You're Correct!

One of the worse feelings for many amateur golfers is seeing the ball start right of the target before curving in flight to finish even further right; this shot is the push slice.

The cause of the shot direction and curvature is caused by a combination of club face angle at impact and club path. To hit a push slice the swing path must be from in-to-out. This will cause the club to swing toward the right of the target, sending the ball right. If players swing from in-to-out and push the ball with the club face pointing right of the path the push slice will appear.

There are a number of different reasons a player could be hitting a push slice, here are two possible faults and tips on how to fix them.

Weak Grip

A weak grip will cause the club face to open up and point right at impact. A grip is weak when you look down at address and see the left hand underneath the grip with only one knuckle visible and the right hand is on top of the grip with all the knuckles visible.

Golfers are best served using a neutral grip of 2½ knuckles on the left hand and 1½ knuckles on the right hand. In this position the Vs formed with the hands between the thumb and forefinger should point up at the right shoulder.

Swing Path Fault

A push slice must feature an in-to-out swing path. Normally, players want to swing in from slightly in-to-out, but if this path becomes too extreme then the ball will start well right of the target line. The correct swing path for a straight shot is slightly inside-to-square-to-inside. This gives a player the opportunity to correctly rotate the club face through impact and not flip the hands over.

Players struggling with a push slice need to first focus on grip and then club path to help bring the ball flight back to straight.

Although slice appears in the shot shape description the club paths are completely different. A slice begins left of target before curving right. This means the club travels on an out-to-in path through the ball with an open club face. To hit a push slice the club will swing from an inside path with an open club face.

Hitting a push slice could be caused by a number of different reasons, one being shaft flex. If you are struggling with a push slice your club shafts could be too stiff. If a shaft is too stiff for a players swing speed they could struggle to square the club face at impact causing the ball to leak right.

It can be a common misconception amongst some golfers that moving the hands further around the grip to the left will help send the ball that way. Unfortunately, this will open the club face not close it, compounding the problem.