Irons · Drill
Keep Your Shoulders Closed to Stop Pulls
Part of our irons programs for push or pull, topped or thin, uneven lies. Build a program with it
A pull starts left and flies straight. Usually your shoulders are open at impact, so the path goes left. Keep your chest closed a little longer. From the top, feel your trail shoulder move down, not out toward the ball. Keep your chest pointing a bit right until your hands reach hip height. Then turn all the way through. The club comes from the inside and the ball starts on line.
The drill
- Lay a stick on your target line.
- From the top, move your trail shoulder down.
- Keep your chest right of target a bit longer.
- Then turn fully through.
- Check that balls start on line.
Why it works
A pull happens when the club path points left of the target and the face points at that path. Open shoulders at impact send the arms and club out and across the ball. Keeping the chest closed until your hands reach hip height lets the trail shoulder move down, so the club approaches from the inside and the path and start line move toward the target.
Common mistakes
- You push the trail shoulder out toward the ball instead of down.Feel the trail shoulder drop toward your trail hip from the top, with the chest staying over the ball.
- You hold the chest closed and stop turning after hip height.Once your hands pass hip height, keep turning until your chest faces left of the target at the finish.
- You let your feet and stance drift open, so the shoulders open with them.Set an alignment stick along your toes and keep it parallel to the target line stick before each ball.
How you'll know it's working
- Balls start on the target line stick instead of left of it.
- You strike the ball first and your divot starts at or just after the ball, without pointing far left.
- At hip height your chest still points slightly right of the target, and you finish facing left.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Hit half swings with a mid-iron, and pause when your hands reach hip height to check where your chest points.
Harder: Hit full swings with different irons and aim to start every ball on line, or add a narrow gate of two sticks just past the ball to hit through.
Common questions
Why do I pull my irons left?
Most often the club path is moving left of the target because your shoulders open too early. The face then points near that path, so the ball starts left and flies straight.
Is a pull the same as a hook?
No. A pull starts left and flies straight, while a hook starts left or on line and curves further left. A pull is mainly a path problem, while a hook also involves the face being closed to the path.
