I'm sure this push shot can have more than one cause. It has really been plaguing me lately. Just when I got to where I wasn't topping the ball much anymore, the push appeared, which is even more frustrating.

I discovered a possible cause by accident. I went to the driving range after cleaning the faces of my clubs. I always hit off turf now, never off mats. I hit a few shots with different clubs, and all were pushes, some worse than others. I noticed where the fresh grass had been pressed into the grooves, and it was toward the toe of the clubface--sometimes quite a bit. I decided I must be pulling in a bit in my swing, and maybe the toe-side impact was causing my club face to open up a bit. Seemed possible anyway.

So I simply tried setting up a bit closer to the ball, standing up a bit straighter. Result: no push. If I setup *too* close I'd chunk it, so I needed a way to gauge it exactly. Here's what I came up with.

I put the club head next to the ball, square to target, sole resting level on the ground. I make a fist with my left hand and rest it on my belt, an inch or 2 left of the buckle, as if I were pulling an arrow out of my gut. I stand erect in a position where the club handle rests against my fist. Then I flex my knees a bit, bend down and grip the club. If I keep my posture right, this increases the distance from the club handle to my body a little, but not much. If I swing from here, I get impact in the sweet spot and no push. Works for every club, but of course the longer the club the farther away from the ball I end up.

I know that instead of using grass stains you can buy impact tape or spray foot powder on the club face before striking the ball. However you do it, it's worth finding out if this is the cause of your push shots.

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Todd
Philadelphia, PA
USA

The reason the pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can't see him laughing. ~Phyllis Diller