Pulling irons

I have just re-started after a few years out of the game. I was 16 handicap when I finished. What is happening now is that driver, 3, 5, 7, woods all more or less ok. I use from 5 iron only upwards to SW. I pull nearly all these iron shots! Sometimes most dramatically. They seems to start off going left it is not that it is a draw. Can anyone suggest anything please?

Check your ball position, it may be too forward creating a closed club face at impact.

Check your right shoulder is staying down and back through impact. Lifting it early will make you swing across the ball.

Then check if your arms too close to body, if you have a narrow stance and body alignment.

swing plane could be too steep or too flat.

How will that cause a pull?

too flat means you are swinging around yourself which can lead to an out to in swing path, which, combined with a closed clubface = pull.

Out to in is normally caused by early shoulder rotation in the downswing. Swinging around the body tends to be due to a similar problem where the right shoulder is heaved around as opposed to dropping under the chin. A closed clubface in this case tends to create a snap hook.

when i find myself pulling it is becuae i didn't maintain spine angle through impact..... but to keep it, i dont' think about it i just worry about getting my back shoulder under my chin in the DS. that usually fixes it for me.

driving the back shoulder under usally keeps the right hand in so you can go in square in = strait.

my guess is the reason your woods ar ok is because your path is flatter and that makes the shoulder go under easier (without trying to) but when you get your short irons you plane gets steeper and you forget to get your shoulder under.

Many thanks everyone for the interesting suggestions. Next time on course will be trying things and will let you know result.
Brian

Brian,
When this happens me, I look at the following points which seem to correct it.

Firstly a closed club face, second, openshoulders(left shoulder pointing left of target, and finally, open stance. Adressing these points seems to cure it

Robert

If the ball is going straight left, then you are swinging outside to inside with a club face that is square to this path. If the ball goes left and then hooks the clubface is closed to the path and if the ball slices than the clubface is open to the path. I will assume for the moment that your ball flight is straight left. In that case, I will suggest something for your path only. This is actually something I saw on the golf channel. This may be a bit convoluted but hang in there.

Try to imagine one piece of string attached to a pole infront of you on the outside of the target line at a height a bit above your head and the other end to the string attached to your left thumb. The rope at address should be taut. Now, take your back swing maintaining the tautness of the rope, but not pulling on it. Once you have finished you backswing, start the downswing - NOW THIS IS THE KEY - maintaining the tautness of the rope. You will notice that to do this, you cannot bring the hands foward toward the target line. The hands must come through close to the body to maintain the tautness of the rope. If you can do this, you have swung on the correct plane. Hope this helps - this visualization sure has helped me.

msklar,

someone has invented that very thing (forget the website of course he sells it for $300ish and it is so easy to make on your own. it is a pole tied down into the ground with ropes (kind of like a tent pole tied down with ropes) and you set that pole to the correct hight/distance form you (depening on how flat/steep you want it) and keep the rope taught throughout the whole swing. i think it is a great idea for any begginer to feel the proper swing plane.

and i don't recomend personally.... but if you want an in to out swing then just put the pole more towards your back foot. but the golf swing is more of an oval than a circle so it is not a perfect thing, but can help you feel a good plane if you need to

One other thing to check is your stance width. Too wide a stance and you will sway to the trail side in your backswing and have your weight outside your right foot. You will then tend to get stuck on your right side and swing around the right foot, instead of shifting your weight and swinging around your left

Try a few swings with your feet together and see if you still hit pulls. May be that you just need to swing within your feet. The shift of the lower body moving to the left, with the upper body and head staying behind the ball, naturally pulls the club down inside, even if the shoulders and torso are rotating back towards the target. If you try too hard to get the club to the inside without making the correct weight shift you are doomed to a long struggle, believe me! This should all happen very naturally if you make a good BS, weight on the inside of the right foot, tension up the inside of the right leg. As you turn back your lower body will then naturally spring forward off this tension. If you slide too much back you either get stuck (pulls) or slide way ahead of the ball (pushes/slices)

The feet together drill is a great way to prove this to yourself

Well I have had chance to try all these things now. I am making good improvement with experimenting. I am not sure quite what I am doing but have found that If my right shoulder comes through and hits me under the chin I do not pull the shots! My club seems then to end the swing more pointing at the target. So I do not know what that is called or what my fault actually was. I am finding this quite uncomfortable though but it is worth it to hit straight!
Brian

I'm not sure anyone mentioned it, but when I start to pull my irons - it's because my tempo is way off. This causes me to close the clubface before it even gets to the ball. So all I do is focus on a smooth tempo and close the clubface as soon as I hit the ball. Try slowing down your tempo significantly just to see if it works or not.

the reason an iron can be pulled more easily than the drivers is that they usually have a steeper swing arc...... the steeper the arc the more you have to drop your arms to start the swing before you move your shoulders. if you have a flt arc then you don't have to drop your arms at all and i woul bet you DS with your body but it works out for you because you are so flat.

try this..... get to top of your swing now try to unwind the shoulders back to adress (not moving the club down towards the ground at all) then try to hit the ball. you will be coming way far out to in.

now try getting to the top again and moving the hands down towards the ground about 12-18" making sure not to turn the body at all while trying to clear your left hip out of the way (you shoulders will move back a bit but don't try to inwind them let your left hip trying to clear unwind them) the once your hands get to about rib high (12-18" below top of swing) then unwind your shoulders... you will find it impossable to come out to in because you are now "in the slot" on on your swing plane for your shoulders to unwind while your left arm is swinging freely (not being pulled by the torso) and you will hit 'em strait and long. you have to make sure you are on an in to out arc before youhave any (forced) shoulder turn

exercise 2 should help you out with this http://www.golftoday.co.uk/proshop/t.../lesson11.html