How Jim Stopped Pulling The Ball

Students taking golf lessons often trigger ideas for articles. Jim, a new student with a good swing and a low golf handicap, wanted to eliminate a bad case of "the pulls." A right-handed player, everything he seemed to hit lately went left, whether on the tee or in the fairway. It was costing him strokes and hurting his golf handicap. He had gone from a 4 to a 7 in just a couple of months.

Slices and pulls, as I've written in my golf tips, result from basically the same fundamental swing flaw. In each, the clubhead approaches the ball from and out-to-in swing path-one of the most common faults in golf. Whether you slice or pull depends on the position of the clubface at impact. If it's open at impact, you pull. If it's closed at impact, you pull.

Jim's Problem
Different flaws cause golfers to pull the ball. In Jim's case, it was his spine angle. Jim had such an aggressive swing that he would often lean toward target when he addressed the ball. His shoulders were nearly level and his body tilted at an angle where his spine was parallel with his right leg.

This stance put too much weight on Jim's left foot, which promoted a swing path that moved from outside the target line during the down swing to inside the target line past impact. As a result, he would frequently would pull shots left of the target. The key to fixing Jim's problem then was to adjust his spine angle.

Uphill Battle
Naturally, Jim's spine angle problem at address had to be corrected. One way to do this was to imagine his ball was on an up slope, and then address the ball with this lie in mind. That would place the club shaft at an angle. Jim could then match his shoulders to the shaft's angle. By getting his left shoulder higher than his right, Jim was in a perfect position to hit the ball.

Another way to teach a student to adopt the right spine angle in this case is to step on the player's clubface. That tilts the up. Now all the player has to do is match his shoulders to the shaft angle. Either approach, works well.

With the spine angle point away from the target, his weight shifts toward his right foot. From his starting position, his downswing now comes from inside the target line and arcs back inside the line past impact, with the club face square to the target at impact. Sometimes, this set up also adds distance to your shot because you are hitting the ball at a better launch angle.

Jim address is now perfect. He sets uo behind the ball, with his spine tilting away from the target. This address is what a golfer means when he says "sets up nicely behind the ball." It's where players must be to hit the ball squarely and eliminate pulled shots.

Additional Causes
Occasionally, your grip is the reason you pull. Make sure you grip the club properly at address. Move both hands to the right side of the club (left side, for left-handers) until you can see three knuckles on the back of your left (right for left-handers) hand. Make sure the V's between both thumbs and forefingers are parallel.

Improper body alignment also causes you to pull. Close the overall alignment of your body a little by aiming your feet, hips, and shoulders to the right of the target. Then move the ball back in your stance. In some cases, you need to straighten your right arm (left arm for left-handers) early in the swing.

One drill to help eliminate pulls is to practice hitting shots from a sidehill lie. Position the ball several inches above the level of your feet. Now, swing away. This drill promotes a more rounded swing plane and a more powerful in-to-out swing path, eliminating pulled shots.

A variety of flaws cause golfers to pull shots. It could be your spine angle, as in Jim's case, your grip could be off, or you're not straightening your right arm early enough, if your right-handed. To eliminate pulls learn to swing the club on a more in-to-out swing path and square off the clubface at impact. Practice hitting balls on an upslope to help eliminate "the pulls" and you should see your golf scores and golf handicap drop.


Copyright (c) 2007 Jack Moorehouse