Why Am I Pushing Shots with My Irons?

Pushing a shot — Hitting the ball to right of your target for right-handed players and left of your target for left–handed players. The ball flight remains straight (not a slice), but travels right or left of your target.

Striking a clean iron shot but pushing the ball wide is frustrating. Solid contact usually means you’ve executed a good swing, so why would the ball soar wide of your intended target?

Pushed shots are commonly caused by a flaw in your set up. Here are three checklist items to consider if you’ve been pushing iron shots.

1. Alignment — Check to make sure your feet and shoulders are aligned to the target. If you’re right–handed and pushing shots, you may be aligning your feet and shoulders slightly right of the target. (You’re “closed” to the target.) Your swing path and clubface will travel slightly inside the center of the ball, causing a push to the right. Your swing and shots typically follow the line of your feet and shoulders.

2. Ball positioning — A pushed shot can be caused by the ball being positioned too far back in your stance. If the ball is an inch too far back, the clubface won’t have enough time to get square to the ball. It will be slightly open at contact, pushing the ball to the right for right–handed players or left for left–handers.
   
   The ball should be placed in the middle of your stance when using mid–irons (6–,7–, and 8–irons), slightly forward when using long irons (3–, 4–, and 5–irons), and slightly back with short irons (9–iron and wedges). Check your ball positioning before each shot.

3. Strengthen your grip — The first two checklist items can lead to an open clubface at impact, but your grip may also be the root of the cause. Try strengthening your grip to square up your clubface at contact.
   
   To strengthen your grip, a right–handed player should rotate (or turn) their left hand slightly to the right (clockwise). This gives the top hand greater control of the club to deliver the clubface square to the ball.
   
   Strengthening your grip does not mean increasing your grip pressure. Hold the club handle firmly in your fingers, but do not hold it tighter.

Golf instructors may suggest your swing path is the reason you’re pushing shots. That may be true, but these three checkpoints can identify why your swing path is causing pushed shots.

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