You make solid contact. The ball feels pure off the face. But instead of flying at your target, it sails right and stays right. No curve, no spin. Just a straight miss into trouble.

That is a push shot, and it is one of the most frustrating misses in golf. Unlike a slice that curves, a push starts right and never comes back. The ball goes exactly where you hit it, which means your swing mechanics are the problem, not your timing.

The good news? Push shots are highly fixable once you understand what causes them.

What Is a Push Shot in Golf?

A push is a shot that starts right of your target and travels in a straight line without curving. For left-handed golfers, it goes left. The key characteristic is no sidespin. The ball flies straight, just in the wrong direction.

This differs from other common misses:

  • Slice: Starts left or straight, curves right (open face, out-to-in path)
  • Push slice: Starts right, curves further right (open face, inside-out path)
  • Hook: Starts right, curves left (closed face, inside-out path)
  • Push: Starts right, stays straight (square face to path, but path too far right)

Understanding this distinction matters because each miss has different causes and different fixes.

What Causes a Push Shot?

A push happens when your clubface is square to your swing path, but your swing path is aiming right of the target. In other words, your face and path match perfectly, they are just both pointing the wrong direction.

Think of it this way: if your path is 8 degrees to the right and your face is also 8 degrees to the right, the ball starts right and flies straight. Face matches path equals no curve.

This is actually a good sign in one respect. You have learned to match face to path, which many golfers struggle with. You just need to redirect that matched combination toward the target.

The 5 Main Causes of Push Shots

1. Swing Path Too Far Inside-Out

The most common cause. If you have worked hard to fix a slice, you may have overcorrected. An inside-out path is good, but too much of a good thing becomes a problem.

When your club approaches the ball from well inside and exits well outside the target line, you are effectively aiming your swing to the right. Even with a square face, the ball goes right.

How to check: Look at your divot pattern with irons. If divots point significantly right of your target, your path is too inside-out.

2. Ball Position Too Far Back in Your Stance

Ball position affects where in your swing arc you contact the ball. When the ball is too far back toward your trail foot, you catch it before your club has had time to square up naturally.

At this point in the swing, the club is still traveling outward toward the ball and the face is still slightly open relative to the target. Contact the ball here and you push it.

How to check: At address, where is the ball relative to your stance? For mid-irons, it should be roughly center. For driver, inside your lead heel. Too far back is a common culprit. Our ball position guide covers proper placement for every club.

3. Lack of Body Rotation Through Impact

When your body stops rotating and your arms swing past, the club gets stuck behind you. To catch up, you swing further out to the right.

Many golfers think they are rotating but are actually sliding. Sliding your hips forward instead of rotating them keeps the clubface hanging open and encourages an outward path.

How to check: At your finish position, is your belt buckle facing the target? If it faces the ball or right of target, you stalled your rotation.

4. Open Clubface at Address

Sometimes the simplest explanation is correct. If you set up with the clubface already pointing right, you are pre-programming a push before you swing.

This often happens unconsciously. You may think you are aiming at the target when the leading edge is actually pointing right of it.

How to check: At address, place a club on the ground aimed at your target. Is your clubface perpendicular to that line? Many golfers are surprised to find their face is open.

5. Poor Alignment

You might be hitting the ball exactly where you are aimed, but aimed in the wrong direction. This is more common than you think.

Golfers tend to aim their feet at the target instead of parallel to the target line. When your feet aim at the flag, your shoulders aim right, and you swing right.

How to check: Set up to a shot, then lay a club along your toe line without moving. Step back and see where it points. If it aims at your target instead of left of it, your alignment is off. See our alignment and aim guide for proper setup.

How to Fix a Push Shot

Now that you understand the causes, here are the fixes. Start with the simplest checks first before making swing changes.

Fix 1: Check Your Grip

A weak grip where both hands are rotated too far left on the club keeps the face open through impact. This is one of the easiest adjustments to make.

Look down at your lead hand at address. You should see two to three knuckles. If you only see one, your grip is too weak. Rotate both hands slightly clockwise on the club to strengthen it.

This simple change helps the face close more naturally through impact. For a complete breakdown, see our golf grip guide.

Fix 2: Move the Ball Forward

If the ball is too far back, moving it forward gives your swing more time to square up before contact.

For mid-irons, the ball should be roughly center or slightly forward of center. For longer clubs, it moves progressively forward until driver position, which is inside your lead heel.

Try moving the ball one ball-width forward from your current position and see if pushes become straighter or even slight draws.

Fix 3: Focus on Body Rotation

The best way to stop pushing is to use your body through impact instead of just your arms.

Set up in a slightly closed stance with your lead foot pulled back an inch from the target line. This makes it easier for your hips to rotate through. Then focus on rotating your hips and chest toward the target, not sliding them forward.

Feel like your chest beats your hands to the finish. When your body leads, the club stays on a better path.

Fix 4: Neutralize Your Swing Path

If your path is too far from the inside, you need to feel like you are swinging more toward the target or even slightly left of it.

This is where feel and real often differ. What feels like swinging left might actually be swinging straight. What feels straight might actually be swinging right.

Video analysis is essential here. Record your swing from behind and check where the club exits relative to the ball. It should exit toward the target or slightly left, not dramatically right.

Fix 5: Aim the Clubface Consciously

At address, take an extra moment to ensure your clubface is truly square. Use an intermediate target, a spot on the ground a few feet in front of the ball on your target line, to help aim the face accurately.

Many tour players use this technique. Pick a divot, leaf, or discolored patch of grass on your line and aim the clubface at it. Then build your stance around the clubface, not the other way around.

5 Drills to Stop Pushing Golf Shots

Drill 1: The Headcover Path Drill

This drill stops an excessively inside-out path.

Setup: Place a headcover about a grip length behind the ball and slightly inside your target line.

Execution: Make swings without hitting the headcover. If your path is too inside, you will strike it on the downswing.

Goal: Learn to shallow the club without coming so far from the inside. Start with half swings and build up.

Drill 2: Tee Gate Drill

This drill trains a straighter swing path through impact.

Setup: Place two tees about four inches apart, one inside your clubhead at address and one outside, creating a gate.

Execution: Make swings where the club travels through the gate without touching either tee. If you push, you are likely exiting toward the outside tee.

Goal: Feel the club traveling more toward the target through the hitting zone.

Drill 3: Alignment Stick in the Ground

This drill improves body rotation.

Setup: Stick an alignment stick in the ground about four feet in front of you on the target line, angled slightly toward you.

Execution: Make swings where your arms and club pass inside (left of) the stick in the follow-through. If you push, you will feel like you are going to hit the stick.

Goal: Train your swing to exit more left, which encourages rotation and a straighter path.

Drill 4: Closed Stance Swings

This drill helps you feel proper rotation.

Setup: Take your normal stance, then pull your lead foot back three to four inches while keeping everything else the same.

Execution: Hit shots from this closed position. The closed stance blocks your hips from sliding and encourages rotation.

Goal: Feel how rotation squares the face and straightens the path. Gradually return to normal stance while keeping the feeling.

Drill 5: Trail Arm Release Drill

This drill teaches proper arm action through impact.

Setup: Make one-handed swings with just your trail arm holding the club.

Execution: Swing slowly and feel the arm extend toward the target through impact, not out to the right.

Goal: The trail arm should release down the line, not across it. This trains the extension pattern that prevents pushes.

Push Shot vs Push Slice: What Is the Difference?

A push and a push slice are related but different. Understanding which one you hit helps you diagnose the fix.

Push: Ball starts right, flies straight right. Face is square to path, both aiming right.

Push slice: Ball starts right, curves further right. Face is open to path, path is inside-out.

If your ball curves after starting right, you have an open face issue on top of a path issue. Fix the face first by strengthening your grip and working on club face control. Then address the path.

If your ball flies straight but right, focus on path and alignment corrections.

Common Mistakes When Fixing Push Shots

Aiming Left to Compensate

The worst thing you can do is aim left and play the push. This grooves bad mechanics and makes the problem harder to fix later. It also fails on pressure shots when your path might change under stress.

Fix the root cause instead of managing the symptom.

Weakening Your Grip Too Much

If someone tells you to weaken your grip to fix a push, be cautious. A weaker grip opens the face more, which could turn your push into a push slice. Most push fixes involve strengthening the grip, not weakening it.

Making Too Many Changes at Once

Pick one fix and practice it for a full range session before adding another. Changing grip, ball position, alignment, and swing path simultaneously makes it impossible to know what is working.

Ignoring Alignment

Many golfers skip alignment checks because they assume they are aimed correctly. They are not. Use alignment sticks in every practice session until proper aim becomes automatic.

Using Video to Diagnose Your Push

Video analysis is the fastest way to identify your specific push cause.

Face-on view: Check ball position relative to your stance. Watch for hip slide versus rotation. See if your body stalls while arms swing past.

Down-the-line view: Check your swing path direction at impact. Watch where the club exits after the ball. See if your clubface is open at address.

Slow motion: Watch the club approach the ball. Is it coming from dramatically inside? Does it exit right of the target line?

Recording your swing with your phone takes thirty seconds and reveals what you cannot feel. For tips on capturing useful swing video, see our guide on how to record your golf swing.

AI-powered swing analyzers can detect path issues automatically and give you specific feedback on what to fix. This beats guessing and shortens your improvement timeline.

Quick Reference: Push Shot Fixes

Symptom Likely Cause First Fix
Push with every club Alignment issue Check aim with sticks
Push with irons only Ball too far back Move ball forward one width
Push with driver only Path too inside-out Headcover path drill
Push that turns to push slice Open face plus path Strengthen grip
Push with divots pointing right Excessive in-to-out path Tee gate drill
Push when tired or nervous Body stalling Closed stance rotation drill

The Bottom Line

A push shot means your clubface and path match, they are just both aimed right. This is actually better than a slice or hook because you have already learned to coordinate face and path.

Start with the simple fixes: grip, ball position, and alignment. These setup adjustments can eliminate pushes without requiring any swing changes. If the problem persists, work on path drills and body rotation.

Video analysis is your best friend here. What you feel in your swing is rarely what is actually happening. Record yourself, compare to the checkpoints above, and make targeted fixes.

Push shots are fixable. With the right diagnosis and focused practice, you can turn that straight miss into a straight hit down the middle.

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Stop guessing why you push the ball. Swing Analyzer identifies your path and face angle in 90 seconds. Upload a swing and see exactly what is causing your miss, then get specific drills to fix it.