
Do your best to start the downswing by rotating your lower body toward the target. Then, keep that rotation going as the club starts to swing down. Letting your lower body rotation trigger your downswing action is going to help the club fall nicely into the slot, meaning you will have stayed away from an over the top move.
Are you coming over the top in golf?
I'm coming over the top. It's a lament as common as I'm lifting my head or I'm swinging too fast. And as hard as golfers try to correct this fault, most endure little success. The slice sticks around and continues to wreak havoc on the scorecard, head and heart. As a golfer you deserve better!
How long should a golfer hold their back to the target?
Even as you begin your downswing, “hold your back to the target for as long as you can,” Sorenstam advises. Lee Elder broke down racial barriers throughout his career and paved the way for others. What's a Golfer to Do?;
Why do my golf clubs keep coming over the top?
The third most common reason for coming over the top is narrowing the swing arc. A good way to think of swing arc is the distance between the butt of your golf club to the right side of your head at the top of the backswing. If and when the swing arc narrows, the room needed to drop down the club on-plane in the downswing disappears.
What's the best way to hit it back to the target?
Maintain your back's position. Even as you begin your downswing, “hold your back to the target for as long as you can,” Sorenstam advises. Lee Elder broke down racial barriers throughout his career and paved the way for others. What's a Golfer to Do?;

How do I stop coming over the top in my golf downswing?
0:438:19Stop Coming Over The Top! Drill To Fix Your Downswing & SliceYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipOpen i'm actually going to keep my left shoulder in place you'll see that my when i come over theMoreOpen i'm actually going to keep my left shoulder in place you'll see that my when i come over the top my left shoulder would be pulling back this way i'm going to keep my left shoulder stable.
Why do I keep coming over the top on my golf swing?
Over the Top is perhaps the most common swing fault among high handicap golfers. It occurs due to an overuse of the upper body on the downswing. As a result the club will be thrown on the outside of the intended swing plane with the club head approaching the ball from outside to in.
How do I stop the top of my backswing?
4:4811:26Stop Going Across The Line At The Top Of Your Golf Swing With This ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIn the backswing. And get the hands working more in front of our chest. And then get the elbows.MoreIn the backswing. And get the hands working more in front of our chest. And then get the elbows. Working more out that way uh in the uh. As we get to the top in the start of the downswing.
Do any pro golfers come over the top?
Craig Stadler, Craig Parry and many other champion golfers swing this way. Bruce Lietzke made a wonderful career on the PGA Tour with an “in-and-over” move. Their secret was simple: They made one move from the top of the swing.
How do I stop being outside in my golf swing?
How to Fix an Outside Swing in GolfTake your normal ball address stance. Line up so that the ball is in the middle of your stance. ... Imagine your ball is sitting on one of two railroad tracks. ... Imagine your feet are on the other track. ... Draw back your club. ... Practice the move.More items...
Is it good to pause at top of backswing?
Rhythm - A pause encourages good rhythm. Rather than snatching or lurching at the ball from the end of the backswing the golfer can use this time as a transition period and can position the body as a whole to bring the club down to the ball effectively each time a swing is made.
Should you pause in your backswing?
The main purpose of a pause is to load weight and power that starts from the beginning of the golf swing. It sets up the perfect storm for gravity to take over on the downswing and maximum speed unleashed into the ball. Those who pause are also known to be strategists on the golf course.
How to swing a golf ball with your backswing?
How to Do It: To start, feel like you set up behind the ball with your rear shoulder lower than your front shoulder and your weight favoring your rear foot. Exaggerate this tilted position throughout the swing, and you will feel how the weight should move into the backswing.
Why do my arms lift to the top?
Problem #1: Arm Lift to the Top. Cause and Effect: The arm lift is caused when the shoulders aren’t the lead source of power in the backswing, leaving the arms to lift to the top independently of the torso’s actions.
Where do you finish when you start down?
If you start down by pulling your hands out away from your body (i.e., over the top), they have nowhere to go but left, across your body, finishing near your left hip pocket. There’s no power in that.
How far behind a ball should you put a shaft?
Tee a ball as normal and then stick a shaft in the ground at a 45-degree angle to the ground, approximately 1-1/2 to 2 feet behind the ball and 6 inches outside of the target line (i.e., farther away from your body).
How far forward should you throw the ball?
Toss the ball at a spot on the ground approximately 2 yards forward and to the right of the target line (see photo, above). For this to occur, you must initiate the downswing with your lower body, transferring your weight forward while your hands and arms move down toward the ball and out toward the target line.
What happens if you rotate your shoulders open?
If your first move from the top was to rotate your shoulders open, and come over the top, your hands would hit the shaft and the ball would bounce to the left. You can do this drill with just a ball at home to get a feel for how the hands and arms follow the lower body on the downswing, and approach the ball from the inside.
Why do I come over the top in golf?
When the clubface is left open at the top of the backswing, the natural reaction is to swing to the left (over the top) to get the clubface square at impact.
How to properly take the golf club back?
The proper posture begins by tilting from the hips while keeping the shoulders back and the chin up. This posture is the one that best allows you to take the club back properly, with the clubhead lining up with the hands at the waist-high position and the shaft hinging skyward in line with the left forearm.
What are the most common backswing errors?
4 most common backswing errors that result in coming over the top in the downswing are: 1. Taking the club away too flat or under the swing plane. 2. Stranding the majority of weight on the left (forward) leg at the top of the backswing. 3. Creating a narrow swing arc. 4.
What is the swing arc of a golf club?
A good way to think of swing arc is the distance between the butt of your golf club to the right side of your head at the top of the backswing. If and when the swing arc narrows, the room needed to drop down the club on-plane in the downswing disappears.
What does it mean when a golfer fails to tilt his hips?
When a player fails to tilt from the hips, his or her natural takeaway plane will be to the inside or too flat—more like a baseball swing than a golf swing.
What happens if you transition into your back leg?
Bad news, because if you transition into your back leg at the beginning of the downswing, the club will be centrifugally thrown out and over the top. If you transition into your forward leg at the beginning of the downswing, however, the club will be centrifugally pulled from the inside.
What causes an inside takeaway?
A second flaw that causes an inside takeaway is rotating the arms faster than the upper body. When this happens, the player's arms get trapped behind the body, and the only way to get them back in front and strike the ball squarely is to come over the top. Your forearm rotation should match your shoulder rotation.
Why is my golf club swinging over the top?
An over the top swing path is caused because you’re starting your downswing with your arms. In doing so, it causes your upper body to tilt to the left in the initial stages of the downswing. If your body initially tilts to the left in the downswing, the path of your club will swing left on the way down. To better understand this, the next time ...
How to get over the top swing?
2. Quit trying to hit the ball 300 yards. The harder you hit, the more over the top you will swing. 3.
Why is it important to swing slower?
This is good because it will allow you to change the focus from hitting the ball with your arms to turning your belt buckle to start the downswing. After you get the feeling in practice swings, hit some easy shots with the same feeling.
How to hit shots when you are at the range?
To better understand this, the next time you’re at the range try hitting a few shots while feeling your upper body (waist up) tilted to the left on the way down. Then, tilt your upper body to the right and hit a few more. When you tilt your body to the left, your shots will start left.
What happens when you turn your body first in the downswing?
Remember, the idea here is that turning your lower body first in the downswing will cause your swing plane to flatten. So, watch your shots. If you’re doing it right, they’ll fly straight or slightly to the right of the target, NOT to the left.
Why do I like the club swing drill?
The reason I like this drill so much is that once you lift the club in the air there is no ball to hit. If there is no ball to hit, you’ll be able to feel your body making the club swing. The more you keep using your body to make the club swing, the less you use your arms.
How many degrees do pro golfers turn their hips?
As a pro takes the club to the top of the backswing, they’ve rotated their hips approx. 45 degrees. At impact, their hips are open a minimum of 45 degrees. This means that in the approx. 1/4 of a second that it takes for the club to come down, they’ve turned their hips 90 degrees.
When the club reaches the top of the swing, should your back be pointed at the target?
At that point, Sorenstam notes, you should feel that “your left shoulder is over your right foot while your lower body is stable. ”.
When did Tiger Woods turn his back to the target?
Tiger Woods turns his back to the target as he tees off during the 2007 Arnold Palmer Invitational. In “The Complete Golf Manual,” author Steve Newell emphasizes the importance of turning your back to the target during the latter portion of the backswing.
How to keep your head on the ball?
While conventional wisdom tells you to keep your head on the ball, swing coach Hank Haney notes that keeping your head rigidly in place “leads to the shoulder bouncing off the chin, creating a shoulder tilt instead of a good shoulder turn.”
How to make a full shoulder turn?
She advises golfers to bend forward from the hips, keep your back straight, distribute your weight “evenly over the middle of your feet” and keep your arms and shoulders loose.
What is the idea of keeping you're back to the target?
The idea of keeping you're back to the target means nothing if you initiate the downswing with rotation. Arms need to drop before you rotate.
How to do a nice full turn?
Nice full turn, arms staying in front of you're chest, not pulling across you're body... From the top, with you're back to the target, drop, chop, or allow you're arms to come straight down maintaining you're wrist c0ck (uncocking them would generate more force but also slam the clubhead into the ground).
Do arms drop before rotating?
Arms need to drop before you rotate . Keeping you're back to target longer may or may not help you. Understanding what the arms and body do and the mechanics of what needs to happen to get the desired result will lead to a feeling that makes sense and works for you.
Can you spin out too early?
Yes, this thought will help prevent you from spinning out too early. I sometimes make an "armsy" backswing instead of a nice shoulder turn and end up hitting pull/hooks because my body is way ahead of my arms at impact. Thinking "back to the target" is one thing that helps prevent this.

Why Do You Come Over The Top?
How to Fix An Over The Top Swing
- In the past, many people have tried to fix their over the top swing by: 1. Purposely swinging out to first base. 2. Letting their arms fall down first in the downswing. 3. Using a training device like and “Inside Approach” where it is placed just outside the ball. 4. Taking the club back on a severe inside path. And so on … The problem with these f...
Here’s The Problem
- In a golf swing you have approx. 1/4 of a second from the top of the backswing to impact. In life, your body moves slower than your arms. So, at the very moment you are to start down, you have very little time to move your body before your arms. To understand what should be happening with your lower body rotation just think of a pros swing. As a pro takes the club to the top of the …
The Fix
- There are quite a few things here so please, take your time and understand each one, then apply the drills to your swing. Also, you must be patient. Some people may get this in a few swings and others may take 200 or 300 balls. Just keep doing it, until you have it mastered. Here we go: 1. Understand that your over the top swing is caused because you’re using your arms to start the d…