Caught yourself staring in disbelief as your perfectly struck golf shot sails dead straight, but ten, twenty, or even thirty yards right of your target? That frustrating shot is called a block, and it’s a common swing fault that plagues golfers of all skill levels. This article breaks down exactly what a blocked shot is, the core reasons it happens, and provides you with some simple, effective drills to get your ball flying back at the pin.
A blocked shot, often called a "push," is a ball that starts to the right of the target line (for a right-handed golfer) and continues on that straight line without much curve. It feels different from a slice, which has that ugly banana-ball curve to the right. A pure block feels solid off the clubface - like you really caught it flush - which only makes the result more confusing.
The physics behind it is surprisingly simple. A block comes from one primary combination:
Imagine a set of train tracks. Your target is a station straight ahead. But for a block, the tracks (your swing path) are laid pointing off to the right. The train (your golf ball) just does what it's supposed to do: it follows the tracks. Your clubface is like the front of the train, pointed straight down the track. The result? A straight shot, but in the wrong direction.
This is different from a slice, where the club path is usually "out-to-in," and the clubface is open to that path, creating sidespin. It’s also different from a "push-slice," where the path is in-to-out, but the clubface is also open to that path, causing the ball to start right and curve even further right. A clean block is a timing issue, not necessarily a poor contact issue, which is what we need to address.
Seeing your shots consistently end up in the right rough can be maddening, but the block isn't some random curse. It's an effect with a cause. In most cases, it stems from a breakdown in the sequence of your downswing. Let’s look at the most common culprits.
This is the number one cause of the block push. It’s a traffic jam in your golf swing. A proper downswing is a chain reaction: the hips start to unwind, which pulls the torso around, which in turn brings the arms and the club through. This sequence gives your hands time to naturally square the clubface at impact.
When you block a shot, your lower body starts the downswing but then slams on the brakes just before impact. Your hips stop turning. But all that energy from your upper body has to go somewhere! With the rotation stalled, your arms and hands get "stuck" behind your body and are forced to swing outward, away from your body, creating that dreaded in-to-out path. Think of it like a revolving door that suddenly stops - you'd get flung out to the side.
Sometimes, the problem begins much earlier in the swing. Many golfers, in an effort to avoid slicing, yank the clubhead far inside their hands on the takeaway. They feel like they're creating a powerful, rounded swing, but they're actually just setting themselves up to get stuck.
When the club is too far behind you at the top of the backswing, there’s no room for it to come down on a good path. To even make contact with the ball, the only option is to drop the club even further "underneath" on the downswing and come at the ball from an extreme inside angle. This pre-programs the in-to-out path that causes a block.
A quick checkpoint: On your takeaway, when your club is parallel to the ground, the clubhead should be hiding your hands or be just slightly inside them from a down-the-line view. It should not be way behind your heels.
A powerful golf swing moves forward. At the finish, close to 90% of your weight should be on your lead foot (the left foot for a righty). Hanging back with your weight on your trail foot is a classic swing-killer. When you fail to transfer your weight forward, your entire swing's low point shifts behind the golf ball.
This makes a pure strike incredibly difficult and heavily promotes getting stuck. In an effort to "save" the shot and make contact, the body instinctively stops its rotation, preventing you from shifting forward, and tells the arms to swing outwards. The result is often either a block to the right or a heavy, fat shot.
Before you overhaul your entire swing, stand behind your ball and double-check your alignment. It is stunningly common for golfers to think they are aimed at the flag when their feet, hips, and shoulders are actually pointed well right of the target. You might be making a perfectly good swing right down your body line, but that body line is simply pointed in the wrong direction.
Think of it like you're a walking V. Your feet form one line and your clubface forms another. If the V of your body is pointed at the trees on the right and you swing, that's where the ball is going to go. Use two alignment sticks or extra clubs on the range: one for your toe line and one for the ball-to-target line to give you clear visual feedback.
Understanding the "why" is half the battle. Now, let’s get to the "how." These drills are designed to retrain your body's sequencing and neutralize your club path. Start slow, focus on the feeling, and don't worry about ball-flight at first.
This drill is my favorite for teaching golfers the feeling of an aggressive lower body rotation that *pulls* the club through impact rather than pushes it.
Why it works: It's impossible to do this drill correctly if your hips stall. Forcing yourself to step through guarantees your lower body will continue rotating and shifting your weight forward. It actively trains your body to clear out of the way, giving your arms the space to swing down the target line instead of getting flung out to the right.
This drill gives you immediate, undeniable feedback on your swing path. It forces you to guide the club through a neutral "gate" rather than swinging excessively from the inside.
Why it works: If you are swinging too far from in-to-out (the cause of a block), you will hit the inside gate object on your follow-through. If you are swinging out-to-in (the cause of a slice), you'll hit the outside object on your takeaway or downswing. This drill provides a tight visual aperature and trains your brain to find the neutral path required for a straight shot.
Often, golfers block shots when their arms become disconnected from their body rotation. This drill helps sync them back up.
Why it works: With this separated grip, you can't just use your arms and hands to manipulate the club. It forces you to use your big muscles - your torso and hips - to turn the club back and through. You will feel a strong sense of connection between your chest and your arms. After a few rehearsals, take your normal grip and try to replicate that same feeling of your body leading the swing. The block happens when the arms outrace the body (or the body stops), this drill co-ordinates their movement.
The blocked golf shot, while frustrating, is almost always a result of your body's a stalled rotation forcing the club onto an excessively in-to-out path. Mastering the correct sequence - where your lower body leads the downswing and continues to turn through impact - is your ticket to eliminating this shot from your game for good.
We know that diagnosing your own swing faults on the course or range can be tough. That's why we built Caddie AI. If you're struggling with a recurring a block, you can take a quick video of your swing and ask for an analysis, getting feedback grounded in the same principles we've discussed. It's like having a coach in your pocket to provide a second opinion, helping you move from guessing what’s wrong to knowing exactly what to work on.
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