Why Am I Pulling My Irons Left? Causes, Actionable Tips & Drills to Fix It

Britt Olizarowicz

Jun 19, 2024 . 8 mins read

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The pull is a common error for golfers, and it often surprises them. Many players who slice their driver tend to pull the irons.

If this sounds like a mistake you make, there are a few tweaks you can make to your setup, club path, and even alignment to straighten out your iron shots. Fixing a pull is easiest when you have a drill that helps you get the correct feeling in your iron shots.

Here are the best ways to stop pulling irons left and the drills to do it.

Pulling Irons Left (Key Takeaways)

If you don’t have time to work on fixing your pull right now and you just want a rundown of why you hit it and how to straighten it out, here are the most important things to remember.

• The pull happens because of a closed clubface or an outside to-in swing path; each of these issues could be caused by poor wrist action in the golf swing.
• Setup, grip, and alignment should be looked at first to make sure they are not causing the pull.
• To fix your pull, ensure the shoulders are dropping in from the top of the backswing and not moving closer to the ball or the target as the first move.
• Ensure your lower body is always rotating, and weight is shifting towards the lead leg in your swing; overactive arms and hands create an inconsistency with the pull.
• Drills should be used to fix the pull; it’s the easiest way to feel what the club should be doing through impact.

Why do I Pull My Irons Left?

Your iron shots are being pulled to the left because of a path problem or a clubface problem at impact.

For golfers that pull to the left the clubface is either shut or closed or the path is moving from the outside in also commonly referred to as over the top.

There are some tricks you can use to determine exactly why you pull. Take a look at this video from Hank Haney as he breaks down why you are pulling.

If you are someone who slices the driver but pulls the irons – that is one of the most common swing faults in the game!

How to Stop Pulling Irons Left

Now that you know why this happens to you, let’s examine how to correct the pull.

It’s easiest to work through these fixes while using your HackMotion.

Check the Amount of Flexion at Impact

At HackMotion we have analyzed more than 1,000,000 golf swings and having flexion in the lead wrist at impact is something that all of the best ball strikers do.

However, there is a point where this flexion could be too much. The clubface is shut in these situations, and the ball will pull to the left.

Take a look at the top of your backswing and see what your wrist position looks like. If it is flexed or slightly flexed, you are in a great place for a strong and powerful strike.

If the wrist is instead very bowed, it could cause your pull. In this situation, look at golfers like Collin Morikawa and Dustin Johnson. They are, like you, very bowed at the top of their backswing.

However, these players are able to use their bodies efficiently and rotate quickly to make sure the clubface is delivered square.

For most amateur players the key is a flat lead wrist at the top of the backswing.

Fix the Early Release

The early release is often called flipping. This happens to good players when they are approaching impact and quickly realize that their clubface is incorrect. At this point, they use their hands to flip the clubface closed.

You’ll notice the forearms and wrists releasing before the golf ball and club make contact.

Interestingly, the cause behind this problem is the exact opposite of the one we just discussed in the section above.

If you release early and flip it, your clubface is too open as it approaches impact.

The easiest way to fix this is to use your HackMotion to get a flat lead wrist position at the top of the swing. You’ll release early if you have too much extension in the lead wrist at the top. HackMotion audio feedback helps you groove this position, and the flip or early release will naturally go away.

Get the Clubpath Correct

The outside-in swing path is a major cause of pulled iron shots. Even if your clubface is square, if you start swinging from the outside-in, the ball will pull to the left.

Try to work on the club path by setting up a barrier of some sort on the outside of the swing path line. For instance, you can take a pool noodle and put it outside of the ball you are trying to hit.

As you swing through, don’t hit the noodle; hit the ball more from the inside. If you think your outside to in clubpath makes the pulled shot more common, be very careful about the transition you make from the top of your backswing down. An overactive upper body can lead to that outside movement.

Check Alignment and Hips at Setup

Little mistakes you make at setup and during the takeaway can make a pulled golf shot more common.

When you set up to hit, make sure you are not aiming too far to the right of your target. Sometimes, this setup can encourage a more out-to-in path. Use alignment sticks to set up square.

In addition, the hips should be angled just a little more up as opposed to square or even down. This angle up gives room for the golf club to drop into place as part of the downswing.

Finally, when you take the club back, ensure that the face is square and does not shut down too quickly.

Move the Ball Position Back

Once you have all of these other issues figured out, just make sure the ball position is correct.

If you are doing everything properly in your swing but leave the ball a little too far forward in the stance, the clubface will be slightly closed when it makes contact with the ball.

Place the ball in the middle of the stance on your mid-iron shots and make adjustments from there.

Drills to Stop Pulling Irons Left

Sometimes, the pull shot feels so good you can’t even believe what is happening when you see your ball flying 20 yards left of your target.

Here are three drills you can use to stop pulling and really feel what it’s like to hit straight iron shots with a square clubface.

Pre Set Drill

This pre set drill from Adam Bazelgette is one of the best for fixing a pull. You can put a ball on a tee to do the drill. You’ll essentially setup what a great impact position looks like so that you are able to match it when you get to impact.

Use this slight hip bump and the feeling of coming from the inside to feel that pure strike and then transfer it to your full swing.

Tuck and Turn Shoulder Drill

The tuck and turn shoulder drill is one of the better choices for golfers with an outside-in swing path.

With this one, you can really get aggressive with your shots and feel plenty of speed and power. The key is to just tuck your shoulder in on the way down.

Instead of letting it get out and away from you, it almost drops into place a little. This common drill will improve ball striking and maybe even power in your shots.

Fix the Takeaway Drill

Finally, if you aren’t sure what the takeaway needs to look like to fix the pull, this video can help.

Too much closing of the clubface as the club moves away from the ball may leave you in a position to hit a pull shot.

Final Thoughts

Pulling shots is not the end of the world; chances are you are doing some good things in your golf game. You must make these tweaks to time it correctly and sware the clubface.

The HackMotion will help you get your wrist position perfect. The wrists control the angle of your clubface, which is an important factor in fixing your pulled iron shots.