grip.

 

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/fault-fix/tip-drills-to-fix-pull-shots.htm

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How to Fix and a Push Shot in Golf

There are many reasons why you hit a pull or a push shot. One of those reasons is the position of your hands at address. The position of your hands or your grip at address could influence the swing path and the angle of your shaft at address and cause a pull or a push.

 

What are a Pull and a Push?

A pull shot is the shot that starts left of your target and continues to fly left. The ball usually flies straight to the left. If the ball starts left and curves even more to the left, that is a hook or duck hook if the ball curves quickly to the left.This shot is different from a pull. A pull shot is closely related with a slice. So a player who hits a pull often hits a slice as well.

 

A push shot is the shot that starts right of your target and continues to fly right. The ball goes straight to the right. A push shot is different from a slice although both shots will fly right of your target. A push is closely related with a hook. So a player who hits a push often hits a hook as well.

 

What can influence the Clubhead Path?

Now, let's talk about the position of your hands at address. The clubhead path can determine how your shot will fly. A pull shot is often caused by outside-in swing path. A push shot is often caused by inside-out swing path. One of the things that can influence your swing path is the position of your hands or your grip at address. For your normal shots, see your hands toward the inside of your left thigh.

 

Fixing a Pull

But if your hands are in front of your zipper, that's too far back and is likely to cause outside-in swing. So you will likely to hit either a pull or pull-slice. If your hands are too far back like this, your shaft will lean toward the opposite direction of your target and could cause outside-in clubhead path.

 

Fixing a Push

If your hands are too far forward, your shaft will lean too much toward the target. This could cause inside-out swing path and a push shot. To fix this, you might want to make sure that your hands are toward the inside of your left thigh. The ball position can influence the angle of your shaft at address. If the ball is too far back at address, it can cause a push shot. If it's too far forward you are likely to swing outside-in.

 

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/fault-fix/fix-pull-push.htm

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Hitting Pulls with Tee Shots

There are players who occasionally hit pulls with the tee shots under pressure. Pull shots are common not only for amateurs but also for pros on tour. There are few reasons why they hit pulls.

 

1. Ball position too far left

2. Trying to avoid  right side

3. Hurrying the downswing

 

One of the best female golfers in the history of golf, Annika Sorenstam said she has a tendency to come over the top when she hurries the downswing. When you come over the top, your right shoulder comes forward and cause you to swing from outside in.

 

To avoide this, she had one swing thought. That is to take easy from the top. When you take it easy from the top, you have a better chance to swing on the correct plane. People might tell you not to hurry downswing. But it's better to think about what to do instead of what to do. So next time on the tee, remember to take it easy from the top.

 

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/fault-fix/hitting-pull-shots.htm

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Hitting Push Shots and Slice with Descending Blow?

I received the email from a golfer one day. He said he wanted to hit his irons with a descending blow and started to practice. But then, he started to hit push shots and slice. He was a draw hitter. Draw hitters tend to sweep the ball even with their irons.

 

Anyway, he moved his ball to the right to hit on the descending blow. He though that if he moves the ball back, it will be easier to hit it before the lowest point of his swing.

 

Changing Ball Position

He told me that with his 7 iron, he placed the ball 1 to 2 ball-length right from the center of his stance. That is too much right for a 7 iron. Because his ball position was too much right, he started to push it to the right or slice the ball. So I advised him to move his ball 1 to 2 ball-length from the center of his stance. He did just that and started hittimg it straight.

 

The ball position can dramatically change your ball flight. But it takes some time because you are used to old ball position and have a golf swing to match that ball position. So if you change the ball  position, you will start hitting horrible shots that you never imagined you hit. That is because you are used to the old ball position. It will take some time to get used to the new position. But if you keep hitting it with the new position, your golf swing will start to change match with the new ball position. So when changing  ball position, you need to be little patient with the result.

 

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/fault-fix/push-slice.htm

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The Tips and Drill to Cure Push shots

There are basically two types of push shots.

1. A shot that goes straight to the right.

2. A shot that goes right and curves left (hook).

 

You may see a push slice, but I like to talk about that later. Those two types of push shots are related to each other. There are some common points you see with those types of shots.

1. Ball position too far back in the stance.

2. Swinging inside out on the downswing.

 

If you constantly hit push shots and hooks, you have to fix your grip and ball position to cure it completely. To cure it completely, you need to work on your swing path and the clubface angle.

 

First, let's fix your swing path. To fix your swing path, move the ball forward in your stance. With a 7-iron, place the ball one to two ball length left of center. If you hit shots from this ball position, you may hit a hook to the left. But that's fine.

 

 By putting the ball forward in your stance, you will fix your inside out swing path. So the ball starts at the target but quickly curves to the left. It curves to the left  because your clubface is closed at impact. When players see the ball going left, they try to compensate by swinging too much from the inside. The ball creeps back in the stance as you swing too much from the inside. The ball starts right of the target and come back. But you will never hit it straight with this type of swing. No matter how much you hook it, move the ball forward in your stance.

 

After changing your ball position, try to weaken your grip so that the clubface won't close so much at impact.  Try to rotate both hands to the left until you see 2 1/2 knuckles on your left hand. If you still hook it, try 2 knuckles or check you right hand to see if it's not too strong. The V formed by right thumb and forefinger should point more toward your right ear.

 

The Drill to Fix Your Push Shots

Here is a simple drill to fix your push shots.

 

Use 7-iron for this drill.

1. Set up to hit the ball

2. Pull your left foot back about 10 inches

3. Hit shots from this open stance

 

When you hit shots like this make sure your shoulders are parallel with the target line. By hitting shots from this open stance, you can fix the sliding of your hips toward the target during the backswing.

 

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/fault-fix/tips-drills-to-cure-push-shots.htm

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How to Fix the Push Slice

One of the causes of the push slice is the sliding of your head during the downswing. Players tend to slide their head toward the target when they look up to see the ball too early or try to hit down the ball. To fix this problem, focus on the back of your ball at address and during the swing. Most players probably look down on the top of the ball. I think that's part of the reason why they hit down with a steep angle of approach into the ball. So focus on the back of the ball coming into impact. Don't worry about where the shot goes for now. If you can do this through impact, you will br ablr to stay behind the ball.

 

Ball Position

Check your ball position. Most slicers tend to put the ball too far forward in the stance. When you put it too far forward, you will put it left. If you try to avoid pulls, you have to slide your head and body to the left to hit the ball. This will cause you to block the shot and have an open face making you to hit a push slice. In this case, you need to put the ball more to the right and work on your weak grip to fix your face angle at impact at the same time.

 

The Drill to Prevent Sliding

To prevent your head and body from sliding toward the target, you have to stay behind the ball through impact.

 

Here is the simple drill.

1. Swing to the top

2. On the downswing, try not to raise your back foot until you hit the ball

 

If you move your body too much on the downswing, the clubhead will not pick up much speed. To increase clubhead speed, you want to quiet body.

 

Here is another good drill for you.

1. Swing to the top

2. Without turning your chest to the left, swing your arms to hit the ball

 

To be exact, it's impossible to hit the ball like that. But try to do it anyways. It should help you swing your arms instead your body toward the target.

 

Hands Moving too far Forward at Impact

When players try to swing hard, they tend to hit a slice or push-slice. The harder you try to swing the club, the more you tend to leave your clubface open at impact. This happens because they try to swing their hands and arms when they try to increase swing speed. This will lead to their hands moving too far forward at impact.

 

At address, try to move your hands toward the target. I think your clubface opens when you do this. This occurs because you try to swing your hands and arms faster instead of trying to swing the clubhead. Instead, focus on the clubhead rather tham your hand and arms. You can say the same thing with your putter. Players pay too much attention to the movement of their hands and arms. That's why the miss putts. Instead, pay attention to the movement of your putter face. You will be able to control your putter face much easier this way. When you need to get some more distance off the tee, focus more on your clubhead and clubface. You will see much better results.

 

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/fault-fix/how-to-fix-push-slice.htm

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