Common Causes of a Golf Pull

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Quick Answer

• A golf pull is when the ball starts left of your target and stays left.
• Most often, it’s an inside-out swing path with a closed clubface, or an outside-in path with an open face.
• Your grip, alignment, and how your body rotates are usually the culprits.

Who This Is For

• Golfers who are tired of seeing their shots veer off to the left of their intended target.
• Anyone looking to get to the bottom of this common golf swing flaw and start hitting straighter shots.

What Causes a Golf Pull: What to Check First

Before you start tinkering with your swing, let’s get the basics dialed in. These are the foundational elements that often get overlooked.

• Your Grip: This is huge. For a right-handed golfer, a “strong” grip means your left hand is rotated too far clockwise on the club. This encourages the clubface to close too early. Check that you can see about 2-3 knuckles on your left hand when you grip the club. A neutral grip is the goal for most players.
• Your Alignment: This is another biggie. Are your feet, hips, and shoulders aimed parallel to your target line? It’s easy to aim your body at the target, but that often leads to an open stance. For a righty, your body lines should actually be aimed slightly left of the target.
• Your Stance: A good stance provides a stable base. Too narrow and you’ll sway. Too wide and you’ll feel restricted. A stance that’s about shoulder-width apart is a good starting point for irons.
• Clubface Angle at Address: Take a look at your clubface when you set up. Is it square to your target line, or is it already closed? If it’s closed from the start, you’re fighting an uphill battle.

Step-by-Step Plan to Fix Your Golf Pull

Alright, let’s get this sorted. We’re going to focus on a few key areas to get your ball flight back on track.

1. Adjust Your Grip: Try weakening your lead hand grip slightly. For a right-handed golfer, this means rotating your left hand a bit more counter-clockwise on the club. You’re looking for a more relaxed feel, not a death grip. Mistake to avoid: Over-weakening can lead to a slice, so make small, incremental adjustments and test them out.

2. Correct Your Alignment: Make sure your feet, hips, and shoulders are aimed parallel to your target line. Your body should be pointing slightly left of the target if you’re right-handed. Mistake to avoid: Don’t aim your body directly at the target. This often leads to an open stance and compensations in your swing that cause pulls.

3. Focus on a Neutral Takeaway: Initiate your backswing by moving your shoulders and arms together as a unit. The clubhead should stay in front of your hands for a bit during the initial part of the takeaway. Mistake to avoid: Rolling your wrists too early in the backswing can lead to an outside-in swing path or a closed clubface, both pulling culprits.

4. Smooth Downswing Transition: Feel like you’re swinging from the inside. Imagine the club dropping into a slot on the downswing, coming from slightly behind you. Mistake to avoid: The common “over-the-top” move, where the club comes from outside the target line, often causes pulls or slices. Focus on feeling your arms drop.

5. Clubface Control at Impact: Ensure the clubface is square to your swing path at impact. It shouldn’t be significantly closed. You want the clubface to be square to where you’re swinging, not necessarily square to the target line if your path is off. Mistake to avoid: Trying to “steer” the ball through impact with your hands often leads to a closed clubface and a pull.

6. Maintain Body Rotation: Allow your body to rotate through the shot naturally. A full, balanced finish where your weight is on your lead foot and your belt buckle faces the target is a good indicator of proper rotation. Mistake to avoid: Decelerating or stopping your body rotation after impact can result in an incomplete swing and a pull because your arms and club are left behind.

7. Check Your Ball Position: Ensure the ball is positioned correctly relative to your stance. For most full swings, the ball should be forward in your stance, typically off the lead heel for a driver and slightly back from that for irons. Mistake to avoid: Playing the ball too far back in your stance can encourage an inside-out swing path and a closed clubface at impact, leading to a pull.

Common Causes of a Golf Pull

We’ve all been there. Trying to fix one thing and messing up another. Here are some of the most frequent errors that lead to that frustrating pull.

• Grip Too Strong — Why it matters: This causes the clubface to close too quickly through impact, sending the ball left. It’s like having your hands turned too far clockwise on the club. — Fix: Soften your grip, especially the lead hand. You should see fewer knuckles on your lead hand when you look down. Aim for a neutral grip where you see about 2-3 knuckles.
• Aiming Directly at the Target — Why it matters: This tricks you into an open stance (feet and shoulders aimed right of the target for a righty) and often encourages an inside-out swing path, which, combined with a closed face, leads to a pull. — Fix: Use alignment sticks or the clubhead to ensure your feet, hips, and shoulders are parallel to the target line. Imagine a railroad track: your body lines run parallel to the target line.
• Over-the-Top Downswing — Why it matters: This is a classic mistake where your arms swing outside the target line on the downswing. This often leads to an open clubface at impact, which can result in a slice, but if the clubface closes too quickly after that outside path, it can cause a pull. — Fix: Focus on swinging from the inside. Feel like your arms are dropping into the slot on the downswing, coming from behind you rather than from over the top.
• Rushing the Swing — Why it matters: When you rush, your body mechanics get out of sync. You’re more likely to make compensations, like casting the club or an over-the-top move, that lead to a pull. Tempo is everything. — Fix: Take a smooth, unhurried swing. Focus on a consistent rhythm from start to finish. A good drill is to count “one-and-two” for your backswing and downswing.
• Ignoring Clubface Angle — Why it matters: Even with a decent swing path, a closed clubface at impact will send the ball left. This is often a result of the grip or how your wrists are positioned. — Fix: Pay attention to how your wrists are positioned at address and through the swing. A neutral wrist position at impact is generally best for most players. Avoid excessive “flipping” of the wrists.
• Insufficient Hip Rotation — Why it matters: If your hips don’t rotate properly through the shot, your arms can get stuck and the clubface might close prematurely, leading to a pull. — Fix: Focus on allowing your hips to unwind naturally through impact. Feel your belt buckle turning towards the target after impact.
• Trying to “Steer” the Ball — Why it matters: When you consciously try to guide the ball to the target with your hands and arms, you often disrupt your natural swing and can cause the clubface to close too early. — Fix: Trust your swing. Focus on making a good, full swing and let the club do the work. Your body rotation and the natural loft of the club will guide the ball.

FAQ

• What is a golf pull?

A golf pull is when the ball starts to the left of your intended target and generally continues to move left, or stays straight left. For a right-handed golfer, this means the ball begins its flight path to the left of where you were aiming.

• How does grip affect a golf pull?

Your grip is a primary control for the clubface. A grip that’s too strong (your hands are rotated too far clockwise for a righty, so you see more than 3 knuckles on your lead hand) can cause the clubface to close prematurely through impact, leading to a pull. A grip that’s too weak can also cause issues, but a strong grip is a more common culprit for pulls.

• What is the difference between a pull and a hook?

A pull starts left of the target and stays left, or has a slight leftward curve. A hook also starts left of the target but curves sharply to the left, often much more dramatically than a pull. The clubface is typically more closed at impact for a hook than for a pull.

• Can alignment issues cause a pull?

Absolutely. If your body (feet, hips, shoulders) is aimed left of the target, even with a square clubface at address, the ball will start left. If you then swing along your body lines (which are aimed left), you’ll likely pull the shot. Proper alignment parallel to the target line is crucial.

• Is an inside-out swing path always a pull?

Not necessarily. An inside-out swing path combined with a closed clubface at impact causes a pull. If the clubface is square to that inside-out path, you’ll hit a push (starts right and goes right) or a draw (starts near the target and curves right). The interaction between path and face is key.

• What’s the best way to check my alignment?

Use alignment sticks on the practice range. Place one stick parallel to your target line on the ground in front of your ball, and another parallel to that line for your feet. This visual cue helps ensure your body is aligned correctly. You can also use the clubhead to check your foot and hip alignment.

• Should I feel tension in my hands when I swing?

No. Tension is the enemy of a good golf swing. You should have a relaxed grip pressure, often described as holding a tube of toothpaste without squeezing it out. Too much tension in your hands and arms can lead to a variety of swing faults, including a pull.

Sources:

• Common Causes of Pull Shots in Golf