Despite your best efforts, sometimes the pull will start to give you trouble during the middle of a round for seemingly no reason.

While you now understand what causes the pull, and how to fix it, you can’t exactly stop off at the driving range halfway through the round to sort out your problems. You need to make the corrections on the go, and as quickly as possible. Every hole that you play while still fighting the pull is another one that you are likely to post a high number on. Solving problems fast is the hallmark of a good golfer.

Most likely, the cause of a pull that just shows up during the middle of a round is going to be your timing. Generally speaking, your technique isn’t going to change that much from round to round, let alone hole to hole. Therefore, if you were playing well and then you suddenly start to pull the ball left, it is likely a timing issue. Many golfers, for example, start to struggle with the pulls late in a round as their legs get tired and can’t get through the shot as effectively as they could at the start of the golf. Playing golf pulling shots for the last few holes is a frustrating way to finish a round. To correct your timing and stop hitting a pull, focus on the sequencing of the swing. As you reach the top of your backswing, make sure your lower body is the first thing to move toward the target. When you get the order right for all of the moving parts in your swing, you should get right back on track.

Of course, if you are hitting a pull hook during your round, it is likely that your legs are moving too fast. This happens usually when a golfer is trying to hit the ball too hard, like on a long par four or a hole that is playing directly into the wind. A good way to get out of this way of thinking is to focus more on the tempo of your swing than the raw power that you are directing at the ball. Pay attention to your target and commit yourself to the task of hitting the ball perfectly on line – regardless of how far it goes. Don’t let yourself worry about things like outdriving your playing partners or reaching par fives in two shots. Rather, focus on tempo and timing and delivering the club perfectly into the back of the golf ball. When you keep your mind off of trying to hit the ball as hard as possible, your pull hook should disappear.

Pulled golf shots are no fun, and they certainly can be damaging to your score. Hopefully, after reading through this guide, you will be able to solve the basic problems that are plaguing your swing and causing you to pull the ball to the left of the target. As with most other swing faults on the golf course, pulled shots general start with bad timing and tempo. Focus most of your attention in that direction, and you should be able to straighten that ball flight out relatively quickly. There is always a danger that your pulls will return, however, so pay attention to your ball flight and correct any errors that start to sneak back into your game. With your ball flight heading right toward the target shot after shot, you will be one step closer to playing great golf.