A golf ball that starts right of your target and keeps going dead straight in that direction - without any slice or curve back toward the flag - is one of the most confusing and frustrating shots in golf. That’s called a push, and if it’s plaguing your game, you’re in the right place. This guide will walk you through exactly what a push shot is, the major reasons it happens, and most importantly, deliver practical, on-the-range drills you can use to get your shots starting on target again.
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What Is a Push Shot in Golf?
In the simplest terms, a push shot is a ball that starts to the right of the target line (for a right-handed golfer) and continues on a straight-line path, never curving back. The opposite, a shot that starts left and flies straight, is called a pull. It’s important to understand the ball flight: the ball is not slicing or fading. It’s flying like an arrow, just an arrow pointed in the wrong direction from the very beginning.
Imagine your target line is a set of train tracks running from your ball to the flag. A perfect shot travels straight down those tracks. A push shot starts on a track immediately to the right and follows that new path perfectly. While a "straight miss" might seem better than a nasty slice, a consistent push makes it almost impossible to score well, as you're constantly aiming left to compensate and praying your miss is predictable.
Push vs. Push-Slice: An Important Distinction
Many amateur golfers use the terms "push" and "slice" interchangeably, but they describe two very different ball flights and usually point to slightly different swing flaws.
The Push: The ball starts right of the target and flies straight on that line. This is primarily a swing path issue.
The Push-Slice (or Slice): The ball starts right of the target and then curves even further to the right. This is a combination of a swing path issue and a clubface issue. The clubface is open relative to the swing path, causing the clockwise spin that makes the ball slice.
Understanding this difference is the first step to fixing the problem. If you’re truly hitting a push, your clubface is likely square to your swing path, but the entire path is misaligned to the right. We want to correct the path, not radically change what your hands are doing with the face.
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A push rarely comes from a single mistake. It’s usually a chain reaction of small setup errors and swing movements that combine to send your club traveling too much from inside-to-out. Let's break down the most common culprits.
1. Your Alignment is Off Before You Even Swing
This is the most frequent and simplest cause to fix. Many golfers who think they have a major swing flaw are simply aimed incorrectly at the start. Your body acts like the launcher for your swing, so if your feet, hips, and shoulders are aimed right of the target, you're encouraging your swing to follow that line.
The Fix: Before every shot, especially on the driving range, lay two alignment sticks on the ground.
Stick #1 (Ball-Target Line): Place one stick on the ground a couple of feet outside your golf ball, pointing directly at your target. This gives you a clear visual reference for where "straight" actually is.
Stick #2 (Body Line): Place the second stick on the ground parallel to the first, just inside your feet. Your toes, hips, and shoulders should all be parallel to this second stick during your address. You'll often be surprised at how "left" it feels to be aimed correctly.
Building this into your pre-shot routine trains your eyes and body to recognize what proper alignment feels like, making it second nature on the course.
2. Your Swing Path is Severely "In-to-Out"
This is the engine of the push shot. An "in-to-out" path means your clubhead is approaching the ball from behind your body and traveling out toward the right (for a righty) of the target line through impact. It’s as if you’re trying to hit the ball toward first base instead of straight down the pitcher's mound.
This path can be caused by a few things:
Ball Position is Too Far Back: With irons, the ball should generally be in the center of your stance, and slightly forward for longer clubs. If the ball is too far back (closer to your right foot), you will make contact earlier in your swing arc, which is naturally a phase where the club is still moving from in-to-out. Moving the ball to its proper position gives the club time to "bottom out" and start swinging back toward the target line.
Getting "Stuck": This is a classic feeling for golfers who push the ball. As you start the downswing, your hips might spin open too quickly without shifting forward, or your trail arm (right arm for a righty) gets trapped behind your torso. With the arm stuck behind, your only option is to swing the club out to the right. The corrective action is to feel the arms dropping down in front of your chest as your body rotates through the shot.
3. Too Much Lateral Sway (Not Enough Rotation)
A good golf swing is rotational. A bad swing often involves too much lateral movement, or "swaying." If you sway your hips and upper body to the right (away from the target) during your backswing without properly rotating, you shift your entire swing center behind the ball.
From here, it's very difficult to get your weight and swing center back over the ball in the downswing. What usually happens is you get stuck on your back foot and your path is forced out to the right. Think of staying more "centered" over the ball as you rotate your shoulders and hips in the backswing, as if you're turning inside a narrow barrel.
4. Your Body Stalls Through Impact
Power and path control in golf come from continuous body rotation. Sometimes, a player will make a great backswing but then stop rotating their body (hips and chest) through the hitting area. When the body stalls, the arms and hands have to take over. Since the club has built-up momentum, they will often "fling" the clubhead away from the body and out to the right, leading to a push or even a dreaded block-slice.
The goal is to feel your belt buckle continuously rotating toward the target all the way through to a full, balanced finish. If your body stops, your arms don't have a guidance system.
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3 Actionable Drills to Straighten Out Your Push Shot
Reading about causes is one thing, but fixing the push happens with targeted practice. Here are three simple but incredibly effective drills to implement in your next range session.
Drill #1: The Gate Drill
This is the best drill for providing instant feedback on your swing path.
Set up to a ball as you normally would.
Place a headcover (or a rolled-up towel) about 6 inches outside and 6 inches behind your golf ball. This is your outer gate.
Place a second object (another headcover or a tee) about 6 inches inside and 6 inches in front of your golf ball. This is your inner gate.
Your mission is to swing the club through the gate without hitting either object. If you're pushing the ball, your natural tendency will be to hit the outer headcover on your downswing. To avoid it, you'll be forced to shallow the club correctly and get the path moving more toward the target through impact.
Drill #2: The Pump Drill for Proper Sequencing
This drill helps correct the feeling of getting "stuck" by synchronizing your body and arms.
Take your normal setup and make a full backswing, stopping at the top.
From the top, initiate the first part of your downswing by shifting your hips slightly toward the target and letting your arms drop about halfway down. Then, stop. This is Pump #1.
Return to the top of your backswing. Now repeat the move: shift hips, drop your arms calmly. Stop. Pump #2.
Return to the top one last time. This time, after you initiate the downswing with the same feeling, go ahead and rotate all the way through to a full, balanced finish.
This rehearsal movement trains your body to lead the downswing and allows your arms to fall naturally into position in front of you, eliminating that "stuck" feeling that leads to a push.
Drill #3: Finish on Your Front Foot
A good finish position is often a mirror of a good swing. Players who push the ball frequently end up with their weight hanging on their back foot, unable to fully rotate through.
For this drill, your only swing thought is to finish your swing completely balanced on your front (left) foot, with your chest and belt buckle facing the target, and your right heel completely off the ground. You have to be able to hold this finish for three full seconds without wobbling.
By forcing yourself to get to this balanced, fully-rotated finish, you are automatically encouraging your body to do what's necessary in the downswing to get there: shift your weight forward and keep rotating. You simply can't end in this position if your swing gets stuck and moves excessively from in-to-out.
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The push shot in golf is a straight ball flight that starts right of the target and stays there, caused almost entirely by an in-to-out swing path. By checking your alignment and using drills to correct your path and body rotation, you can retrain your swing to start the ball on line and find more fairways and greens.
Diagnosing the root cause of a specific fault like a push can be tricky when you're on your own at the range. Visual feedback is a powerful part of the learning process, which is why we’ve built features into Caddie to help. With our app, you can upload a video of your swing, and its AI analysis can immediately identify swing path issues or setup flaws that could be leading to your push, giving you a clear starting point and personalized drills so you can practice with purpose.
Spencer has been playing golf since he was a kid and has spent a lifetime chasing improvement. With over a decade of experience building successful tech products, he combined his love for golf and startups to create Caddie AI - the world's best AI golf app. Giving everyone an expert level coach in your pocket, available 24/7. Caddie's mission is simple: make world-class golf advice accessible to everyone, anytime.
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