Pulling the ball REALLY bad all of a sudden

[green6767]

So this is my second year golfing, but I've managed to get myself down to about a 10 handicap or so. I started the season hitting very well and very confident. I golf almost daily. Thought I might get the handicap down to the single digits even. Yeah...not so much anymore. All of a sudden I am pulling the ball so bad it hurts to watch and it scares me to even golf with others...haha. It happens with all the clubs with a full swing. The chipping and putting are still fine. I've been told im turning my upper body WAY too much on the follow through and the clubhead is closed on release. I never used to do this. When I first started last year, I had the normal "beginner slice" and with some personal work, I cured that one and was hitting very straight for a long time. I have no idea how this happened. I am clueless as to where to start to recover from this. Lessons? Tips? I can get a video of my swing if need be, as Im sure its hard to diagnose a problem you cant physicallly see. I do appreciate any response regardless though!

[flatom]

There are different kinds of pulls but judging from your previous problem of slicing, I'd "guess" you are coming over the top again.
Try the pump drill to cure this.

[asianpsuation]

yea, a pull almost always means over the top. If you have a good path and close the face, ull hit a hook of some kind, so a pull usually means over the top.

http://www.golf.com/golf/instruction...586118,00.html

an article about the pull, and how to fix it.

[Dent]

Exact same thing happened to me just recently and I know how to fix it i just cant do it right now. I have to still practise. But i am still in the process of fixing the exact same thing. I know im definatly closing my clubface and my body was to much on impact. I know I can fix it with straightening my arms more on the downswing and keep my body lose and straight. I also need to find a target infront of me so my club doesnt veer off the straight path. The thing is im only doing this with my Driver.

[green6767]

That article makes sense. I think my problem is that Im having issues on a swing plane, hence the "over the top" motion. I was told I have an upright swing right before this started to happen so now my mind is on trying to level out my swing plane, but that seems like it has only caused more problems. I seemed to be doing fine with an upright swing before, but now I think its catching up to me.

[Island_Duffer]

I suffer from the same pulling problem. Sometimes it turns into a slice if I leave the clubface open, but my misses are usually pulls. The annoying thing is the pull also seems to add about a clublength of distance.
When I do pull, I really feel myself being too aggressive at the start of the downswing. I think this causes me to swing with my arms too much and gives that outside to inside path.

[mike_pinto]

I posted it somewhere else but.... Watch for flying elbows!! If you are right handed, pay attention to your right elbow at impact. Once most of us get to a sub 10 or so handicap, we start trying to work the balltoo much, etc.. Sometimes that allows us to let loose with the elbows which will pull the ball and drop confidence. Next time you go to the range, think about the trailing elbow and keeping it inside.

It will work!!

Mike

[laconic517]

I pull the ball when I dont make a complete turn back and then I get out of sync, make sure you make a full turn back, if you are just so rt of lifting your hands and then swinging instead of turning it will be quite easy to pull the ball and you will be in trouble, if you pull draw/hook the ball like me try the full turn

[teebuck911]

the problem is cause by you swinging over the top, it can be cause by an first wrong move in the swing or playing the ball to far back in the stance, there are lots of things is can be that we cannot pick out with out seeing your swing,

[flatom]

Lets me add if you are forward pressing your club, meaning leaning the handle/hands too far forward or if you are taking a strong grip, you are delofting the clubface and closing it prematurely at impact.
Try hands just slightly ahead, just to the left of zipper and swing easy-don't rush the downswing.

[pendlebg]

My fix for this, when I start having an awful time of pulls or banana slices, depending on which compensations I made during the swing, Was found in a reread of Hogans 5 fundamentals and a mental refresher of things taught to me by a pro combined with time on a range. In fact, usually if I start to struggle, I reread hogans book and something stands out that gets me back on the right track.

1) Get the grip right (my true grip test is how the club sits at the top of the backswing as opposed to address, if I grip wrong, the club in my hands feels more wrong at the top of the backswing then it does at address)
2) Backswing: Let the shoulders turn the hips around (I tend to overrotate my hips going back). Feel the tension build in the inner right thigh
3) Feel the club staying in plane and pointing more toward the target at top of backswing. My flaw is to flatten the swing out and drop below the plane. The longer the club, the worse the problem.
4) Start the downswing with the left knee and hips and feel more like pulling with the core body rotation instead of pushing it with the arms. Focus on hips then shoulders then arms then hands then club. But really focus on left knee/hips first and all else should follow.

That said, those are the things I used to fix as those are my flaws, other components of the swing I think I do more or less right (or my flaws or less severe which is more likely), so an instructor can help better if your flaws are different.

hope it helps

[theslicegirls]

When ever you have a problem with your golf swing, go back to the basics. Most problems stem from something in your setup like your alignment, grip, posture. Sounds simple, but most golfers try to analyse things way too much...

[green6767]

Well, I think I narrowed it down to two things:

1. I was swinging too hard. Every time I just thought about a nice relaxed swing, tension free, with a proper follow through, I made great contact with a straight ball flight.

2. My shoulder and hands were getting too much ahead of my hips. I wasn't using my lower body enough. So I shot my hips through a little quicker and it seemed to help tremendously.

The irons seem to be going great again, but my driver is still hooking very badly. The clubhead is so closed at impact its sick. If I do get a decent shot, it still hooks or even slices occasionaly. I think I will take up a lesson if this continues and I just cant seem to nail it down. Thanks for the replies, it has helped a lot!

[lamebums]

So this is my second year golfing, but I've managed to get myself down to about a 10 handicap or so. I started the season hitting very well and very confident. I golf almost daily. Thought I might get the handicap down to the single digits even. Yeah...not so much anymore. All of a sudden I am pulling the ball so bad it hurts to watch and it scares me to even golf with others...haha. It happens with all the clubs with a full swing. The chipping and putting are still fine. I've been told im turning my upper body WAY too much on the follow through and the clubhead is closed on release. I never used to do this. When I first started last year, I had the normal "beginner slice" and with some personal work, I cured that one and was hitting very straight for a long time. I have no idea how this happened. I am clueless as to where to start to recover from this. Lessons? Tips? I can get a video of my swing if need be, as Im sure its hard to diagnose a problem you cant physicallly see. I do appreciate any response regardless though!

Without actually looking at your swing, my guess is you're doing two things: 1) the clubface is closed at impact and 2) you're swinging from the outside in. I myself have a problem with duck-hooking my driver, such that I'm ready to bag the thing until I can spend two hours at the range sorting out this mess I call a golf game.

[kevin]

Maybe you can shoot some video of yourself or have a friend assist you. A lot of times when you can see yourself it makes all the difference.

Just relax - maybe taking a short break and get the mental side of things sorted out will help too.

[green6767]

I have serious thought about shooting a video of myself out at the range one of these days. I mean, I have the camera, tripod and the guts (stupidity) to possibly humiliate myself on the Internet so why not right? Ok, Im writing myself the note right now so expect some video footage within the next couple of days...I'll get this game down yet! Thanks for all the help everyone and glad this thread turned out the way it did, very informative!

[pendlebg]

Yes, a lesson is the best route, but if you are stubborn like me, you are likely convinced that just a little more work will solve it. Question for you. Is your weight distribution different after the driver then the low irons?. Again, I am comparing to my flaws, which is presumptious but all I can do, but I find this thread very helpful as I feel you are describing me (so I will therefore talk more about me in the hopes we both have the same problem). I find when I get this worked out I finish nicely balanced with weight on the left side and being able to "tap" my right toe on the ground in balance for my 3 iron and 2 hybrid but still do not get my weight forward on my driver, still hanging back and and my right heel doesn't come up. My goal is once I get the feel on the 3 iron and 2 hybrid to reproduce that with the driver, which takes much longer to get (again, for me). For a test, my next range session will have one change. As I work to longer clubs (once one club feels good, I move to a longer club) , I don't use a tee until I get to my driver. I think I will forego the tee and try to hit the driver off the ground (well, the mats in this case, which makes it easier to do this). If that works then I will reintroduce the tee, basicaly inserting one more step in the correction process. Am wondering if I have a mental block about the ball height that unconsciously changes my swing to hang back on the right side and overdo hitting up on the driver instead of letting the ball position and club arc take care of it. Will let you know. I do agree with all the posts about relaxation. I suspect the problem is rooted in being too tense / swinging too hard w. the driver, and that starts wth grip, stance, posture. I think I am much tenser right from the get go with the driver. I may also try alternating clubs on balls between 3 iron (or 2 hybrid)and driver, to see if I get the 2 swings closer together in feel.

The perverse thing about this whole problem is that once it is sorted out and things are fine, then it creeps back in if and only if I hit my driver alot on the course. If my driver stays in the bag, my swing stays smooth. If my driver comes out, then it works back to the overhitting, which then creeps into my hybrids, long irons and I get into trouble off many tees. Logic would dicate to keep the driver in the garage instead of the bag and I would be fine for more extended periods of time. However, on nice dry days, with some roll my driver has ended up over 300 yds and straight (with a nice , smooth swing)and I am not willing to give up on having the capability of putting for eagle on Par 5's (even though those strokes are lost 10 fold due to the penalty strokes incurred when the swing goes south again). Playing smart golf is for me is an on again off again pursuit. Some day I will learn, maybe tomorrow will be that day but I doubt it.

[dayll]

I'm an inveterate puller and I have found something to control it. Address the ball with the clubhead several inches behind ball. It has worked for several rounds now. I think it delays my hands at the top and lets my hips lead the downswing. (caution: I also thought Bush was going to be a great president.)