Pushing putts is a term in golf that we use to describe a shot that travels in a straight line to the right of the target for right handed golfers. For left handed golfers it is a shot that travels in a straight line to the left of the target.
When you are putting it is important that you recognise that the putt misses to the right of the hole (for right handers) because of the putting stroke and not the slope on the green.

What is the cause of a pushed putt?

There are many causes in a golfer's putting action that can contribute to a putt being pushed to the right. The two main issues to consider are the path of the putter head through the ball and the position of the club face at impact. On a pushed putt the putter head will generally be swinging on an inside to outside path (or left to right) through the ball and the putter face will be aiming to the right of the target at the moment of impact with the ball.

How do I remedy an action of pushing putts off line?

Use this exercise to control the path of the putter head and the position of the putter face through the ball.

– Get eight golf balls to use as markers and three or four golf balls to putt with.

– Set up to putt to a hole approximately three feet away. Line up two sets of four golf balls to create a channel so that the channel aims at the hole. The two lines of four golf balls should be just over the width of a putter's head apart.

– Position a golf ball to be hit in the middle of the channel.

– Set up correctly to hit the golf ball in the middle of the channel. Make sure that your feet are parallel to the two lines of balls, the golf ball is just in front of the centre of the stance, your eyes are directly over the golf ball and your arms are hanging nice and relaxed underneath the shoulders.

– Make some putts towards the hole. The aim is to swing the putter head in a straight line backwards and forwards in between the channel of golf balls. It is a must to use the shoulders to power the movement to achieve this. If you usually push your putts you may find that the putter head makes contact with the two lines of golf balls that create the channel. If this happens, have some practice swings without a ball and work on using your shoulders to swing the putter head straight down the channel avoiding those golf balls.

– A second checkpoint is that of the club face. After hitting a putt down the channel hold the finish position of the putting action and check where the club face is pointing. It should be still pointing directly at the hole at 90 degrees to the two rows of golf balls. If it is not, keep practicing and holding this position until you achieve this control of the club face.

Use this exercise to check the path of the putter head and y