Trevor Ng
Golf can be a frustrating sport, especially when your ball is pushed off to the right. A pushed shot is a golf shot error that sees the ball starting to the right of the target and continuing straight without lateral spin. This is often caused by an open clubface at impact, poor wrist angles, an inside-out club path, or issues with shoulder alignment. To fix a golf push, you need to work on your swing and the club path it produces. This involves correcting your takeaway, clubface angle, grip strength, and alignment. One quick fix is to reset your grip, ensuring it is stronger and more in the fingers than the palm. Another fix is to use alignment sticks or lay a club on the ground to check that your feet, hips, and shoulders are aligned parallel to your target line.
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What You'll Learn
- Ensure your feet, hips and shoulders are aligned parallel to your target line
- Avoid a weak grip, which can cause an open clubface at impact
- Avoid an inside-out swing by taking your club back square
- Avoid blocking shots by committing to your swing and hitting through the ball
- Check your wrist angles and flexion before impact
Ensure your feet, hips and shoulders are aligned parallel to your target line
Alignment is critical in golf as a slight error can put you 10 yards off your mark. Amateur golfers often struggle with alignment because they don't look at the target when hitting shots. To fix this, use alignment sticks or lay a club on the ground to ensure your feet, hips, and shoulders are aligned parallel to your target line.
Here's a step-by-step guide to achieving proper alignment:
- Stand behind your ball. Lining up from anywhere else will give you a skewed perspective, almost always resulting in misalignment.
- Pick a target and trace an imaginary line from the ball to that target.
- Place an alignment stick or club on the ground from the ball to your proposed target.
- Set up over the ball with your club face pointed down the target line.
- Ensure your feet, hips, and shoulders are aligned parallel to this target line.
- Check that your toes are lined up and one foot isn't higher than the other. The lead foot is the most important as it influences the direction of the knees, hips, and shoulders.
By achieving proper alignment, you can ensure your club face is in the correct position and avoid mishaps like slices or hooks. Additionally, proper alignment can help prevent a ""push" shot, where the ball flies directly where you're aiming, by preventing your feet, hips, and shoulders from aiming too far right.
Remember, proper alignment is key to executing a great swing and hitting a great shot.
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Avoid a weak grip, which can cause an open clubface at impact
Golfers need to carefully consider their stance, the positioning of their hands, and the clubface at impact. A pushed shot is one of the most frustrating misses in the game. The clubface at impact is the most important factor in determining the initial direction of the ball.
A weak grip encourages an open clubface at impact due to the lead hand supinating (rotating outward). This promotes a fade or slice tendency. The “V” shape formed by the thumbs and index fingers points more toward the trailing shoulder (right shoulder for a right-handed golfer). This means that the left hand is rotated outward so that fewer knuckles are visible when looking down.
Avoiding a weak grip is crucial to prevent an open clubface at impact. Golfers can achieve this by ensuring a proper alignment of their feet, hips, and shoulders. Alignment sticks can help confirm that these body parts are aligned parallel to the left of the target line (for right-handed players). Additionally, golfers should avoid excessive wrist extension, which can keep the clubface open. Instead, they should focus on moving their lead wrist into flexion (bowed) as they approach impact, similar to professional players.
Furthermore, golfers can benefit from drills like the Alignment Stick Extension or Headcover Path Drill to improve their grip strength and alignment. Tracking wrist angles and path with tools like HackMotion provides real-time feedback to eliminate guesswork and help golfers square the clubface effectively.
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Avoid an inside-out swing by taking your club back square
Golfers who are afflicted by fades or slices in their game can often find the explanation by looking at the path the club travels on. In these instances, the club will travel using an outside-in swing path. Similarly, golfers afflicted by draws or hooks can often find the root cause through a club that travels along an inside-out swing path.
To avoid an inside-out swing, you need to make sure your club has room to travel along the correct path. For many golfers, taking a slightly closed stance will help ensure that there is space to drop the arms in and then have them swing down a bit more on the inside. A good setup and address position will help you perform a good swing that will produce a great shot and ball flight.
To get the club to swing inside out, you need to make sure it has room to travel along this path. For many golfers, taking a slightly closed stance will help ensure that there is space to drop the arms in and then have them swing down a bit more on the inside. You can also try a drill to shallow out your downswing: start without a golf club and practice first by making a backswing and then shifting your weight to the lead side slowly. As you do this, let the arms drop naturally with the left wrist flattening and bowing slightly at the same time.
To achieve a slight draw with an inside-outside swing, you want to have a square clubface at impact. To maintain that square clubface, your lead wrist must be slightly flexed or at least flat.
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Avoid blocking shots by committing to your swing and hitting through the ball
Blocking shots, also known as pushed shots, are a common problem in golf, particularly for right-handed players. This occurs when the clubface is square and the path is coming too much inside-out and to the right of the target line. The ball often ends up to the right of the intended target and stays there, following a straight path.
To avoid blocking shots, you need to commit to your swing and hit through the ball. Here are some tips to achieve this:
Firstly, ensure your alignment is correct. Position your feet, hips, and shoulders parallel to the target line. For right-handed golfers, this means aligning them parallel to the left of the target line. This setup will help prevent you from pushing the ball to the right.
Secondly, focus on your wrist and forearm rotation. A common mistake is having the lead wrist extended and the clubface open at the top of the backswing. To avoid this, aim for a flat or slightly flexed lead wrist position at the top of your backswing. This sets the foundation for a more effective downswing and impact. During the downswing, quickly move towards flexion, ensuring your lead wrist and forearm rotate to achieve a flat or slightly flexed position at impact. This rotation is crucial to squaring the clubface and preventing blocked shots.
Additionally, consider using alignment sticks or a similar drill to visualise your ideal swing path. For example, place a towel behind the golf ball on the inside path and practice striking the ball without touching the towel. This drill reinforces the concept of swinging through the ball, emphasising the importance of wrist and forearm rotation.
Finally, be mindful of your grip. A weak grip can contribute to blocked shots. Experiment with different grip positions, such as the Ben Hogan grip, to find one that promotes a closed clubface and reduces the likelihood of blocking shots.
By following these tips and committing to your swing, you can effectively avoid blocking shots and improve your overall golf game.
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Check your wrist angles and flexion before impact
The wrists play a crucial role in the golf swing, as they control the clubface and, by extension, the direction of the ball. To fix a golf push, it is important to check your wrist angles and flexion before impact.
Amateur golfers often struggle with slices and hooks due to improper wrist movement, specifically too much extension in the backswing and not enough flexion in the downswing. This prevents the clubface from squaring at impact. To correct this, focus on maintaining a flat wrist at the top of your backswing and then flexing your lead wrist as you start the downswing. This will help square the clubface.
To achieve the proper wrist action, grip the club as if holding motorcycle handlebars. Then, as you start the downswing, rotate your lead wrist down through impact as if you were "revving the engine". This will train the proper wrist action for a square clubface and straighter shots.
To get your wrist position at impact correct, start with some slower swings and learn to maintain a wrist bend to make solid contact. A properly flexed or bowed wrist position at impact can lead to longer golf shots, more control of the clubface, and increased loft. You can use tools like HackMotion to check your wrist angles and provide real-time feedback on your wrist flexion and extension.
In addition to wrist flexion and extension, it is important to also consider the rotation and release of the wrists. Recreational golfers often make the mistake of flipping their wrists at impact or leaving too much extension in the lead wrist, resulting in weak and high ball flights. Focus on maintaining your wrist angle through impact and preventing your wrist from swinging through too quickly.
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Frequently asked questions
A push, or a pushed shot, is when the ball starts to the right of the target and continues in that direction without lateral spin.
A push can be caused by a number of factors, including an open clubface at impact, poor wrist angles, incorrect ball position, and poor alignment.
To fix a golf push, you can try adjusting your grip, aligning your body correctly, and improving your wrist flexion and club path.
The Headcover Path Drill can help correct club path issues. Place a headcover inside and behind the ball and swing without hitting it to shallow your path and avoid pushing the ball from an inside-out path.
