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how to prevent swinging over the top in golf

by Jairo Wisoky Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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The Best Way to Stop Coming Over the Top in Your Swing

  • Stop the Right from Dominating the Downswing. A lot of the material on the website talks about pushing versus pulling,...
  • Pull With the Left. Now let's look at the other arm. If you go to the top with your left arm only and try to swing...
  • The Second Key: Weight Transfer. Getting a proper weight transfer is the...

Part of a video titled FIX AN OVER THE TOP SWING INSTANTLY (My Secret Tip)
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Not a problem that is just that you're hitting the ball flat footed on your back foot. So what youMoreNot a problem that is just that you're hitting the ball flat footed on your back foot. So what you want to do there is feel the weight coming off of this heel right here you want to lift your heel.

Full Answer

How do you cure over the top golf swing?

The Best Way to Stop Coming Over the Top in Your Swing

  • Stop the Right from Dominating the Downswing. A lot of the material on the website talks about pushing versus pulling, and that's what we're going to go back over right ...
  • Pull With the Left. Now let's look at the other arm. ...
  • The Second Key: Weight Transfer. ...
  • Know How to Use the Website. ...

How to stop losing your golf grip at the top?

More Distance for Golfers Over 50

  1. Turn Your Right Foot Out to Prevent Swaying This is a tip that is very specific to golfers with a lot of stiffness. ...
  2. Strengthen Your Golf Grip These last two tips are all about increasing power by improving your ball flight. ...
  3. Move the Ball Back Slightly in Your Stance

How to start your golf swing like a pro?

Watch Ben Hogan explain how to swing a golf club, in 41 seconds

  1. Elbows to chest In the clip, which you can watch in full below, Hogan suggests starting by making small swings, with your elbows connected to your torso the entire ...
  2. Lengthen your swing “But you can’t go around a golf course doing this all day,” Hogan says, “so you need to lengthen the swing somewhere.” Once you’re comfortable with ...
  3. Add speed

How to stop getting stuck in the golf swing?

The Arm Drill

  • Set up for your shot as you would normally do.
  • Let the club go or don’t pick it up in the first place.
  • Have your keens bend, your hips pushed back. Just like you would do in a normal stance.
  • Now, just let your arms hang. You don’t need to do anything else.
  • The next time you’re at the course, remember this sensation. ...

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Why does my golf swing come over the top?

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 swinging over the top driver?

5:527:13Stop Swinging "OVER THE TOP" In Golf - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipLittle pressure down club hits the wall shallow shallow shallow shallow. Turn so this will reallyMoreLittle pressure down club hits the wall shallow shallow shallow shallow. Turn so this will really give you the sensation. Of what it's like to lay that shaft down at the top of the swing.

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 to get rid of swinging over the top?

First, you are going to need to make a wider backswing. Work on the extension that you get in your takeaway, keeping your hands out of the equation as you rotate your shoulders away from the target. By maintaining great extension, you will naturally have good width at the top and your issue of a narrow backswing should become a thing of the past.

Why do amateur golfers rush through their swings?

Countless amateur golfers rush through their swings, either because they are trying to swing as hard as possible, or because they are nervous about the outcome of the shot. Either way, rushing is only going to put you off track and out of position when you get down to impact.

What causes a golf ball to fly over the top?

This is a swing fault which affects millions of golfers, and it is the main cause of the dreaded ball flight known as the slice. If you are currently fighting a slice in your game, and you have been fighting that slice for some time, it is almost certain that you are moving the club over the top during your transition from backswing to downswing. Fixing your slice is probably as simple as getting rid of that move – of course, getting rid of that move is not going to be simple at all.

What is the ideal backswing for golf?

The ideal backswing is one that has plenty of width, with your hands reaching back well away from your body as you turn to the right (for a right handed golfer). Unfortunately, many golfers make a backswing that is far too narrow, with the hands quickly coming in close to the body during the takeaway phase of the swing.

What happens when you make a narrow backswing?

When you do make a narrow backswing, your hands will be very close to your head at the top of the swing. From there, they only have one choice – to move up and away from your body. There simply isn’t room to drop the club to the inside after a narrow backswing, so an over the top action is your only option.

Can you play golf if you don't play at a high level?

While golf can be fun even if you don’t play at a high level, it’s frustrating to be stuck in neutral without any improvement in your play.

Can you hit a push with a swing?

It is possible to hit a push with this kind of swing, but most people see their ball flight turn into a slice after coming over the top.

How to shallow out a golf swing?

You just need to learn to use the left arm correctly, especially at the top of the swing. That will allow you to shallow out.

What arm is the swing 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).

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 arm do you use to change your swing plane?

Today you're going to learn one simple trick with the left arm that, if you do it correctly, will immediately change your swing plane and path, making it almost impossible for you to come over the top.

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 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 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 swing over the top?

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. 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. 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.

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 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 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 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.

1. Object by the ball

It doesn’t need to be a pool noodle, Clearwarter says. A bottle, headcover or other obstacle can work just as well. Place it just outside the ball and then start hitting (the ball, not the object!).

2. Diagonal pool noodle

You’ll need a friend to help you with this one, but all they’ll need to do is stand there and hold a pool noodle, alignment rod or club at a 45-degree angle. Your goal is simple: To swing under the obstacle on your downswing.

How to swing a one piece golf club?

Make your one-piece takeaway. Don't straighten, turn and bend – just swing the club from address to the waist-high position.

How to play golf with your arms?

Take your normal setup position, with your knees slightly flexed, your upper body bending over from the hip and your weight over the balls of your feet. Your arms should hang straight down from your shoulders, with your triceps resting lightly against your chest. Hold your club with your regular grip.

How to straighten your body?

Straighten your upper body to an upright position without changing the position of your arms, cocking your wrists or straightening your knees. Keep your lower body and hips in their original address position. Your hands will be around waist high and the shaft roughly parallel to the ground, perhaps pointing up slightly.

How to do a one piece takeaway?

In a proper takeaway, you turn your shoulders to start the backswing, then bend your right elbow (for a right-handed golfer) to get to the top. This is called a one-piece takeaway.

How to do a squat on the backswing?

Return to the position your body would have been in if you had simply turned your upper body to this position on your backswing. Let your left elbow (if you're right-handed) move slightly away from your side. It should point straight down at the ground.

Why do golf magazines have drills?

Almost every golf magazine offers drills to eliminate that nasty "over the top" move that plagues weekend golfers.

Can you move your arms and lower body?

Again, don 't move your arms, club or lower body; only your upper body turns.

When turning on the backswing, do you need to tilt?

Think of a line that’s drawn across your shoulders, like you see on the golfer to the right: When that shoulder line flattens so it’s more in-line with the ground, it puts your backswing in a position where you’re more likely to come over-the-top. The club is so far behind you and your shoulders are so flat that, as you begin to turn, there’s no other way for your club to move but from out-to-in.

What is swinging from out to in?

Swinging from out-to-in, or “coming over the top” with an open clubface has been the most common problems in golf seemingly since it’s inception, and it’s especially common among golfers who once played baseball. Undoing the tendency to lunge at the ball with your upper body first at the top of your backswing by learning the ideal golf swing sequence is a transition every golfer needs to go through at some point.

How much more tilt does a lower handicap have?

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:

Does golf tilt affect your handicap?

When GOLFTEC studied this, they found a direct inverse correlation between higher handicappers and shoulder tilt at the top of the backswing. In a nutshell: The higher your handicap, the less shoulder tilt you probably have.

Is the downswing rooted in the backswing?

But after analyzing millions of golf swings from hundreds of thousands of golfers in the largest golf study ever recorded, GOLFTEC research shows that the problem plaguing your downswing is actually one rooted in the backswing.

Do you need to turn on the backswing?

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.

Does Max Homa play golf?

Max Homa plays a lot of golf with recreational golfers — and sees even more recreational golf swings every day on Twitter. There’s one mistake he says he sees golfers make in their swing more than any other.

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What Is An ‘Over The Top’ Move?

The Underlying Problems

  • There are a couple of potential causes of an over the top move. As is the case with most issues in your golf swing, solving this problem is all about understanding cause and effect. By working backwards through your swing, you should be able to locate the issues that are leading to the end result of an over the top move. Specifically, there are two swing issues which most-commonly w…
See more on golficity.com

Cause #1 – A Narrow Backswing

  • The ideal backswing is one that has plenty of width, with your hands reaching back well away from your body as you turn to the right (for a right handed golfer). Unfortunately, many golfers make a backswing that is far too narrow, with the hands quickly coming in close to the body during the takeaway phase of the swing. When you do make a narrow backswing, your hands wil…
See more on golficity.com

Cause #2 – A Quick Tempo

  • Countless amateur golfers rush through their swings, either because they are trying to swing as hard as possible, or because they are nervous about the outcome of the shot. Either way, rushing is only going to put you off track and out of position when you get down to impact. As it relates to this discussion, rushing your swing is going to rob you of the time you need to let the club fall na…
See more on golficity.com

Getting on Track

  • To finally kill off this habit of swinging over the top once and for all, you are going to have to address both of the points above. First, you are going to need to make a wider backswing. Work on the extension that you get in your takeaway, keeping your hands out of the equation as you rotate your shoulders away from the target. By maintaining gre...
See more on golficity.com

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