THE PULL

Ball Flight and Your Swing: The Pull

 A shot that flies left of the target [to the right for lefties] with no curve is called a pull. It is a very powerful shot and there are a number of tour players, past and present that play this way, most notably Sam Sneed who in his hay day was one of the longest drivers of the ball especially into the wind. But to be successful you must aim to the right of target and then pull the ball just the exact amount to hit the target. This can be a dangerous way to play if you don't know what you’re doing so it’s usually best to rid yourself of the pull.

What Causes The Pull

When you pull the ball the face of your club is square to your club path at impact but the path points to the left of target. There are many causes of an out-to-in path but a bad path most often comes from a problem with synchronizing your body and your hands. If you’re pulling the ball start with your hips because the odds are they are not operating correctly.

Since the ball is going to the left it may be that your hips have turned too late during the downswing. This most often comes from a failure to keep the right side rotating through the shot. When you stop or slow your hips too much, your upper body turns back to the ball too soon and the club is routed on an out-to-in approach path where the hands get to the ball too early.

To cure this there are several adjustments you can try. The first of which makes your hips rotate earlier so the clubhead can come directly onto the target line. Increase the flare in your back foot and move the ball back one ball width to make impact sooner. If that doesn’t work, put the things you changed back in place and work on the other partner in the hips/hands package, your hands.

Since, for the pull shot, the clubhead gets to the ball too early, let your hands swing up higher and position them a bit deeper at the top of the swing by using more of a one piece takeaway with more shoulder turn. This in effect, makes your arms/hands slower because they have to travel farther and this gives your body more time to get into position. When your hips turn properly from this ‘high-handed’ position, your clubhead should arrive at impact on the correct path.