Golf Pull - Sound Constructive Advice Sought

[Steve B]

Hello there.

Whether with my long clubs, short clubs, woods / driver I have started to pull the ball more often than hitting it straight - Correct distance, good connection but straight as a die up to anything 30% left. When I do hit straight I can not see what difference I applied to when I pull shots. I have reviewed, corrected and / or tried several areas of potential fault to include ball too far forward in stance, my right shoulder leaning too far forward at address, tweaking away slightly from a neutral grip, ensuring I have absolute parallel alignment but I still pull; I can even pull when I take my stance and then move my right foot back (as previous advice has suggested). Other symptons maybe connected are that I will now sky a ball when using a tee (My clubhead is coming in really low to the ball) but make perfect contact albeit pulled when hitting the ball straight off the floor - Believe this confirms an outside - in swing. In addition If I point to the the target after taking my shot my belly button points straight down the line of the pull rather than straight ahead. Any constructive, sound simple ideas of advice out there?

Regards,

Steve B.

[peter3]

Re: Golf Pull - Sound Constructive Advice Sought

Can you post a video of your swing (front and side)?

[msklar92]

Re: Golf Pull - Sound Constructive Advice Sought

would make sure your taking the club back correctly and not bringing it to inside on the take away. If you bring it to inside you can get the club stuck behind the body causing the foward swing to come too inside or a more steep over the top move which is why you may be skying your diriver. refer to the golf lessons section at this site - especially the drill for the first part of the swing where the club is brought back parallel to a club on the ground

[Steve B]

Re: Golf Pull - Sound Constructive Advice Sought

msklar92.

Thanks for the pointer. I had actually written this out on my problem assessment as a punt from myself at the fault however I erased it before sending in the hope that someone may offer this as a possible cause of the fault. I understand this principle and I may well be pulling the club inside during my backswing without realising.

I am interested to hear further endorsementso of this view or other views before taking to the range.

Cheers.

[Steve B]

Re: Golf Pull - Sound Constructive Advice Sought

peter3.

Thanks for your offer of help but I will not be able to do this in the immediate short term (next 5-15 days).

Steve B.

[pnearn]

Re: Golf Pull - Sound Constructive Advice Sought

Steve

Have a read of this great article. I suffer occasionally from pulling my short irons and found it was because I was playing the ball too far forward ( as I would say a 5 iron) AND I wasnt taking the club straight back from the ball (low and slow) but tending to pull it inside the line as msklar has advised

http://www.golftipsmag.com/content/p...placement.html

As you say this is with all your clubs Im not sure if this would be your problem but may be worth experimenting with?

[gord962]

Re: Golf Pull - Sound Constructive Advice Sought

My first thought is that your upper body is outracing your lower body. My second thought is that you might be hanging your weight on your back foot at impact. Third is that you are swinging way too far from outside in.

Let your hips pull your upper body around, don't force your upper body thought the impact position.

Ensure you are transferring your weight from back to front. If you are leaving your weight on your back foot at impact, you have essentially moved the ball considerably forward in your stance.

Last, try setting up a cardboard box parallel to the target line, giving yourself enough room for the head to pass, but not to go outside the target line.

[30yearlayoff]

Re: Golf Pull - Sound Constructive Advice Sought

I was pulling like crazy. I got into a habit of initiating the down swing with the right shoulder. What I do instead is come to the top and let the club fall a bit and return my right elbow to my side. This lets my arms separate from my shoulders (from the top) and allows the right shoulder to drop properly.

My balls are going very straight now.

On short irons, if I swing too hard, I will pull even with good arm/shoulder separation.

On Driver, sometimes I pull back with my left shoulder on downswing creating a pull.

Hope these thoughts make sense and help some.

[Steve B]

Re: Golf Pull - Sound Constructive Advice Sought

msklar92, pnearn, gord962 and 30yearlayoff.

Thanks for taking the time and effort to provide fault diagnosis. I can accept all the credible technical points put forward as being possible cause to the pull - Slow and low on the way back and not pulling the club inside, possibly swinging too fast and snapping at times, and my turn / follow (hips pulling upper body) actions. (gord962) I will check my weight transfer but as I do finish and hold my position with right foot toe turned I would expect that this is working ok?

I'll take the advices given to the range at the weekend and report back.

pnearn - In addition great article from link provided, thanks.

Steve B.

[Steve B]

Re: Golf Pull - Sound Constructive Advice Sought

All, and in particular to msklar92, pnearn, gord962 and 30yearlayoff for the pointers provided.

The overall route causes to my problem was that the club was rarely on line during takeaway - So slow takeaway as applied and to ensure butt end points midway between feet and ball prior to 9 oclock position. In addition I believe that my swing was way too flat and that I was swinging in a circular motion away from the body (at transition) - An empty bottle of water is now aligned an inch or so away from the ball to remind me if I go back to the bad habit of an outside in swing. For those interested I came across this excellent article which provides a great understanding of why you swing outside - in, or come over the top:

http://www.golfdigest.com/instructio...anderson1.html

The result was the best practice I have had in ages with all my clubs. I genuinely do not think I have ever hit the ball as far using my driver off the practice tee.

Once again, thanks to those that provided guidance I'm quite keen to understand and apply rather than just apply, as I believe sometimes a tweak here can simply uncover several further technical faults with an amateurs swing and game.

- If anyone is interested in a recommendation I've got and read loads of golf books, got the Leadbetter swingsetter etc but time after time I do keep coming back to 1 book - Nick Faldo, A Swing For Life.

Regards,

Steve B.

[nickwbryant]

Re: Golf Pull - Sound Constructive Advice Sought

steve B - Nick Faldo's swing for life is one of the best golf books ever and always one i go back to. Faldo is so knowledgable on the golf swing - i love hearing him on the TV.

He did another book - the winning formula - it's much more wordy and complicated than swing for life but worth a read if ever you happen upon it.

glad you sorted your pull
nick