Why I push the ball ?

[HytrewQasdfg]

Re: Why I push the ball ?

It's took me 15 years to find out the reasons why I hit the ball to the right.

What I do is twist the clubface open during the takeaway !

I'm finding it very difficult to stop doing this. When I do I hit the ball very well. When I don't, everything goes to the right.

I think it all goes back to when I started playing the game. I used to have split hands and my left hand twisted. Now I have a correct grip but I still have the habit of twisting my left hand. After a few moments of my takeaway I can see all 4 knuckles of my left hand. This leads to all my problems; head moving up, hands too high, flying right elbow !

What I'm doing at the moment to try and stop this twisting is lift up my hands a bit at address. This seems to work although if I lift them too much then I start twisting again.

It seems an unusual swing fault.

Does anybody else suffer from this problem and if so, how did you overcome it ?

Do you have a push or push/slice? Different problems with different cures.

Does your ball start out to the right and go in a straight line (push), or does it start out to the right, then start curving to the right (push/slice)?

If you only have a push, then your clubface is NOT open at impact. Slice cures won't help you, because you don't have one.

I suggest you concentrate on turing your push into a draw (starts out to right like push, then curves back towards target.) This is an easier shot to consistently hit than trying to hit it straight down the middle of the fairway every time.

[ThePuttKing65]

Re: Why I push the ball ?

Thanks but I've sorted out my push shot.

[ThePuttKing65]

Re: Why I push the ball ?

I spoke to soon. I'm back hitting everything to the right. It's very frustrating.

So it's back to the drawing board !

[cyc53870]

Re: Why I push the ball ?

Have a pro look at your swing and re-video it as well. It may be difficult for someone who has had the same swing for decades to re-adjust.

[ThePuttKing65]

Re: Why I push the ball ?

What I think now is my left hand grip is way too strong !

I think that causes me to have closed shoulders at setup which results in the push shot.

I've always had a strong left hand grip so changing might be difficult !

[jbrunk]

Re: Why I push the ball ?

What I think now is my left hand grip is way too strong !

I think that causes me to have closed shoulders at setup which results in the push shot.

I've always had a strong left hand grip so changing might be difficult !

Fix your plane.

On the way down try to feel that your left shoulder (I assume you are right handed) goes down slighty and toward the target instead of up and back so quickly. This will keep you from getting so far inside.

[bruin]

Re: Why I push the ball ?

sorry to bring up the 3skills, but it would appear you have skills 1&2 ok, so try closing the club to square on impact and then allow it to further close, this should turn your push into a draw.
BTW, i line up a red line on my ball to the target and then take my stance , this visual approach has helped my alignment .

[ThePuttKing65]

Re: Why I push the ball ?

Right, I got up early today and practised for an hour and half.

Whenever I hit a shot to the right, I placed a club down at my feet and noticed my feet were aiming miles to the right !

However much I tried I couldn't stand square to the target. When I think I'm aiming square, I am actually aiming miles right with my feet and I presume my shoulders.

So what I've started doing is, I take my normal stance and then I shuffle my left foot back a few inches (maybe even a foot sometimes !) to make sure I have a square stance. I am then presuming my shoulders are square. From there I swing normally. I hit the ball alot better doing this although it felt really strange.

[jbrunk]

Re: Why I push the ball ?

You have been aiming miles right probably because you hooked the ball in the past.

[bdbl]

Re: Why I push the ball ?

Whenever I hit a shot to the right, I placed a club down at my feet and noticed my feet were aiming miles to the right !

However much I tried I couldn't stand square to the target. When I think I'm aiming square, I am actually aiming miles right with my feet and I presume my shoulders.

I've been reading this developing thread with interest as I suffer with the same problem.

In the end I bit the bullet and trotted along to a local pro* for an hour yesterday who diagnosed much the same causes. When I set up, I:

a) aim the the club face about forty yards to the right,
b) then set up closed (probably some sticking plaster for when the push becomes a push slice),
c) manipulate the club and swing path to compensate

Sometimes the compensation works, the rare smack down the middle.
Sometimes I over compensate turning the push into a pull hook.
Sometimes (mostly) I leave it out right - not forty yards but bad enough

So we worked on alignment, just aiming left doesn't work, then moved me back to a neutral stance before working on a slight in to out swing path - obviously something that I had been avoiding sub consciously because it exacerbated the push - finishing off with getting more of a club head release.

By the end a vast improvement, so thats what the sweet spot feels like rather than the heel , that will need a fair amount of work to consolidate but all in all a worthwile investment of time.

* On which subject, regular readers will know that, based on previous experience, my opinion of teaching pros is pretty low - hence it took so me long to visit one with this problem - but at last I seem to have found one who not only gets his ideas across in a way that works for me but also deals with the swing in front of him (i.e MINE) rather than one he'd like to see.

I'll let y'all know if the improvement survives the next practice session and comes to the course with me next time out.

[ThePuttKing65]

Re: Why I push the ball ?

Last week when I didn't have much to do, I tried to solve this problem of aiming right.

Without a club I stood up straight and checked my feet and shoulders. They were square. I then setup as normal and with the help of a club (across my shoulders) I noticed my shoulders were closed. This was without a club in my hands. After a few minutes I realized that my whole posture was wrong. I was leaning forward and putting too much weight on my toes instead of squatting down and having the weight more on my heels.

I did this time and time again. Stood up straight, squatted a bit and checked where my shoulders were aiming. Square all the time. I was eager to hit some shots using this method.

After work on Saturday I went to the driving range and hit 100 balls. I was quite pleased. Hit the ball well and straight although I pushed a few.

Sunday was a medal day and honestly I didn't think I would do well. For every shot I did my new setup. Straight away I could see the club was aiming miles right and not parallel to my feet. Now I have a square stance and shoulders it was easy to set the clubface square to the target. The golf I played was very good. I started with 3 birdies in the first 6 and ended up with a level par 69 gross. My best score by 5 shots this year in a comp and my best medal for god knows ! Got my handicap down from 6 to 5.

Played on Monday however and for the first 4 holes it was back to pushing the ball. After a slight adjustment (I gripped the club with my right hand first and then my left hand - gripping the club with my left hand seems to close my shoulders !) - I then hit the ball very well. Didn't score as good (76) but it was a very slow round and it was windy.

I'm very encouraged and hopefully this is the final answer to my pushing problems. I see other players and they spend no time or care setting up to the ball, it's no wonder the ball doesn't fly straight !

[ThePuttKing65]

Re: Why I push the ball ?

bdbl - I know what you mean about golf teachers. The last lesson I had, the guy wanted me to change everything, grip, ball position, swing plane. I ended up shanking a whole bucket of balls !

Regarding aiming right, my playing partner on Sunday said "I've been telling you for the last 5 years you've been aiming right !"

I guess I'm stubborn and I didn't listen !