Watching your golf ball sail dead-right of your target without a hint of a curve is one of the most frustrating feelings in golf. That’s the classic push, and it can turn a great drive into a recovery shot from the trees in an instant. This article lays out the most common causes of the dreaded push and gives you practical, easy-to-understand drills to get your shots starting on target again.
Before we go any further, let's be certain we're talking about the same shot. This is important because the fixes are very different.
If your ball is starting right and flying straight, you're in the right place. This shot tells us something specific: at impact, your clubface was square to your swing path, but your entire swing path was directed out to the right of your target. Our job is to figure out why your swing is traveling so far from the "inside" and get it pointing back toward the fairway.
This is the most common cause of a push, and happily, it's also the easiest to fix. Many golfers who hit a consistent push are not actually making a bad swing. Instead, their body is simply aimed in the direction the ball is going. Their swing feels good and the ball flies straight because, relative to their body, they’ve hit a perfect shot. The problem is their body was aimed at the right-hand rough all along.
It’s easy to get misaligned. You might set the clubface down correctly, but then as you take your stance, your feet, hips, and shoulders shuffle into a position that aims well right of the target. Your arms have no choice but to swing along the line your body has set.
You can't trust your eyes alone from the address position, you need an objective reference. Grab two alignment sticks or, if you don't have them, two other golf clubs from your bag.
Many golfers are shocked to find just how far right they are regularly aiming. Performing this drill for just 5-10 minutes at the start of every practice session will retrain your eyes and body to understand what "square" actually looks and feels like.
If your alignment is spot on but you're still pushing the ball, the issue is likely rooted in your swing path. As we mentioned, a push is the result of a club path that tracks too far from inside the target line to outside the target line through the impact zone.
Imagine a straight line extending from the ball to the target. An ideal swing path approaches the ball from slightly inside this line, strikes the ball, and then moves back to the inside of the line. An "in-to-out" swing that causes a push approaches from way inside that line and exits way outside of it. The club is literally traveling out to right field at the moment it strikes the ball.
What causes this? Often, it's a downswing that gets "stuck." This happens when your lower body (hips) spins open too quickly or stalls, while your upper body and arms get left behind you. Because your body is now in the way, you have no room to swing the club down correctly. Your only option is to throw your arms and the club out and away from your body to the right, leading to that push.
This is a classic drill to give you instant feedback on your swing path. It forces you to swing the club down on a more neutral path, because an in-to-out swing will get punished immediately.
Start with slow, half-swings without a ball to get the feel. Once you can consistently miss the headcover, add a ball and build up to full speed.
This cause is directly linked to the "stuck" feeling we just discussed. A proper golf swing involves a seamless asynchronous sequence. On the downswing, a slight lateral bump-shift of the hips should initiate the entire movement, followed by dynamic rotation, pulling your torso, which then pulls your arms. A push often materializes when this sequence breaks down due to a lower body ‘stall’.
The ‘stall’ comes in two flavors:
This drill synchronizes your lower body and upper body and guarantees a proper weight transfer through the ball. It almost entirely eliminates the possibility of hanging back.
You’ll feel a powerful sense of connection and flow. The "step" forces your weight forward and encourages your body to rotate through impact, creating room for your arms to swing down the correct path.
The push is a stubborn but fixable problem that usually boils down to one of three things: flawed alignment, an excessively in-to-out swing path, or a breakdown in your weight shift and lower body rotation. By systematically checking your setup and using alignment drills, you will help realign your swing path on all different fronts. Consistency is your best friend here, so commit to these drills, keep swinging easy, and your ball flight will return strong down the target line.
Sometimes the issue is complex to identify, and that's normal for most golfers. Caddie AI offers a unique golf improvement aid that works for you in all areas: practice, on-course, and post-round. Caddie AI acts as a real-time smart caddy, a perfect game 'buddy', and an excellent 'partner in crime'. It provides golfers who struggle to self-identify their own game issues with a 24/7 AI coach feature, giving you instant individualized feedback tailored to your game, anytime and at your convenience. From capturing photos of challenging lies and receiving immediate 'smart' advice on execution to one-on-one conversation, Caddie AI simplifies the game and gives you the confidence to trust your swing in any on-course situation that requires an intelligent strategic solution.
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Watching your tee shot start down the fairway and then take a hard, relentless left turn into the trees is one of the most frustrating experiences in golf. That destructive ball flight, the dreaded hook, can turn a potential birdie into a double-bogey in a matter of seconds. I’m going to show you how to tame that wild hook with your driver. This guide will walk you through the real causes behind that shot shape and give you actionable Caddie a that you can take straight to the driving range to straighten out your ball flight for good.
Hitting a great drive that starts with perfect posture, only to end up on your tiptoes at impact, sending the ball thin or topping it completely, is one of golf's most common frustrations. This move, widely known as standing up or early extension, robs you of power and consistency. This guide will break down exactly why you stand up in your swing and give you some simple, actionable drills you can use to stay in your posture and start making solid contact again.
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Nothing kills the confidence from a perfect practice swing like the dull thud of a fat golf shot that barely dribbles forward. Taking a divot the size of a dinner plate behind the ball is frustrating, to say the least, but it’s one of the most common issues golfers face - and thankfully, one of the most fixable. This tutorial will break down exactly why you hit fat shots and give you practical, step-by-step drills to train your body to make that pure, ball-first contact you’re looking for.
Chasing a lower golf handicap is about more than just hitting a few perfect shots, it’s about raising your entire game by making smarter decisions and eliminating costly mistakes. Getting that number to drop requires a focused approach that goes beyond simply hoping for a good round. This guide will walk you through the practical, on-course strategies and purposeful practice habits that reliably lead to lower scores and a handicap that truly reflects your best golf.
Just ask a question or share a photo and Caddie gives personalized guidance for every shot - anytime, anywhere.
