What Causes a Block Shot to the Right in Golf?

There’s almost nothing more frustrating in golf than watching your shot sail dead straight… but 20 yards right of your target. That helpless feeling as your ball ignores the flag and flies into the right rough or a greenside bunker is the hallmark of the dreaded block. This article will unpack exactly why this happens, explaining the key swing faults that cause it. More importantly, we'll give you clear, actionable drills to fix your sequencing and get your ball flying at the target again.

What Exactly Is a Block (And How is It Different From a Slice)?

First things first, let’s define what we’re trying to fix. A block, often called a "push," is a shot that starts right of the target and continues on that straight line without curving back. Your contact probably felt solid, and the ball flight was a straight arrow, just in the wrong direction. This is fundamentally different from a slice.

A slice also ends up to the right (for a right-handed golfer), but it gets there via a dramatic left-to-right curve. It might start on target or even left of the target before bending severely away from you.

Understanding this distinction is one of the most important steps to fixing your fault. They feel similar in their frustrating outcome, but they are born from opposite swing paths:

• The Block/Push: Caused by an in-to-out swing path combined with a clubface that is open to the target line at impact. The path pushes the ball right, and the open face ensures it doesn't curve back left.
• The Slice: Caused by an out-to-in swing path combined with a clubface that is open to that path. The path cuts across the ball, imparting the sidespin that makes it curve.

Today, we're tackling the block head-on. If you're hitting pulls or slices, that's a different mechanical issue. But if you’re a practitioner of the straight push, you've come to the right place.

The True Root Cause: Your Swing is "Stuck"

At its core, a blocked shot is a timing and sequencing issue. It almost always occurs when your lower body gets way ahead of your upper body and arms in the downswing. Your hips and legs initiate the turn toward the target so aggressively that your arms, hands, and the club itself get trapped behind you.

Imagine your hips are an Indy car and your arms are the trailer it’s pulling. If the car screams off the starting line and turns the corner too quickly, the trailer is going to get whipped around and won't be able to follow the same line. In the golf swing, "getting stuck" means your hips have spun open so much that your arms have no direct path down to the ball. They are forced to approach the ball from way inside the target line (in-to-out).

From this "stuck" position, two things happen:

1. Your brain panics and sends an S.O.S. to your hands to "save" the shot. Since there's no time to rotate the clubface square, the hands just throw the club at the ball.
2. The clubface arrives at the ball still open because it never had the time or space to release properly.

The result? A solid hit, pushed straight right. The good news is that we can fix this by correcting the specific faults that ruin your downswing sequence.

Top 3 Culprits of the Blocked Shot and How to Fix Them

Thinking "don't let my hips get ahead" isn't a productive swing thought. Instead, let's look at the three common mechanical flaws that cause this timing breakdown and provide drills to correct each one.

Culprit #1: An Overly Aggressive Hip Spin

Many golfers hear "power comes from the ground up" and interpret it to mean spinning their hips as hard and fast as possible from the top. While the lower body does lead the downswing, a violent spin or an excessive lateral slide to the left decouples your upper and lower half. It leaves the arms behind and guarantees the club gets stuck.

The Fix: The "Step-Through" Drill

This timeless drill is fantastic for teaching your body how to transfer energy through the ball in sync, rather than spinning out of control. It promotes a feeling of fluid rotation and forward momentum, instead of a jerky spin.

• Step 1: Take your normal setup with a mid-iron.
• Step 2: As you start your downswing from the top, let your trail foot (your right foot for a right-hander) start to come off the ground and step forward, towards the target.
• Step 3: Swing through impact, allowing your trail foot to land in front of what was your lead foot, so you finish in a walking motion, facing your target. Think of a baseball pitcher finishing their throw.

This movement makes it almost impossible for your hips to spin out too early. It forces your lower body’s momentum to carry you down the line with your arms, not just around in little circle. It synchronizes your whole system and gives your arms the space they need to deliver the club from the proper angle.

Culprit #2: A Backswing That’s Too Deep or Flat

Sometimes the problem starts long before your downswing. If your backswing takes the club too far behind your body plane - what coaches call getting too "deep" or "laid off" - you’ve put yourself in a stuck position before you even start down. The club now has a much longer, more difficult journey to get back to the ball. Your body's natural compensation will be to spin the hips open to create space, leading directly to a block.

The Fix: The "Headcover Tuck" Drill

This drill fosters a more "connected" takeaway and backswing, preventing your arms from running away from your body and getting the club trapped behind you.

• Step 1: Take your setup and place a headcover (or a small towel) underneath the armpit of your trail arm (your right armpit).
• Step 2: Make smooth, half-to-three-quarter backswings, focusing on keeping the headcover pinched between your arm and your chest. The feeling you want is your chest/torso rotation moving your arms, not your arms swinging independently.
• Step 3: If the headcover falls out during your backswing, it's a sign that your arm has become disconnected from your body and is likely swinging too far inside or "deep."

Hitting soft shots with this drill helps train your shoulders, arms, and torso to move as a single, powerful unit. A more compact, connected backswing makes the club's path down to the ball far simpler and more repeatable. It becomes much easier to keep the club in front of you on the way down, eliminating the need for any compensation from your hips.

Culprit #3: Poor Setup and Body Alignment

Not every block is an elaborate sequencing disaster. Sometimes the culprit is much simpler and is present before you even start your swing. Aiming your body incorrectly can subconsciously trigger the block.

• Body Alignment: The most common error is aligning your feet, hips, and shoulders to the right of your target. Your brain knows you're aimed right, so to hit the ball at the flag, it prevents the clubface from rotating shut. This conscious or subconscious "hold off" will keep the face open through impact, producing a block… straight to where you were aimed in the first place!
• Ball Position: Playing the ball too far back in your stance (closer to your trail foot) is another major cause. With the ball too far back, the club simply doesn't have enough time in its arc to square up. It will catch the ball while the face is still open, pushing it right.

The Fix: The Two-Stick Alignment Routine

Never underestimate the power of a proper pre-shot routine. Using alignment sticks removes all doubt about where you're aiming.

• Step 1: Place one alignment stick on the ground pointing directly at your target. This is your ball-to-target line.
• Step 2: Place a second alignment stick parallel to the first one, but just on the inside of where you'll place your feet. This is your body line.
• Step 3: As you set up, make sure the leading edge of your clubface is perpendicular (square) to the target line stick. Then, ensure the line created by your toes, knees, hips, and shoulders are all parallel to the body line stick.
• Ball Position Check: For wedges and short irons, the ball should be in the center of your stance. For mid-irons, it will be about a ball's width forward of center. For long-irons and hybrids, it will be another ball forward, and for your driver, it should be off your lead heel. Routinely checking this will prevent you from accidentally creating a block.

Final Thoughts

A blocked shot to the right is the ultimate evidence of a sequencing breakdown. Your lower body gets too fast for your arms and club, trapping them behind you and forcing an in-to-out swing with an open face. By improving your backswing connection, syncing your hip rotation with your arm swing, and verifying your setup is square, you can cure the block for good.

Understanding concepts on a screen is one thing, but feeling them in your own swing can be another challenge. Without an objective pair of eyes, it can be hard to know if you're truly fixing a flaw or just trying a new compensation. For this very reason, having an expert opinion on demand can be a game-changer when you're working through a swing fault. At Caddie AI, we act as that personal, 24/7 coach, available anytime you have a question or feel stuck on the range. Instead of guessing, we provide instant, personalized advice to help you diagnose the issue and guide you toward a real fix, so you can play with more confidence and clarity.