Hitting straight pulls - HELP!!

[Robert L.]

I had a very good round of golf yesterday, but the one thing that was hurting me was a tendency I have of hitting a straight pull to the left. I threw a few shots away because of this. Anyone have any ideas why?

[badboggs]

I'm with you there.  I'm pretty consistent with a 3-4 degree left path.

[ucmike11]

This happens to me when I rotate my shoulders open too quickly.  Justin Rose drill, keep those shoulders closed longer

[liquorandpoker]

I agree w UCMike

 

You are coming over the top.  Commonly caused by overactive rotation of shoulders before the club and hands can drop into the slot.

 

You need to feel like you keep your back to the target as you start your downswing.  Give yourself time and room for hands to get back in front of you and drop into the slot a bit before you start turning your body / shoulders.

 

Good luck

 

[liquorandpoker]

Starting 2:15 of attached.  Great graphic around 3:10

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMCO7CeVNA0

[Robert L.]

I took some time to see what I could find on YouTube, and I watched a video by Hank Haney explaining what happens. You gentlemen are right, I am coming over the top. Haney explained that slicing your driver is an indicator of coming over the top, and I do slice my driver sometimes, but mostly fade my drives. He suggests turning your left foot perpendicular to the line and flaring your right foot to the right, and moving it back an inch or so. This will allow me to make a fuller turn and should allow me to not come over the top, resulting in straighter shots.

After thinking about it a bit I also feel I'm guilty of breaking Hogan's pane of glass. I'm swinging the club too upright, and since I'm not making a full turn the result is a swing over the top. Hogan was right, nothing good happens when you break the pane of glass!

 

 

[Valtiel]

Your face and your path are both pointing left...



That'll be $85. 

[Valtiel]

Serious reply though, without a video we can only speculate. The most common cause of this though is the evolution of the common over the top move. For people that struggle with it and the subsequent weak fades/slices it tends to produce, clubface squaring measures like strengthening your grip or attempting to reduce clubface rotation can often succeed in producing a more square clubface, but one that is more square to your path, which if you're coming over the top is going left, thus a pull. Please a post a down the line video of your swing if possible, preferably actually hitting balls (not a livingroom practice swing). 

Edited October 1, 2021 by Valtiel

[badboggs]

Reviving this topic a little.  I've been working really hard on trying to fix my left path and left face.  I tend to hit pulls and sometimes hooks when I try to swing right.  I've found that no matter how far right I try to swing I still hit it left.

 

The one things that has seemed to help and I don't really understand exactly why is that if I really focus on taking the club back more on plane (and not inside) my body naturally responds with a path further right.  My guess is that I just don't reroute and come over the top but I don't really understand the mechanism and why I do it automatically.  Thoughts?

Edited June 7, 2022 by badboggs

[Zitlow]

The natural path of the club swings away from you not into you around the left hip. It's like twirling a ball on a string, the ball and string are pulling away from the center, your hand. In the swing the clubhead and shaft represent the ball, the arms are the string and the back of the neck is the center of the circle. 

 

The energy flows away from the center, if you pull your arms into you redirecting the path of the club, you're pulling the energy into you instead of letting it flow out to the clubhead. The shaft doesn't start to come back into you until the left elbow starts folding at P8. 

 

An efficient golf swing is about applying maximum energy to the golf ball. The shoulders, arms and hands are conduits for the energy to flow through, They must be totally relaxed, any tension will impede the flow of energy. Tense muscles are slow muscles, I used to have so much tension in my arms that I had a perpetual case of tennis elbow. 

 

 

[badboggs]

That was not the reply I was expecting.  But interesting regardless.

 

Are you saying the energy of a swing radiates outward and just try not get in the way of the natural flow?

[Zitlow]

@badboggsThe outward pulling force of the clubhead pulls your arms into extension just after impact the same way a whirling ball pulls the string into extension. 

 

Once you start the downswing the club does the work. If you interfere with it by introducing tension you'll slow the club down. The pivot has to be trained so it knows how to react to the club. 

 

It's like pulling a wagon to the top of a hill. Once at the top give the wagon a push and it will coast down the hill. 

 

[Moonlightgrm]

Initiate the downswing with the lower body. 

[iutodd]

Was just going to start a topic on this issue (search as useless) - the Hank Haney video was super helpful.

 

I'm pretty sure I have a path problem because my historical shot shape is a fade (well, a massive slice).  I've straightened most things out but with my driver I can hit a dead straight pull - a dead straight pull almost never happens with my irons.  That would seem to indicate the path is left and the face is on that same path.  So I think I have a path problem.  

 

I'll try his tips about ball position and feet movement.  Obviously with the driver the ball is generally more forward in my stance.

 

Never really been a video person with my swing but I guess I'll have to get some video to see if I come over the top.  I think I do.

 

[badboggs]

@MoonlightgrmI think maybe I start the lower body too soon.  I think it promotes me throwing my right shoulder way out as well and makes it nearly impossible to deliver the ball from the inside.  I need to find an instructor to help me with the sequencing.

 

I know I also have a problem flipping but I think that is more of a reaction rather than an intention.  I know @MonteScheinblumtalks about that all the time.