What causes the pull?

An overly strong grip: Holding the club with your hands rotated too far around the handle shuts the clubface relative to your path or encourages a leftward swing direction. Throwing upper body in transition: Turning your chest or right shoulder outwards at the start of the downswing throws the club outside the target line and pulls your swing path across to the left. Inadequate hip rotation: Stalling your hips or relying purely on your arms forces your upper body to lean forward and pull the club across the ball. Ball position placed too far forward: Positioning the ball too far forward in your stance forces your shoulders to open to the target line at setup or strikes the ball after the club arcs left.

The pull: why it happens, and what fixes it

Straight ball flight, but starting (and finishing) left of target. Path problem, face square to path.

150 videos by 57 coaches set out to fix the pull.

What the pull looks like

You see the ball launch immediately left of your target line and fly straight, finishing well off line to the left. The shot feels fairly solid off the clubface with reasonable distance, but the ball tracks straight along the wrong start line.

Why it happens

An overly strong grip Holding the club with your hands rotated too far around the handle shuts the clubface relative to your path or encourages a leftward swing direction. How to tell: Check your setup to see if you can see too many knuckles on your lead hand or if your trail hand sits underneath the handle. The idea: Grip. From Cordie Walker GolfWell, The Art of Simple Golf, AskGolfGuru, Meandmygolf.
Throwing upper body in transition Turning your chest or right shoulder outwards at the start of the downswing throws the club outside the target line and pulls your swing path across to the left. How to tell: Look at a down-the-line video to see if your clubhead swings above your backswing plane line during the downswing. The idea: Downswing. From Top Speed Golf - Clay Ballard, Paul Wilson Golf, Golf Studio, Athletic Motion Golf.
Inadequate hip rotation Stalling your hips or relying purely on your arms forces your upper body to lean forward and pull the club across the ball. How to tell: Check on video whether your hips stop rotating through impact or slide sideways instead of turning towards the target. The idea: Hip rotation. From Cordie Walker GolfWell, Paul Wilson Golf, AskGolfGuru, Meandmygolf.
Ball position placed too far forward Positioning the ball too far forward in your stance forces your shoulders to open to the target line at setup or strikes the ball after the club arcs left. How to tell: Check at address to see if your shoulders point left of your target line or if the ball sits ahead of your lead heel or eye. The idea: Setup. From AlexElliottGolf, The Art of Simple Golf, Porzak Golf.

The fix

The drills that fix the pull

Most-taught first, each with the coaches who teach it.

Pump Drill: used by 3 coaches in 3 videos that fix the pull.
Gate Drill: used by 2 coaches in 2 videos that fix the pull, and we filmed it.
Alignment Stick Belt Loop Drill: used by 1 coach in 1 video that fix the pull.
Alignment Stick Path Drill: used by 1 coach in 1 video that fix the pull.
Back to Target Drill: used by 1 coach in 1 video that fix the pull.
Belt Buckle Turn Drill: used by 1 coach in 1 video that fix the pull.

Who to watch first

The coaches who fix it most

Ranked by how much of their library is this miss.

Athletic Motion Golf, Instructor · US: 7 videos on it.
Milo Lines Golf, PGA Pro · US: 16 videos on it.
Eric Cogorno Golf, PGA Pro · US: 8 videos on it.

The videos

The videos that fix the pull outright

Ranked by fit: this is the miss each one sets out to fix.

Pulled Iron Shots by Top Speed Golf - Clay Ballard. Pulled shots occur when the right shoulder moves outward, forcing the swing path to the left.
I NOW start my Right Arm Like This & 100% Feel Like Cheating!! by AlexElliottGolf. A forward ball position for driver often unintentionally causes the shoulders to open (point left).
Fix Your Left Shots in One Check #golf #golfswing #golftips by Cordie Walker GolfWell. A flat lead wrist combined with an overly strong grip will likely result in a closed clubface and shots going left.
He ELIMINATED Years of Rolling Wrists And Pulling Irons With THIS! (Live Golf Lesson) by Milo Lines Golf. Avoid 'rolling' the wrists over through impact, which often leads to hooks and pulls.
Why Your Golf Ball ALWAYS Goes Left (It’s Not What You Think) by Matt Baker Golf | Malaska Certified Coach. Rolling the right hand through impact creates high-sensitivity timing issues.
Pulling the Ball Left? Fix Your Delivery (Not Your Swing) by Matt Baker Golf | Malaska Certified Coach. Pulls and pull-hooks are often caused by a 'high' right shoulder during the delivery phase.
Right Shoulder Control: Perfecting Your Downswing by Top Speed Golf - Clay Ballard. Identify if your right shoulder 'fires' first, which leads to a steep downswing and pulled shots.
Stop Pulling Your Iron Shots by Top Speed Golf - Clay Ballard. Right-hand dominance often causes the trail shoulder to fly out, leading to a steep, 'over-the-top' pull.
Want to Actually Shallow the Club? Let Your Hands Go UP, Not Around! by Athletic Motion Golf. Avoid rolling your hands and arms early in the transition to try and shallow the club.
Swing Slower to Hit Further & Straighter (Every Senior Golfer Needs This!!) by Easiest Swing. A vertical or upright swing plane often leads to a fast, out-to-in path resulting in pulled shots or hooks.
Stop Pulling Wedges & Lower Your Scores! by Paul Wilson Golf. Wedge shots often lack the aggressive leg drive of a driver, causing the body to stall.
Stop pulling and start releasing with the lead wrist and arm… by Your guide to better golf - Marcus Edblad PGA Pro. Pulling with the lead arm often leads to over-rotation and an outside-in swing path.