Watching your golf ball sail helplessly to the right is one of the most frustrating feelings in the game, whether it’s a big, curving slice or a dead-straight push. The good news is that you don't have to live with it forever. This unwelcome shot shape isn't some random mystery, it’s a direct result of a few specific things happening in your setup and swing. This guide will walk you through, step-by-step, the common causes of hitting the ball to the right and provide clear, actionable advice to get you hitting straighter, more powerful shots.
Before we can fix the problem, we need to understand it. For a right-handed golfer, a ball flying to the right is primarily caused by one thing: the clubface being open (pointed to the right) at the moment of impact. Now, this can manifest in two main ways, the slice and the push, and your specific miss will tell you a lot about the cure.
A slice is a ball that typically starts left of your target (or straight) and then curves dramatically to the right, often landing in the trees or the next fairway over. This happens when your clubface is open in relation to your swing path. Most slicers swing "over the top," meaning their club path moves from outside the target line to inside it. When you combine that out-to-in path with an open clubface, you get that weak, spinning shot that robs you of distance and confidence.
A push is a shot that starts to the right of your target and flies relatively straight, never curving back. This is less about a crooked swing path and more about a simple truth: your clubface was pointing right of the target when it hit the ball. Often this happens because your body gets ahead of your hands, or your grip simply prevents you from squaring the face in time.
Now, let's fix it. We'll start with the most common and influential element of all: your hands.
Your hands are your only connection to the golf club, and the way you hold it has an enormous influence on where the clubface points. Many golfers who hit it right have what's called a “weak” grip, where their hands are rotated too far to the left on the handle. This position makes it very difficult to square the clubface at impact, naturally leaving it open.
To fix this, we want to get your hands into a more “neutral” or even a slightly “strong” position. It will feel strange at first - that's a normal and good sign! - but it’s the foundation for a straighter ball flight.
Place your left hand on the club so it feels like you're holding it more in your fingers than in your palm. From there, adjust the position until you achieve these two checkpoints:
Next, bring in your right hand. Like your left hand, it should hold the club primarily in the fingers. The goal is to have the palm of your right hand “marry up” with the palm of your left hand.
Stick with this new hold. Hit short, easy shots at the range until it starts to feel less alien. This one change is powerful enough to solve the right-miss for many players.
Many golfers who slice the ball unknowingly aim to the left to compensate for the expected curve. Unfortunately, this often worsens the problem, encouraging an even more severe "over the top" swing. Setting up squarely and athletically readies your body to swing on the correct path.
Proper alignment involves setting your body parallel to your target line, not pointed at the target itself. Imagine a set of railroad tracks. The ball and clubface are on the outer rail, heading toward your target. Your feet, knees, hips, and shoulders should be on the inner rail, parallel to the target line.
How you stand to the ball dictates how your body can move. A sloppy or stiff posture will restrict your ability to rotate correctly.
Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart for a mid-iron. You want to feel stable and balanced. From there, tilt at your hips - don't bend your back - pushing your backside out as if you were about to sit in a high chair. Let your arms hang naturally straight down from your shoulders. This is the bit that feels odd, but that powerful tilt and relaxed arm position give you space to swing. When you do it right, your weight should be balanced over the balls of your feet, ready to move.
"Coming over the top" is the term for that dreaded downswing move where you throw the club outward, away from your body, causing an 'out-to-in' swing path. It's an instinctive move to hit the ball hard, but it’s the primary driver of a big slice. The fix is to feel like the downswing starts from the ground up and the club drops "into the slot" behind you.
Once you reach the top of your backswing, your first move down should not be with your hands or shoulders. Instead, it should be a small shift of your weight and a rotation of your left hip (for a right-hander) toward the target. This simple move creates space for your arms and the club to drop down on an inside path, instead of being thrown over the top.
It's a feeling of unwinding from the ground, not chopping down from the top. Let your body's rotation be the engine that brings the club to the ball.
This is a classic for a reason. Take an empty golf glove and tuck it under your right armpit (for a right-hander). The goal is to keep it there throughout your backswing and for the start of your downswing. To do this, you have to keep your right arm connected to your body and prevent it from flying away from you. As you start down, the lower body leads and the glove should stay pinned. It will naturally fall out after impact as you extend your arms through the shot. This drill teaches the feeling of a connected, on-plane swing rather than an "all arms" motion from the top.
Holding the clubface square through impact isn't a passive action. Golfers who hit the ball right often have a "blocked" release, where they try to hold the clubface facing the target for too long, preventing it from naturally rotating shut. To hit it straight, you need to allow your right hand and arm to rotate over your left through the impact zone.
Think about skipping a stone or throwing a baseball side-arm. You'd never finish with your palm an open to the sky, your hand would naturally roll over. The golf swing is similar. As you unwind your body and swing through, feel like your right forearm is rotating over your left forearm after a great impact. It’s what allows the toe of the club to "catch up" and square the club at impact.
Go to the range and hit easy, half-swing shots with a 9-iron or pitching wedge. Don't worry about power. Your only thought is on that post-impact feeling. Make your swing and hold your follow-through when the club is parallel to the ground in front of you. Check your clubface. Is it pointing at the ground or even slightly left? That’s a sign of a good release. If it’s pointing up to the sky, you’ve held it open.
Getting rid of that persistent shot to the right comes down to reinforcing excellent fundamentals. It’s not about finding a single secret tip, but about systematically checking your grip, building an athletic and aligned setup, and retraining your downswing to come from the inside. Start slowly, be patient, and dedicate time to making these changes feel natural.
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