How to stop pushing putts to the right

Q: James writes: "I have a tendency to push a majority of my putts to the right. If you have any idea what might be causing this, I'd be interested to hear what you think."

A: James, that's a good question, and one I get quite often. There are a few items to consider because it's not always a consistent reason for this dilemma. Here are three things to consider:

1. Ball position in your setup is critical to the path your ball starts on. Your putter face is square in the center of your stance or under your sternum. If the ball position is too far toward your right foot (RH golfers), you could be pushing putts to the right. I use an EyeLine Putting Mirror with the perpendicular line to see where the putter face is in relation to my stance. If the red line is too far back from center you could be pushing putts to the right.

2. Deceleration can cause you to come up out of your setup a little too early. Result could be pushing putts to the right. In order to cure this issue, I use the Ball of Steel from EyeLine Golf. One strike and you'll know instantly if you're decelerating at impact because there will be no transfer of energy to the Ball of Steel.

3. Here's the one I see most often: if you bring the putter head back inside the plane too far it becomes a matter of timing trying to return to square at impact. The result is usually putts that are pushed to the right. It's your hands that pull to the inside, not your shoulders. Take your hands out of the stroke and rock your shoulders. The Edge Rail by EyeLine Golf is the best tool for this fault. Students can be told that they're bringing the putter back inside too far and too fast but they are able to feel it on the Edge Rail.