Pulling Your Irons to The Left? Here Are Some Reasons Why

Pulling the golf balls has been one of my least favorite pastimes. The problem with the pull shot? It feels so good. As soon as you pull the ball, it feels like it’s going to go a long way.

Most pulls are solid strikes.

I know a lot about pulling golf shots and this ball flight because it’s a common miss for me. There are simple ways to fix the pull shot and improve your ball flight.

Here are some signs that you are pulling your weight and the best way to fix it.

 

What Happens when you pull your irons!

Pulling your irons is when the ball starts out immediately left across a right-handed golfer’s body.

A draw golf shot begins to the right or straight, and then turns left.

This is a shot that does not turn with a pull. It simply goes straight left from your tee.

The club face of the golf ball is often square, which is why the shot is straight instead of having much of an angle.

A pulled shot usually goes a long distance, as the clubface can be either square or slightly close. It can still affect your score because it is likely to be off the green, or rough.

 

5 Reasons to Pull Your Irons

Doesn’t it always seem that in golf, there is never a simple, quick fix to the issue? The first part is always to determine what it is that is causing the problems in your game, and then it’s a matter of fixing it.

I’m going to give you 5 of the top reasons you are likely pulling the ball and then some tips on determining which one is the problem and how you can fix it.

1. Ball Position Too Far Forward

The most common reason golfers pull the ball is because their ball position is too forward. When the ball is up closer to the front of your stance, it’s very easy to pull the ball.

The ball will contact your body by the time it reaches your finish. Your clubface may even be closed.

Confidence is a big issue for amateur golfers. Golf is full of inconsistencies in setup and stance.

You can see that professional golfers take a lot time to set up their equipment. For the ideal impact, golfers need to feel like their body and clubface can return back to square at the address position.

If you are pulling your irons, and not your driver, hybrids, or wedges, then this will help you determine if ball position is an issue. Is your setup good for some clubs but not for others?

Practice your setup with a mirror and golf alignment sticks to ensure the ball position is correct for each club.

2. Club Face a Little Shut

Amateur golfers sometimes deliberately close the clubface of their driver or iron to avoid a slice. Although this issue doesn’t typically fix a slice, it can undoubtedly decrease one if you have a hard time releasing and rotating the club head.

Sometimes, a golfer may stop slicing the ball. This happens when the clubface is still closed, but the slice spin has stopped.

A slightly closed clubface can cause a pull.

I’ve seen many players that have no idea how to lay a clubhead flat. Many will close it thinking it is square.

Simply holding your clubface at a 90 degree angle is one of the best ways you can check if it is square. You can even put the club in an open jam to see how it looks. The sole or base of the club should be directly against the straight edge.

The toe of those who close the clubface will touch the straight edge. If you hold the clubface open, your heel will touch the straight edge.

3. The Body Stops Rotating

Timing is crucial in a golf swing. If the hands and the body do not work together, the golf shots will not be as good. Players must ensure that they rotate their lower body through each shot.

If the body stops moving and the arms keep swinging, the ball is going to the left.

Many players worry about their body rotation. However, sometimes this is a cause for never really starting.

Take the club back and make sure you are rotating your lower body. Then, keep going until your arms swing back.

If you have one without the other, your game’s dispersion rates will be a little out of control.

This is one way golfers can practice chip shots. The chip shot is a miniature representation of the full swing. A chip will turn through if your lower body is turned back. This will result in a straighter shot.

4. Club Path Over the Top

Did you ever hear that the downswing is the best way to bring the club over the top? This is a common club path for amateur golfers and can create an impact position with a slightly closed face and golf shots like pulls, hooks, and sometimes even slices.

There are likely two reasons why your club path is so difficult.

The first is that the club may have been taken outside for take-out and not gotten on the right path. The second reason is that you failed to get the club into the right position when you tried to transition from the backswing towards the downswing.

Many amateur players find it difficult to transition from the backswing into the downswing. If the downswing begins with arms and hands, you will likely reach the top of your swing.

Instead, you should place a beginning of a rotation at the top of your swing that uses the legs to pull your arms into place. This is a more difficult shot fix and can take some time to get the swing plane and swing path right.

Use an alignment stick to ensure your takeaway is perfect. Then, feel like the club is in place at the top.

5. Improper Weight Transfer

Last but not least, weight transfer can cause you to pull your shots. If your weight falls a bit at impact, but the arms continue to move through the shot and rotate, it can often cause a pull.

The weight of your golf shot should be evenly distributed. It will then transfer to the left foot when you make a turn back.

Golfers who learn to transfer most of their weight to the left side will have more power and straight shots when they use a square clubface.

Because of your finish position, you will see that improper weight transfer is the cause of your poor shots. You should work on weight transfer if you are leaning back.

 

How to Fix and Identify This Problem

Sometimes a pullshot is a quick fix. Other occasions, you may need to be working on this problem for a while.

The best way to determine the issue in your golf swing is by using the following: Take a look at the video. Many golfers own a great phone that they can share with a friend to take a video and then go on.

These videos can be viewed in slow motion to see if any of these five reasons for pulling your irons left to right seem plausible.

A golf professional can help you identify the problem and provide a plan of action.

The pulled shot is still a good shot.

These minor adjustments are essential to get the ball flight right. You won’t need to reinvent the wheel here; simply changing the setup, working on better body rotation, or getting the swing plane straightened out will do the trick.