Pull irons to the left

[eric.davis]

Over the last couple months I recently have started to pull all my iron shots to the left. I'm right handed. At address I've varied from setting up at the toe all the way to the heel with no change. Ball striking seems to be off the toe just outside my grooves. Any advice would be appreciated.


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[GolfTEC]

Thanks for the question. My first suggestion would be to not change at address where you put the ball, always put it in the sweet spot. Then my next questions with contact is whether you have been fit for your irons. This would certainly be important that your irons are the correct lie and length for you. From a technique standpoint you are pulling the ball because you are swing to the left, which is often described as swinging over the top. We need to get you to feel like you are swinging to the right. A great drill to work on this is from your address position pull your right foot back about 6 inches. Now start by taking practice swings with your normal backswing but then on the downswing feel like the clubhead travels along your foot path which should feel like you are swinging to the right of your target. Take 2 practice swings like this then hit a ball with this drill. You should start to see the ball start right of your target and then draw to your target. Use this practice routine for 4 shots then try one from your normal stance but still feel like the downswing is going to the right.

Hope this helps to get you on track! Good luck.


Josh Miller
PGA Certified Professional
GolfTEC - Golden, CO

 

[TripleBogieTim]

Good drills Josh, I still struggle with this too...I am going to work on it.

 

[eric.davis]

I have not been fitted. Just off the shelf R9s. I wish there was a golftec closer to where I live. But I will work on your tips and go from there. Thank you for your feedback


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[BradMorris64]

You should definitely get the lie angle of your clubs checked while hitting balls. If your clubs are too upright (toe up) the ball will go left all day long even with a proper swing.

 

[Attempo]

I would bet you are simply coming over the top of the swing plane, a very common problem that everyone fights continually, including the tour pros. My advice is to make sure you take the club back straight along the target line and on the downswing you drop your right elbow into your right hip. Lie angle might be a factor but it shouldn't make you go left all the time. I think lie angle is overrated because on the course we seldom have a level lie; the ball is always either a little above or below our feet and we automatically adjust the plane during our swing. Coming over the top of the plane is a common fault. If you can drop the club inside on the downswing and swing outward to the right of the target line as you near impact, you will not pull the ball left -- guaranteed.

 

[eric.davis]

I appreciate everyone's comments and advice. Ill be playing a round today and ill keep everything in mind as I'm setting up


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[GolfTEC]

. I think lie angle is overrated because on the course we seldom have a level lie; the ball is always either a little above or below our feet and we automatically adjust the plane during our swing. Coming over the top of the plane is a common fault. If you can drop the club inside on the downswing and swing outward to the right of the target line as you near impact, you will not pull the ball left -- guaranteed.

Just some food for thought, or perhaps some discussion fodder... If we have uneven lies, we attempt to adjust for them with setup manipulations that allow our swing to be the same plane relative to the off camber lie. So, for example, if a club is too flat for someone on a ball-above-feet situation and they adjust by standing taller from the waist and choking up (thus flattening the plane), won't the club be too flat for them still?

And I agree, your last statement is correct. IF the face is open to the target. But when a club is very closed relative to the path, even on an inside out path, it can still pull. Face accounts for a large percentage of the starting direction (I can't say an exact amount because it varies with loft and angle of attack).

I do not say this to call you out by any means. I attempt all day long to debunk myths and half truths, this being one of them. Perhaps this belongs in a different thread? I think it would be great to have some open dialogue about what really causes that pesky ball to do what it does.

Hope that helps,

Trevor Broesamle, PGA
GolfTEC Santa Barbara, CA

 

[the boss]

What I like about Josh's drills is the fact he is addressing the 2 big factors imho for an over the top swing, I have suffered both and whats worse is trying to correct the wrong one.
1st most common fault is the top half/arms swinging first causing over the top, but for me I spent so much time and effort trying to "drop it in the slot" i forgot to use my bottom half at all so even when i was dropping it in the slot i wasnt turning my lower half so my top half was forced to come over the top. Since i have had my swing rebuild i worked endlessly on starting my downswing with the correct hip turn but if you straighten the left leg instead of turning, Boom its back to over the top, Id work on Josh's drills if you struggle witht the dropping of the hands bit what i do is forget about my top half and stay relaxed start with my hips and feel like im swinging out and my top half goes naturally, good luck.

 

[J4U]

Kudos to both Josh and Trevor..on a side note, take a video of your swing. Then compare it to what input you have been given. Baby steps will always require more steps, but worth the added distance IMO.

 

[IceyShanks]

Thanks for the question. My first suggestion would be to not change at address where you put the ball, always put it in the sweet spot. Then my next questions with contact is whether you have been fit for your irons. This would certainly be important that your irons are the correct lie and length for you. From a technique standpoint you are pulling the ball because you are swing to the left, which is often described as swinging over the top. We need to get you to feel like you are swinging to the right. A great drill to work on this is from your address position pull your right foot back about 6 inches. Now start by taking practice swings with your normal backswing but then on the downswing feel like the clubhead travels along your foot path which should feel like you are swinging to the right of your target. Take 2 practice swings like this then hit a ball with this drill. You should start to see the ball start right of your target and then draw to your target. Use this practice routine for 4 shots then try one from your normal stance but still feel like the downswing is going to the right.

Hope this helps to get you on track! Good luck.


Josh Miller
PGA Certified Professional
GolfTEC - Golden, CO

Sorry for the late bump, but this drill has really helped me a lot lately!

 

[El Bandito]

It is a great drill, and one that I have to go back to. Another issue that I had and was corrected by a pro, was that I had somehow managed to develop a very strong grip with my bottom hand which was pulling everything right in my case (spot the leftie!)

 

[Bully]

I have this same issue and to be honest, I've given up fighting it. I went through a stage where I would not only hit the ball left, but very rarely made good contact and was getting so frustrated. I've recently changed a couple of things and I have never hit the ball so well but just can't correct the issue of pulling the ball slightly left. I just aim further right and now I know I can do it with insane regularity, it has become part of my iron play. Simples.

 

[h0ss66]

Could just be that your clubface is closed at impact, not necessarily that you are over the top. Remember that especially with irons, clubface direction is 80% responsible for the direction the ball starts off.

 

[IceyShanks]

Could just be that your clubface is closed at impact, not necessarily that you are over the top. Remember that especially with irons, clubface direction is 80% responsible for the direction the ball starts off.

Wouldn't it be 100%?

 

[h0ss66]

Wouldn't it be 100%?

Just to clarify, clubface angle is 80% of where the ball starts. Clubface path contributes 20%.

drivers and woods are different.

With wedges, clubface angle is 85%-90% of ball start direction.

 

[IceyShanks]

Just to clarify, clubface angle is 80% of where the ball starts. Clubface path contributes 20%.

drivers and woods are different.

With wedges, clubface angle is 85%-90% of ball start direction.

Very interesting. I've never heard it described that way. Where do those percentages come from? What source information do you have on them?


Siri speaks for me!

 

[h0ss66]

Very interesting. I've never heard it described that way. Where do those percentages come from? What source information do you have on them?


Siri speaks for me!

The premise I stated is what's known as the "new ballflight laws." Check this article out: http://www.usgtf.com/articles/summer11/page16.html

Summarized as follows: [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"The orientation of the clubface angle at impact overwhelmingly determines the initial direction of the ball."[/FONT]