
How Can You Stop Coming Over The Top?
- Head cover/towel drill. There are a few tricks you can use to get out of this bad habit. ...
- Other Drills. There are a number of drills you can do, you should try a few and see which works best for you. ...
- Swing Thoughts. ...
- Get A Coach. ...
- Slow Things Down Then Build Them Back Up. ...
Why can’t I Come Over the top in my golf swing?
Golfers who struggle coming over the top often have too much wrist set in their swing, which force the shaft into a vertical — steep — position. That’s why Mark suggests feeling like you’re making a wider arc, with less wrist hinge, which will let the center of mass of the club work from more behind you and less over-the-top. Tuesday Tip!
How do you fix an over-the-top golf swing?
Another way to fix an over-the-top golf swing works through recognizing rotation flaws in the swing. When you swing over the top, you tend to bring the club in shallow, your body rotating to compensate for the inside move. But, the body overcompensates pushing your club head out.
How do you come over the top in golf?
Again, for coming over the top there are two simple keys: weight shift, and left arm. Master those and you'll never be able to come over the top again. The slice is a common fault in golf, but is easily fixed with weight shift and using the left arm correctly
Do you pull the club out of the center of the swing?
It's a weak, awkward feeling and you would never do it in your golf swing. At the top with left arm only (left). Pulling with the left shallows the swing (center). An over the top move is awkward for the left arm (right). When you pull with the left arm, the club naturally shallows out.

What causes coming over-the-top in the golf swing?
In essence, an over-the-top swing comes about due to an overuse of the upper body when playing a shot. Typically, the plane of the club in the downswing is steeper than, or over-the-top of, the plane of the club in the takeaway, leading to slices if the clubface is open, or pulls if the clubface is shut.
How do you cure an over-the-top swing?
To cure an over-the-top swing, you need to fix your club path in the downswing, changing it so that it comes down beneath, or identical to, the path you took it away on. The best way to do this is to implement some drills, such as using an angled alignment stick to redirect your path, while filming your swing to monitor progress.
How do I stop my shoulders from starting the downswing?
To stop your shoulders from starting the downswing, it’s important to work on using the lower body and its rotation to transition correctly into your shot. Instead of turning the shoulders and allowing the arms to ‘throw’ the club over-the-top, try opening the hips before the shoulders and arms move into the downswing.
Do any pro golfers come over-the-top?
There are a few pros who do occasionally come over-the-top, but the movement is usually extremely slight and their hand-eye coordination is good enough to make the action perform well.
Final message
In general, an over-the-top swing is going to be damaging for your golf game.
What makes golf so difficult?
One thing that makes golf so difficult is that it's predominantly a left-arm, left-sided dominant game, and of course most players are right handed. The right arm plays a part in over the top swings. That's not to say the right side and the right arm don't play a huge part in the golf swing.
How does weight transfer work in golf?
Weight transfer from the right side to the left shallows out the pitch of the shaft. This move also pulls the arm down. You're not just going to the top and ripping your left arm down by itself. You're using your body mass, your weight, to change the direction of the club.
What arm is the golf club at the top?
At the top with left arm only (left). Pulling with the left shallows the swing (center). An over the top move is awkward for the left arm (right). When you pull with the left arm, the club naturally shallows out.
What happens if you overdo it?
Of course if you overdo it you'll start coming too far from the inside but, if you're an over-the-topper, coming too much from the inside is a dream come true. You'd probably love to hit a big snap hook, which terrifies a lot of golfers. Using the left arm correctly will allow you to shallow out your swing.
What arm is over the top?
At the top with right arm only (left). The right shoulder (center) and arm (right) naturally want to make an over the top movement. Your right arm wants to make that over the top motion because it's a natural movement for that part of your body at that point in the swing. What's more, this movement feels very powerful.
What happens if you don't shift your weight?
If you don't shift your weight first, you'll run into a lot of other swing problems, so it's critical that you put the two things together.
What is the second key to taming a slice?
The Second Key: Weight Transfer . Getting a proper weight transfer is the second key to taming your slice. A good weight transfer shallows out the swing plane - the pitch of the shaft. It's as simple as being loaded up on the right side, and then shifting your weight back to the left.
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 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 ...
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.
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.
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.
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.
What happens when your hips spin out?
Cause and Effect: Anytime the hips race out from under the torso or “spin-out” from the top, the club is usually thrown over-the-top. The longer the club, the more detrimental this move becomes.
The mistake
Golfers have heard by now that they need to turn on the backswing — and indeed, they do. A big turn creates more power in your golf swing. The problem is what gets lost: You can’t just turn. It’s about how you turn.
The magic move
Lower handicaps have more shoulder tilt: About 7 degrees more of it on average, according to GOLFTEC, and usually more. Why is shoulder tilt a good thing? For a bunch of reasons, but among them:
What is an over the top golf swing?
Overview. An over-the-top golf swing is one of the most common types of swing faults. When you have an over-the-top swing, there are generally two results you can expect at impact: a slice or a pull. It's all determined by the angle of your club face at impact. Because the problem is so common, there are a variety of drills ...
How to tell if you are over the top in golf?
Lead Arm Tight. One of the common symptoms of an over-the-top golf swing is a lead arm (the arm closest to the hole) that stretches away from the body as you go into the downswing. Take some controlled swings and you should notice this if you have a tendency to swing over the top. A simple drill can help correct this.
How to fix a golf swing that brings the club to the ball from outside the swing plane?
An excellent way to fix this is to focus on keeping your club head inside to square, then back inside during the course of your swing. You can use a drill to practice keeping your club inside.
How to throw a golf ball underhanded?
To solve this, hold a golf ball in the hand of your non-lead arm (arm farthest from the target). Bring that hand up as if you were swinging a club and then back down, throwing the ball underhanded as you come through the impact zone. You'll want the ball to fly at a right angle away from you.
How to keep your club inside?
You can use a drill to practice keeping your club inside. Take a golf club head cover and place it an inch to the outside of your ball. You can start off a little farther away (say 2 inches) if it makes you more comfortable.
What happens when you throw a ball out straight?
You'll want the ball to fly at a right angle away from you. If the ball is flying out straight, or to the left, you are coming over the top and across your body. As you practice throwing the ball out to the right, you'll learn the feel of proper rotation and arm movement needed to fix the problem. Bryson DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers win The Match.
