Push Draw

A push draw is a golf shot that starts to the right of the target and curves gently back toward it in the air, for a right-handed player. Directions are mirrored for left-handers.

What is a push draw?

Golfers describe every shot by two things: where the ball starts and how it curves. A “push” is a ball that starts right of the target. A “draw” is a ball that curves from right to left. Put them together, and you get the push draw: a shot that starts right and bends back, finishing at the target.

It is one of the nine basic ball flights taught in golf instruction, which Golf Digest explains as the nine possible combinations of starting direction (left, straight, or right) and curve (left, none, or right). Among those nine, the push draw holds special status. When coaches talk about a “real draw,” this is usually the shot they mean, because it is the only right-to-left ball flight that actually ends up on target rather than left of it.

The reader will hear the term most often in broadcasts and lessons describing tour players. Rory McIlroy is known for it, and the shape shows up throughout the professional game with both drivers and irons.

How a push draw works

Two numbers at impact decide the shape of any golf shot: the direction the clubface points and the direction the clubhead travels, known as the club path. TrackMan launch monitor research shows the clubface controls roughly 75 to 85 percent of the ball’s starting direction, while the difference between face and path creates the curve.

A push draw needs a specific combination. The face points slightly right of the target at impact, which starts the ball right. The path travels even further right, on what golfers call an in-to-out path. Because the face is left of the path, even though both point right of the target, the ball curves back to the left.

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Tom Stickney II published a TrackMan example on GolfWRX that shows the shape in numbers: the face was 2.1 degrees open to the target, the path was 4.9 degrees to the right, and the ball started 2.7 degrees right of the flag before drawing back. Tour players hitting a gentle version of this shot often show numbers around a 3-degree in-to-out path with a face 1 degree right of the target, according to launch monitor data compiled by Golf Club Brokers.

The individual numbers matter less than the relationship between them. Face right of the target, path further right still: that pairing produces a push draw every time, whether the gap is one degree or five.

Push draw vs. similar shots

Most confusion around this term comes from the words on either side of it. A push is not a push draw. Neither is every draw a push draw, which is why the table below separates the shots golfers mix up most often, seen from a right-handed player’s perspective.

Shot	Starts	Curves	Finishes
Push draw	Right of target	Right to left	At the target
Push	Right of target	None	Right of target
Pull draw	At or left of target	Right to left	Left of target
Straight draw	At the target	Right to left	Left of target
Hook	Varies	Hard right to left	Well left of target

The pull draw deserves special mention because so many golfers hit it while believing they have hit a proper draw. A ball that starts at the flag and curves away from it misses left. A push draw starts right specifically so the curve brings it home.

The mirror image of the push draw is the pull fade, which starts left of the target and falls back to the right. Stickney calls the push draw and pull fade the two most desirable shot patterns in golf.

Why golfers want a push draw

Watch the top of a professional leaderboard, and the right-to-left ball flight keeps showing up. Lilia Vu reached world No. 1 in 2023, playing a push draw as her stock shot, winning four times that season, including two major championships, as reported by Golf.com.

Distance is part of the appeal. PGA professional Zach Allen calls the high push draw one of the longest ball flights a golfer can hit, which makes it especially useful with the driver and other long clubs. Draw spin also tends to produce more roll after landing than a fade.

Predictability is the other part. A golfer who knows the ball will start right and curve back can aim at the same spot repeatedly and let the shape do the work. That consistency, more than the distance, explains why so many players chase this ball flight.

Common misconceptions

The push draw might be the most misunderstood shot in golf instruction. The biggest myth: a draw requires a closed clubface. In reality, the face on a push draw is open to the target at impact and closed only relative to the path, a distinction that trips up golfers at every level. Golfers who rotate the face left of the target while swinging in-to-out produce a pull hook instead, one of the most destructive misses in the game.

Another misconception is that starting the ball right of the target means something went wrong. On this shot, the push start is intentional. The ball needs to begin right so the draw spin can bring it back.

Related Golf Terms

Pull hook — A shot that starts left of target and curves further left.
Wedge set — A matched group of wedges covering different lofts and gaps.
Push slice — A shot that starts right of target and curves further right.
Stock shot — A golfer’s reliable, repeatable go-to shot shape under pressure.
Power fade — A controlled left-to-right shot hit with full power.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a push draw good?

Yes. Coaches treat it as the ideal right-to-left ball flight because it finishes at the target. A draw that starts on the target line finishes left of it.

What does a push draw look like for a left-handed golfer?

Mirrored. The ball starts left of the target and curves back to the right.

What is the opposite of a push draw?

The pull fade, which starts left of the target and curves back to the right, finishing on target.

Does a push draw go farther than a fade?

Often, though not always. Draw spin typically produces a lower flight with more roll, while carry distance depends mostly on strike quality and clubhead speed.

Sources

GolfWRX. “How to hit a push draw and a pull fade.”
https://www.golfwrx.com/342864/how-to-hit-a-push-draw-and-a-pull-fade/ Accessed July 2, 2026.
Golf.com. “The secret to hitting a push draw, according to a World No. 1.”
https://golf.com/instruction/driving/secret-hitting-push-draw-lilia-vu-play-smart/ Accessed July 2, 2026.
Golf Digest. “It’s impossible to be a good golfer without understanding this.”
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/laws-of-ball-flight-explained-golf-digest Accessed July 2, 2026.
Golf Club Brokers. “Ball Flight Laws Explained: What Your Shots Are Telling You.”
https://www.golfclubbrokers.com/blog/ball-flight-laws-explained Accessed July 2, 2026.
Ballstriking Blueprint. “The Rory McIlroy Push Draw.”
https://ballstrikingblueprint.com/golf-blog/rory-mcilroy-push-draw/ Accessed July 2, 2026.
Golf Distillery. “Golf Ball Flights: Illustrated Definitions.”
https://www.golfdistillery.com/definitions/ball-flights/ Accessed July 2, 2026.