What Causes a Pull in Golf?

Nothing sours a perfectly struck drive or approach shot quite like watching it sail dead left of your target. That frustrating shot, the pull, can appear without warning and is a common headache for many golfers. This guide will walk you through exactly what causes a pull and provide clear, actionable drills to get your shots flying straight again.

First, What Exactly Is a Pull?

Before we can fix it, we need to be clear on what we're talking about. In golf, a pull is a shot that starts to the left of your target line and continues flying on that same straight line, never curving back towards the target (for a right-handed golfer). It’s different from a hook, which starts straight or right and then curves dramatically to the left.

The pull is a ball-flight error rooted in two very specific things happening at the moment of impact: your club path and your clubface angle. Let’s look at how they work together.

• Club Path: This is the direction your club is traveling through the impact zone. For a pull, your club path is moving from outside the target line to inside the target line. This is commonly known as an "out-to-in" or "over-the-top" swing path.
• Clubface Angle: This is where the face of your club is pointed at impact. During a pull, your clubface is actually square to your out-to-in swing path. However, because that path is aimed left, the square clubface is therefore closed (or aimed left) relative to the actual target line.

In simple terms: you are swinging the club to the left of your target, and the clubface is pointing in the same direction you are swinging. The result is a straight shot that misses left. Now, let’s identify the most common reasons this happens and how you can correct them.

Cause #1: Your Alignment is Off

Before you make any drastic changes to your swing, a simple alignment check is the first and most important place to start. Many pulls are born before you even begin your swing simply because your body is aimed in the wrong direction.

It’s very common for golfers to set their feet, hips, and shoulders aiming to the left of the target. From this position, your brain subconsciously recognizes a problem: "My target is over there, but my body is aimed way over here." In an attempt to hit the ball toward the target, you make compensations, but with an open stance, the most natural swing is one that follows your body lines, resulting in that out-to-in path that causes the pull.

How to Check and Fix Your Alignment

The best way to get a true picture of your alignment is to use visual aids. This removes the guesswork.

The Alignment Stick Drill:

1. Take two alignment sticks (or two golf clubs if you don't have sticks) and head to the practice range.
2. Place the first stick on the ground so it points directly at your target. This is your target line.
3. Place the second stick parallel to the first one, but just inside it, where you would normally place your feet. This is your body line.
4. Now, take your setup. Your toes, knees, hips, and shoulders should all be parallel to the second stick. Many people are shocked to find how far left their shoulders or feet were aimed previously.

Practicing with these sticks trains your eyes and body to recognize what proper alignment actually feels like. Do this regularly until aiming squarely at your target becomes second nature.

Cause #2: Flaws in Your Setup and Grip

If your alignment is sound, the next place to investigate is your setup. How you stand to the ball and hold the club sets the stage for the entire swing. A few small errors here can easily lead to a pull.

The "Strong" Grip Takeover

Your grip is the steering wheel for the clubface. A "strong" grip isn't about pressure, it's about the rotation of your hands on the club. For a right-handed golfer, a strong grip is when your left hand is rotated too far to the right (showing 3 or 4 knuckles) and your right hand is tucked too far underneath the shaft.

This type of grip naturally encourages your hands to rotate and close the clubface aggressively through impact. Even with a good swing path, this can cause the face to be shut at impact, sending the ball left.

The Fix: The Neutral Grip

• Left Hand: When you look down at your left hand, you should see the knuckles of your index and middle fingers. The "V" formed by your thumb and index finger should point toward your right shoulder.
• Right Hand: Your right hand should cover your left thumb. The "V" on your right hand should also point roughly toward your right shoulder or chin.

Ball Position Creeping Forward

Where you place the ball in your stance is another big factor. A golf swing moves on an arc. The club approaches the ball from the inside, reaches the bottom of the arc at impact (ideally), and then starts moving back to the inside. If your ball position is too far forward in your stance for the club you're hitting, the club will make contact on the upward part of this arc as it's already swinging back to the left. This creates that pull-inducing out-to-in path at impact.

The Fix: Check Your Ball Position

• Short Irons (Wedges, 9-iron, 8-iron): Should be played from the center of your stance.
• Mid-Irons (7-iron, 6-iron, 5-iron): Should be one or two ball widths forward of center.
• Fairway Woods and Hybrids: Roughly three or four ball widths forward of center.
• Driver: Off the inside of your lead heel.

Take your setup and place a club on the ground from the center of your stance pointing at the ball. This will give you a clear check on whether the ball has crept too far forward.

Cause #3: The Dreaded "Over-the-Top" Swing

This is arguably the most common swing fault in amateur golf and a primary cause of the pull. The "over-the-top" move describes a downswing where your hands, arms, and club push outward and away from your body, moving outside the ideal swing plane. From there, the club has no choice but to cut across the ball from out-to-in.

This move is usually triggered by a desire to smash the ball powerfully from the top of the swing. The upper body - shoulders and arms - dominates the downswing, spinning open too early while the lower body is left behind.

Drills to Fix the Over-the-Top Move

Correcting this fault is about training your body to start the downswing sequence correctly, letting the club drop to the inside before rotating toward the target.

Drill 1: The Headcover Guard

1. Tee up a ball (using a low tee even with an iron makes this easier).
2. Place a headcover (or a spare towel) on the ground about six inches outside of your golf ball.
3. Your goal is to hit the ball without hitting the headcover. If you come over the top, you'll clip the headcover on your downswing. This noodle provides instant feedback, forcing you to find a path that approaches the ball from the inside.

Drill 2: The Right Elbow Tuck Feel

1. At the top of your backswing, make your first move down feel like you are tucking your right elbow into the side of your right hip (for right-handers).
2. This sensation prevents your right shoulder from immediately throwing the club "over the top." It forces the club to drop onto a shallower, inside path.
3. Start with very small, slow half-swings focusing only on this feeling. As you get more comfortable, you can build up to a full, fluid swing. This feel promotes sequencing the downswing from the ground up, not the top down.

Cause #4: Your Body Stops Rotating

A powerful, accurate golf swing is a chain reaction. If any link in that chain breaks, problems arise. A very common flaw is for a player's hips and torso to "stall" or stop rotating through the impact zone. When your big muscles stop providing power, your hands and arms take over completely.

This rapid firing of the hands often causes them to flip over, violently shutting the clubface and sending the ball careening to the left. The swing becomes all-arms right when it matters most.

Fixing a Stalled Rotation

The solution is to feel your body continue to rotate all the way through to a full and balanced finish.

The "Belt Buckle to Target" Finish

1. As you swing through impact, the primary thought should be to keep turning your chest and hips toward the target.
2. Don't stop an inch past the ball. Keep rotating until your belt buckle and chest are facing the target or even slightly left of it.
3. Your weight should finish almost entirely on your lead foot, and you should be able to hold your finish position in perfect balance.

Practicing this thought encourages an active lower body and torso, which pulls the arms through impact rather than letting them take over. It smooths out your sequencing and prevents that last-second "flip" that causes a devastating pull.

Final Thoughts

Fixing a pull comes down to a systematic process of elimination. You start with the simplest checks - your alignment and setup - before moving on to bigger swing moves like your path and body rotation. By identifying which one of these areas is the primary offender in your swing, you can apply the right fix and turn your pull back into a straight, satisfying shot.

Trying to diagnose these issues on your own, especially in the middle of a round, can be a real challenge. Getting an objective opinion can make all the difference, and this is where our Caddie AI becomes an invaluable tool. If you feel that pull creeping in, you can ask for a simple swing thought to help shallow out your path or take a photo of a tricky lie to get smart, instant advice on the best way to handle it, giving you the clarity and confidence to commit to your next shot.