What Causes a Blocked Shot in Golf?

Hitting a great-feeling golf shot that sails dead-straight, but twenty yards right of your intended target, is one of the most frustrating and confusing misses in golf. T​​​​his shot is called a block, and it leaves many players scratching their heads. They know they didn't slice it - the ball flight was pure - so what went wrong? This guide will break down exactly what causes the dreaded blocked shot and give you the actionable steps you need to get your swing back on track and your golf ball flying at the pin.

So, What Exactly Is a Blocked Shot?

Before we can fix it, we have to correctly identify the problem. A blocked shot, also known as a "push," is a shot that starts immediately to the right of the target (for a right-handed golfer) and continues on that line without any significant curve. It feels surprisingly solid off the clubface, unlike a slice which often feels like a glancing blow.

Here’s the key difference:

• A Block/Push: Starts right of the target and flies straight. Path issue.
• A Slice: Starts left of the target (or straight) and curves dramatically to the right. Path and face a big time issue.
• A Push-Slice: Starts right of the target and curves even farther right. Also, a big path and face issue.

The pure block is caused by one specific combination of face and path at the moment of impact. Understanding this simple concept is the first step toward correcting the problem.

The Technical Cause: Your Swing Path and Clubface

All golf shots are a direct result of two factors at impact: the direction your clubface is pointing and the path your club is swinging on. The blocked shot happens when these two elements align in a very specific, and unhelpful, way.

The Culprit: An "In-to-Out" Swing Path with a Square Clubface.

Imagine a straight line running from behind your ball, through the ball, and directly to your target. That is the target line.

• Swing Path: A "blocked" shot happens when your clubhead approaches the ball from *inside* this target line and moves *outside* of it through impact. This is called an "in-to-out" swing path.
• Clubface Angle: At the moment of impact, your clubface is pointing exactly where the path is going - it's square to this in-to-out path. It is NOT pointing at your target.

The result? The ball starts and flies in the direction the clubhead was moving path as well as where it's pointed: straight out to the right. To correct this, we need to address the root causes forcing your club onto this extreme inside-out path. Below are the most common faults and the best ways to fix them.

Common Fault #1: The Aggressive Hip Slide

One of the most common pieces of advice golfers hear is to "clear the hips" to generate power. While good in theory, many players misinterpret this and develop a powerful lateral slide with their hips toward the target in the downswing, rather than a rotation.

Why it Causes a Block

When your lower body slides excessively far ahead of your upper body, your arms and the golf club get trapped behind you. Think of it like a traffic jam. Your hips are speeding down the highway, but your arms are stuck a mile back. From this "stuck" position, the only available route for the clubhead to get to the ball is from way inside. Your body has no room to swing the club down the correct target line. You are forced to save the shot by swinging out to the right, leading to a block.

How to Fix It: The Rotation Drill

This drill helps you feel the difference between sliding and rotating, promoting a better sequence for your swing.

1. Grab an alignment stick or a spare golf club. Stick it in the ground a few inches outside of your lead foot, angled away from you slightly.
2. Take your normal address position.
3. As you begin your downswing, your one and only goal is to rotate your lead hip backward and away from the alignment stick. Feel your left backside (for righties) turning behind you.
4. If you are sliding, your lead hip will bump into the stick. The drill gives you instant feedback.
5. Make some half-speed practice swings feeling this rotation. It will create space for your arms to swing down freely instead of getting stuck behind you.

Common Fault #2: Losing Your Posture (Early Extension)

Early extension is a technical term for a very common move: standing up out of your posture during the downswing. You start your swing with a certain amount of forward bend from your hips, but as you swing down, your hips thrust toward the golf ball, and your spine angle straightens up too soon.

Why it Causes a Block

When you lose your posture and your hips move closer to the golf ball, your body's a built-in self-preservation system kicks in. To avoid smashing the club into the ground or hitting an epic shank, your brain tells your arms to re-route the club. This forces your hands and arms to push out and away from your body, throwing the clubhead far out to the right on a severe in-to-out path. It's a compensatory move that a golfer is not even aware they are making half the time and a major cause for blocked shorts.

How to Fix It: The Backside-to-the-Wall Drill

This is a an all-time great drill for feeling what it's like to maintain your posture throughout the swing.

1. Set up without a club, with your backside just touching a wall or your golf bag.
2. Make a practice backswing, feeling your trail glute stay in contact with the wall as your body rotates.
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3. Here’s the important part: during the downswing, your goal is to have your lead glute move along the wall to where your trail glute was. Both cheeks should touch the wall during the swing.
4. If you are guilty of early extension, your backside will leave the wall as your hips thrust forward.
5. After making several rehearsal swings feeling this, step up to a ball and try to recreate that same sensation of your backside staying back as you rotate.

Common Fault #3: Upper Body Starting the Downswing

A great golf swing is a sequence of movements that starts from the ground up. Sadly, many golfers who crave power start their downswing by spinning their shoulders and chest open as hard as they can. This upper-body-dominant move completely disrupts the proper swing sequence.

Why it Causes a Block

When your shoulders spin open prematurely from the top, the club anad your arms get pulled behind your body. This drops the club into whats called "deep' or 'underplane', causing what most instructors refer to as a steep into out motion Your upper body essentually races ahead and wins the race against the club, forcing the path to come excessively from the inside just to make contact. Once again the club path has no option to swing ut to the right if ther'd ever be any hope to simply just nake contact.

How to Fix It: The Pause at the Top Drill

This drill is fantastic for improving your tempo and swing sequence, making sure your lower body, not yprur arms, initiates the downswing.

1. At the driving range, take your normal setup.
2. Make your backswing, but when you reach the top, physically pause for a full second.
3. Tell you're self 'one-onethousamd ' at the conclusion of your backsing.. then swing
4. This brief pause breaks the habit of a rushed transition.
5. From the paused position, you'll find that the easiest way to begin to generate force into the ball, you're the first motor function wil be your lower body. Try feeling a slight weight shift towards your lead foot so tour'e able to establish tour foundation for a proper dowen sing sequrnce..Then let your torso and arms unwind naturally.
6. After hitting a few shots like this, you'll begin to blend that feeling back into a noirmal tempoed golf swimg without a conscious thought about pausing..

Common Fault #4: Ball Position Too Far Back

Sometimes the cause of a frustrating mishit isn't a complex swing flaw but a simple setup error. Where you place the ball in relation to your feet has a profound effect on club path an un-noticed culprit a block or pushed gorf schotd.

Why it Causes a Block

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How to Fix It: Alignment and Consistency

Check youru basivs and you could solve this mystery for all your troubles!l

1. Take your normal stance with a mid-iron, like an 8-iron.
2. Place an alignment stick on the ground exactly in the middle of your feet, perpendicular to your target line.The golf ball should be directly on thise line.
3. For longer irons and hybrids (7-iron to 4-iron), the bll shouldb slight more closer to ypur leading fotot abut never off i.
4. For fairway anof your dsiver the ball position moves rogressivel moe ro the ead fooitnside our from hell. By chekingyourball psition for echclib with thisimple alignmentstick drill willhelp to assure thatour makigg contatwt the coreectpont in yourswing rrc, hichgives our body achancto syou're able to deliverte hlfclub more a tsquae athto yourtrgt line/.

Final Thoughts

The blocked golf shot is a clear signal that your swing path is too far from in-to-out, often caused by poor body sequencing or a setup flaw. Whether it's a hip slide, losing your posture, or an upper-body-dominant swing, the root cause is always a lack of sync between your body and your arms. By working on the drills that target your specific fault, you can get your swing working in the right sequence so all that solid-feeling contact results in a shot that flies directly at your target.

Getting a feel for these changes on the range is one thing, but getting an expert opinion is even better. This is exactly where technology can provide clarity. With tools like Caddie AI, you don't have to guess what's wrong. You can upload a video of a blocked shot, and I can analyze it to see if it’s caused by that pesky hip slide or maybe you're losing your posture in the downswing. Based on what I's my' I wil be bel to give tour some simplepersonalizeded drillsd tofix your block your blovkfor good, turningyour frustration to confidenceon your very necy shot.