You square up with the ball. Feet are the right distance apart; shoulders are squared, you line up the putter head, grip is good, not too tight. You execute the stroke.
The putt rolls off to the right. Or maybe the left. You’ve just experienced a push (or a pull, in the latter case) both of which are extremely frustrating experiences on the green, especially if you’ve just landed the ball where you want it with a perfect drive.
Both pushes and pulls are unpleasantly uncommon phenomena that golfers experience, and both result in misses that drive up your score. As in anything in this sport, however, understanding what causes them is the first step to addressing the problem, so let’s get into that.
What Are Pushes and Pulls?
Before we can address these putting errors, we need to understand what they are. In putting, a push occurs when the ball travels to the right of the desired putt line. It “pushes” off away from the hole.
A pull occurs when the ball travels to the left of the desired path of travel; the ball “pulls” in towards the target, but still misses wide.
Generally speaking, a push will occur when the club face is open when it contacts the ball, which makes it roll away right. A pull occurs when the putter face is closed when it hits the ball, pulling the putt off to the left.
That being broached, let’s take a closer look at what causes these errors and what you can do about it.
Focus on Large Muscles
There are many factors that can cause the putter face either to open or close at impact, but one of the biggest problems golfers face is that they’re engaging the smaller, unstable muscles in their arms and forearms when they go to putt.
The power in your putt should come from the larger muscles in your shoulders and back. Your arms should be fairly still during the stroke, and your forearms should only be engaged to hold the golf putter grip. You shouldn’t be using your forearms to flex your wrists or “swing” with your wrists when you’re putting.
Doing so can torque the putter shaft, and even if it doesn’t the putter face could be open or closed when it strikes the ball. It also might not strike the ball where the visual alignment cues (if any) suggested that it would.
The long and short of this is that you need to focus on swinging with your shoulders and back only. Your feet should remain firmly planted and there should be little to no flexing at the hips when you putt.
Another note here, although it’s something slightly different, is that in addition to focusing on your large muscles, you need to follow through, and this means keeping your head completely still and focused downward until the stroke is complete and the ball is already rolling towards the target.
Resist the urge to look up; this interrupts your form and can result in pushes, pulls and other inaccurate putts.
Don’t Grip Too Tightly
Gripping the golf putter shaft too tightly can also cause pushes, pulls and other putting errors. (This is something we have covered before; for more information, see our previous post, Grip Pressure and Its Impact on Putting.)
Gripping too tightly, for one thing, deadens the feedback that the golf putter shaft can offer you. You also can’t feel the weight of the putter head when you’re white-knuckling the putter, which makes it hard to feel how much power you need to (or are actually going to) put into the stroke.
Another issue is squeezing, in which you are gripping the putter with too much force through the trailing hand. If you squeeze the putter, a common issue is that the putter face will be open at impact, which will push putts. If you notice consistent pushes, you might want to divert your focus specifically to the pressure you’re applying in your trailing hand.
Position the Ball Properly
A lot of pushes (and perhaps some pulls) are also caused by a failed setup, specifically when the ball is either too far forward or backward in the stance.
If you set up with the ball too far backward, the club face won’t have time to square with the ball before it makes contact, which results in an open face and a pushed putt.
At the same time, if the ball is too far forward, the putter face may close before making contact which can pull the ball in to the left.
In either case, this is not good, so experiment with your putting setups when you practice by moving the ball either forwards or backwards and seeing how that affects the accuracy of your putts.
Slow Down Your Backstroke
Far too many golfers rush the backstroke, and this more often than not results in an open putter face and a pushed putt.
Be intentional with your backstroke and take your time about it. Taking your time with the backstroke will also make the rest of the stroke more deliberate and consistent and at the very least can help you hone your form.
Can Upgrading Your Golf Putter Grip Help?
While upgrading your golf putter grips is not a cure-all for form errors and bad habits, our putter grips are designed with a wide, comfortable grip that discourages excess grip pressure and can help you refine your technique so that you aren’t squeezing the putter.
You can also upgrade your golf putter grips at home and in the process personalize your clubs, making this an even more accessible and desirable upgrade.
Put These Tips into Practice Today
At the end of the day, you need to reflect in order to identify what’s causing your pushes or pulls and then put in the practice to correct those form errors and bad habits. Be consistent with training and with time you should see improvements.
