What Does Push Mean in Golf?

There’s nothing more confusing a golfer than hitting a shot that feels solid, only to watch it fly dead straight - but dead right of the target. This shot, known as a push, can be maddening because it lacks the ugly side-spin of a slice, yet the result is just as frustrating. In this guide, we'll break down exactly what a push is, uncover the common setup and swing faults that cause it, and give you actionable drills to start hitting the ball directly at your target.

What Exactly is a Push in Golf?

In golf, a push is a shot that starts to the right of the target line and continues flying on that straight line without any significant curve to the left or right (for a right-handed golfer). If you’re a lefty, a push is a shot that starts left of your target and flies straight on that path.

The key thing to understand about a push is the relationship between your club path and your clubface angle at impact.

• Club Path: This is the direction your club head is traveling through the impact zone. For a push, the club path is moving from “in-to-out” - meaning it’s approaching the ball from inside the target line and moving out to the right of the target line after impact.
• Clubface Angle: This is the direction the clubface is pointing at the moment it strikes the ball. During a push, the clubface is square (pointing straight) relative to the in-to-out path, but it’s open (pointing right) relative to the actual target line.

Think of it like this: a train traveling on a track that’s aimed right of the station. The train itself is moving perfectly straight along its tracks, but because the tracks are aimed incorrectly, it will miss the station. Your clubface is the train, and your swing path is the track.

Why a Push Isn't a Slice (And Why It Matters)

Many golfers lump any shot that goes right into one category: the dreaded slice. But a push and a slice are two very different shots caused by different mechanical errors, and trying to fix the wrong one can make your problems even worse.

• A push starts right and goes straight. The clubface is square to the path. The problem is primarily the path.
• A slice curves aggressively to the right. It can start left, straight, or even right of the target, but the defining feature is the side-spin that makes it curve. This happens when the clubface is open to the club path.

This is an important distinction. If you’re pushing the ball, it means your clubface control is actually pretty good! You're squaring the face to your path consistently. The issue is simply that your path is pointing in the wrong direction. If you try to “fix a slice” by swinging even *more* from the inside (a common but flawed piece of advice), you will only exaggerate your in-to-out path and likely make your push even worse. Correctly identifying the push gives you a clear roadmap to the real fix: neutralizing your swing path.

The 3 Major Causes of a Push Shot (And How to Identify Yours)

Now that you know what a push is, let's look at the three most common reasons it happens. Most pushed shots can be traced back to one of these setup or swing faults.

1. Alignment and Setup Issues

This is the most frequent cause and, thankfully, the easiest to fix. Many golfers simply set up to the ball with their body aimed right of the target without realizing it. Your swing naturally wants to follow the line created by your body - specifically your feet, hips, and shoulders. If these are all pointing right, it’s almost a guarantee your club will follow that in-to-out path, leading to a push.

How to check for this: Head to the driving range. Lay an alignment stick (or a golf club) on the ground just outside your golf ball, pointing directly at your target. Then, place a second alignment stick on the ground in front of your toes. After you take your stance, step away and look from behind. Is the stick by your feet parallel to the target line stick? Often, you'll find it's pointing well to the right. This is your body promoting a push before you even start your swing.

2. An Excessively In-to-Out Swing Path

Alignment aside, your swing itself might have an excessive in-to-out motion. This can happen for a few reasons. A very common one is golfers trying to over-correct a slice. They’ve heard they need to "swing from the inside" and take it to an extreme, dropping the club too far behind their body on the downswing.

This can also happen when a player gets “stuck.” This means their hips spin open too quickly at the start of the downswing, leaving the arms and club trapped behind the body. To Błąd 404, the player has no choice but to swing the club out to the right. It’s a sequence issue where the lower body outraces the upper body.

How to work on this: The feeling you want is for your arms and chest to work down toward the ball together. When you get stuck, your chest often stays facing back while your hips fire. Practice by feeling that your chest rotation starts the downswing sequence, allowing your arms to drop down in front of your body, not behind it. Drills will be essential here, which we'll cover next.

3. Incorrect Ball Position

Your golf swing moves in an arc. It travels from inside the target line, gets square to the target line briefly at the bottom of the arc, and then moves back inside the target line. Where the ball is placed in your stance determines which part of that arc the club meets the ball.

If the ball is positioned too far back in your stance (closer to your trail foot), you will make contact with it while the club is still moving on its in-to-out plane. Even with a perfectly good swing, this ball position will produce a push. You simply haven't given the club enough time to get back to square with the target line at the bottom of its swing.

How to check for this: For your mid-irons (like a 7, 8, or 9-iron), the ball should be in the center of your stance. As the clubs get longer, the ball moves progressively forward. A driver, for example, should be played off the inside of your lead heel. A good practice habit is to take your setup, then place your club behind the ball and run its shaft up to the center of your chest. For a mid-iron, it should point directly to your sternum. If it points toward your trail shoulder, the ball is too far back.

Drills to Correct Your Push and Straighten Your Ball Flight

Knowing the causes is one thing, feeling the fix is another. Here are a couple of my favorite drills to help you train a more neutral, on-target swing path.

Drill 1: The Alignment Station

This is a fundamental drill that every golfer should use regularly. It provides instant visual feedback on two of our main culprits: alignment and path.

1. Place an alignment stick (or club) on the ground, pointing directly at your target. Place your ball about six inches inside of it.
2. Place a second alignment stick parallel to the first, right against the tips of your toes. This ensures your body is aimed parallel to the target.
3. Place a third alignment stick a few inches behind the ball, on the outside of your alignment track. Its purpose is to act as a barrier that you won't want to hit.

Your goal is to swing between sticks one and three, feeling like you’re swinging "down the line" of the target stick. If you push the ball, you'll feel your club wanting to move out and hit the first stick. If you pull it, you may make contact with the third stick. This setup forces you to swing on a more neutral plane.

Drill 2: The Two-Ball Gate

This drill helps correct an exaggerated in-to-out path by givingyou immediate, consequence-free feedback.

1. Set up to a golf ball as you normally would.
2. Take a second golf ball and place it about 4-6 inches directly behind your first ball, but about 2-3 inches outside the target line. You've now created a small "gate" around the ball.
3. Your task is to hit the ball you’re addressing without touching the "gate" ball behind it.

If you have an excessive in-to-out push swing, your club will approach the ball from way too far inside and you’ll clip that outside-back ball on your way to the ball you're trying to hit. To miss it, you have to create a less severe path - one that approaches the ball from a more neutral angle. This drill trains your body to adjust automatically. Start slow, without even hitting the real ball, just to get a feel for the path needed to miss the "gate" ball.

Final Thoughts

A push shot feels frustratingly close to being a good shot, but it a miss is a miss and it's a telling sign that your club path and alignment have drifted out to the right. By double-checking your setup, ensuring your body is aimed at your target, and using drills to neutralize your swing path, you can turn that straight push into a straight shot that splits the fairway.

Understanding what's causing a ball flight issue like a push during a round is where a lot of golfers struggle, and real-time guidance can be a game-changer. For this, I recommend leveraging a modern tool like Caddie AI. If you find yourself consistently missing right, you can simply describe your shot pattern and get instant coaching advice on the most likely cause and things to feel on your next swing. It effectively replaces the on-course guesswork with expert analysis, letting you make adjustments right when you need them most.