Push
A push flies dead straight and finishes right of where you aimed, for a right-hander. Nothing curves — the head was simply travelling rightward through impact with the face pointing the same way.
A push in golf (sometimes called a "push straight") is a shot that starts to the right of the target (for a right-handed golfer) and travels in a fairly straight line to the right. Without the curve of a block-fade or the hook of a draw. Unlike a slice (which starts left and curves right) or a block (which starts right and curves slightly more), a push travels in a straight line that is simply aimed in the wrong direction. Understanding the D-plane model helps explain why. This means a push results from a club path that is in-to-out and a face angle that matches the path (square to the path but pointing right of the target).
The mechanical causes of a push are typically one of two patterns. The first is a strongly in-to-out path with a face that is square relative to the path (and therefore pointing right). This happens when a golfer is working on eliminating a hook by holding the face open. This pairs with the in-to-out path to produce a push. The second is a stuck, blocked downswing where the trail side fails to clear properly and the club path exits to the right. This means often seen in stronger, more athletic players whose body rotation is powerful but whose arms and club fall behind the rotation.
A push is distinct from a pull (starts left, goes left) and a push-slice (starts right, curves further right). The presence of a push indicates that the face is at least about square to the path. This means it just needs the path to be more neutral rather than in-to-out. Players who push reliably are often close to a good swing and need only minor path adjustments rather than fundamental overhauls.
If you push shots reliably, check your finish. This means a push often produces a finish where your arms swing out to the right and your belt buckle does not fully rotate to face the target. Focus on rotating your entire body through impact. As a result, your belt buckle faces the target at the finish. This means this fuller rotation typically eliminates the stuck-arms pattern that causes pushes.
Use a launch monitor to check your club path number. This means a consistent positive path (e.g., +4° to +8°) combined with a face angle that is near zero relative to path (but positive relative to target) is the signature of a push. Reducing the path toward neutral (+1° to +2°). At the same time, maintaining face control typically resolves persistent push patterns without introducing a new miss in the other direction.
Example
A solid-feeling iron that starts right of the pin and stays right, landing right of the green, is a push. This means not a slice. This is. This is because it does not curve.
How it shows up on video
From a face-on camera angle, a push shot shows the ball starting right of the target and continuing in that direction. The telltale body pattern that produces a push is visible from face-on as the arms appearing to be "stuck" behind the body rotation. This means the hands and club exiting the impact zone to the right rather than following through toward the target. From a down-the-line angle, a push path shows the club traveling in-to-out through impact. This means crossing the target line from inside to outside rather than traveling along or slightly to the inside after impact.
Common mistakes
- Aiming left to compensate for pushes — this accommodates the bad habit rather than fixing it. If the path is in-to-out and the face is square to the path. This moves aim further left just produces a bigger push or, with a face that is now left of the path, a hook.
- Confusing a push with a block — a push travels straight right; a block travels right and may have a slight fade. Both have in-to-out paths, but the face-to-path relationship differs. Understanding which you have matters because the fix is slightly different.
- Over-correcting into a left miss (pull or hook) — adding excessive out-to-in path to fix a push will produce pulls or hooks. The target is a neutral path (0° to +2°), not a significant swing in the other direction.
- Assuming push = in-to-out path without confirming. This means some pushes come from a delayed release that starts in the right direction but the face is open at impact. A launch monitor reading is the most reliable way to confirm path and face data rather than guessing from ball flight alone.
In SwingVantage Motion Lab
SwingVantage can estimate push patterns from the ball flight direction (starting right, no curve) combined with observable body patterns from video. This means in particular arms getting stuck behind body rotation in the impact zone. Down-the-line video showing the club traveling in-to-out through impact provides the most direct path observation for diagnosing push patterns.
Related terms
- BlockingBlocking is when the arms and club fail to fully release through impact. This means the face is held open and the ball flies straight right (for a right-hander) with no draw curve.
- In-to-OutIn-to-out describes a clubhead travelling rightward across the target line as it meets the ball, for a right-hander. It is the delivery direction underneath draws, hooks and pushes.
- Club PathClub path is the horizontal direction the clubhead is moving through impact, relative to the target line, in degrees. Positive is in-to-out (a draw bias); negative is out-to-in (a fade or slice bias).
- Face-to-PathFace-to-path is the difference between face angle and club path at impact. It is the single number that determines how much, and which way, the ball curves.
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