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Ball Flight Tip Sheets

From Brent Kelley,
Your Guide to Golf.
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Push

Push Trajectory - Ball Flight
The push ball flight from the perspective of a right-handed golfer.
Illustration by William Glessner
A push ball flight is one in which the ball starts out to the right of the target line (for right-handers) and continues traveling right in a straight line (no additional curve, as with a slice), finishing well right of the target. The divot will also point to the right.

Note: This text is written from the perspective of a right-hander; lefties should reverse the directional elements.

Diagnosing the Push

Golf instructor Roger Gunn (www.golflevels.com) offers these quick tips for diagnosing the cause of a push:

Grip
The grip is not normally a factor with a push.

Set-up
Make sure you aren't aiming too far to the right of the target line, or that your shoulders are aligned too far to the right.

Ball Position
You might have the ball too far back in the stance. This causes you to make contact when the club is still swinging to right field.

Backswing
You could be taking the club back too far inside, pulling the club away from the target line. The club should track a gentle arc on the way back, not a rapid arc to the inside of the target line.

Downswing
The club might be swinging too much to right field at impact. Your right shoulder could be dropping too soon and/or your hips might be sliding toward the target, preventing the club from swinging back around to the left. Make sure your head doesn't move to the right in the downswing.

  1. Slice
  2. Hook
  3. Push
  4. Pull
  5. Fade
  6. Draw

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