Push
A push flies dead straight and finishes right of where you aimed, for a right-hander. Nothing curves — the head was simply traveling rightward through impact with the face pointing the same way.
In golf, a push (sometimes called a "push straight") is a shot that starts right of the target for a right-handed golfer. It travels in a fairly straight line to the right, without the curve of a block-fade or the hook of a draw. A slice starts left and curves right, and a block starts right and curves slightly more. A push, by contrast, travels in a straight line that is simply aimed in the wrong direction. The D-plane model helps explain why. A push results from an in-to-out club path with a face angle that matches the path. The face is square to the path but points right of the target.
The mechanical causes of a push are usually 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 tries to eliminate a hook by holding the face open. That open face 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. It is often seen in stronger, more athletic players. Their body rotation is powerful, but their arms and club fall behind it.
A push is distinct from a pull (starts left, goes left) and a push-slice (starts right, curves further right). A push shows that the face is at least roughly square to the path. The swing just needs a more neutral path rather than an in-to-out one. 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. 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 so your belt buckle faces the target at the finish. This fuller rotation usually eliminates the stuck-arms pattern that causes pushes.
Use a launch monitor to check your club path number: 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°) while maintaining face control usually 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 — not a slice. 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 — 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 — 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. 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
Motion Lab does not read start direction or club path, so a push is not identified from video. Path and face come from a launch monitor; imported sessions show path and face-to-path, with the device as their source. From your body it reads sequencing, the order in which hips, shoulders and hands reach peak speed. Film down-the-line to see the club's path through impact.
Related terms
- BlockingBlocking is when the arms and club fail to fully release through impact. The face is held open, so the ball flies straight right (for a right-hander) with no draw.
- 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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