how to stop topping the golf ball off the tee

How To Stop Topping The Golf Ball

• Think of Your Swing as a Pendulum. The first big thing you want to do is imagine that your golf swing is a pendulum. ...
• Hit Down To Go Up. The next thing you need to know though, is how a golf ball gets in to the air. ...
• Steady Head = Fewer Topped Shots. A steady position is key to hitting quality golf shots. ...
• Adjust Your Hands. ...

Full Answer

How can I stop overhooking the golf ball?

• If you drive the ball 250 yards
• Have an 5 degree right swing path (and square face)
• The ball will curve 50 yards to the left

How to stop hitting the ground behind the golf ball?

Why am I hitting Behind the Ball?

• Your position over the ball.
• Movement during your swing.
• Improper weight distribution and/or transfer.

How do you stop slicing the ball in golf?

• As you start your takeaway, rotate the tee towards the ground, pointing straight down
• When you get to the top of the backswing, make sure the tee is pointed toward the sky If the tee is pointed forward or down, the club face is ...
• As you transition down to impact, rotate the tee back towards the ground, maintaining flexion

How to stop shanking the golf ball now?

Why do I shank the ball and what can I do to finally stop shanking?

• Your aim is too open. If your aim is off, this can lead to the clubface being too open. ...
• Your grip. Your grip is crucial. ...
• Ball Position. You have to be in a good position in relation to the ball. ...
• Stance. Your stance probably isn’t causing you to shank the ball but it can still happen. ...
• Posture. Weight distribution is incredibly important in golf. ...
• Swing Path. ...

How do I stop topping the ball off the tee?

6:088:21How To Stop Topping Golf Shots - 3 Simple Steps - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipHappen. So we need to make sure that you're shifting onto your lead side early topping the golf ballMoreHappen. So we need to make sure that you're shifting onto your lead side early topping the golf ball very very often. Points two and three are very closely linked we get a goal for shifting too much

How do you stop topping a golf drive?

0:082:51How to Stop Topping Your Driver | Hit More Solid Drives - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipHand drop it down scratch the knee of your trail. Leg from there keep that posture. Put the club orMoreHand drop it down scratch the knee of your trail. Leg from there keep that posture. Put the club or your hand on the club.

What causes me to top the golf ball?

Lateral motion in the backswing moves the swing arc backward. If it isn't then moved forward in the downswing, the low point of the arc is behind the ball, often causing a thin or topped shot.

Why do I keep topping my tee shots?

Most often, when a player is hitting the ball up hill, it can result in a topped golf shot. The reason for this is that a golfer will often lean or fall down the hill after they hit. This momentum going down the hill means that the player has a swing that has too much of an upward arc.

Why am I topping my tee shots?

As you approach impact, you lose your original address posture and spine inclination to the ground, which causes you to practically swing over the top of the ball. This is often caused by the urge to help the ball into the air.

Why am I topping the ball with my fairway woods?

0:286:09Stop Topping Your Woods - Learn to Hit Fairway Woods Off the GroundYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipProbably common is improper weight shift all right. So when we swing a fairway wood what are weMoreProbably common is improper weight shift all right. So when we swing a fairway wood what are we looking for we're looking for maximum distance.

How do you stay down on a golf ball?

7:039:40How to Stay Down Through Impact in The Golf Swing - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipMove where we're moving back down towards the ball. And the third from there would be then allowing.MoreMove where we're moving back down towards the ball. And the third from there would be then allowing. The golf club to come underneath. Us allowing those arms to lengthen.

How close should you stand to the golf ball?

The ideal distance you should stand from the golf ball is one where the butt of the club is pointing at your belt buckle and is about 6 inches away from your thighs. This should be the same for all clubs in the bag. It doesn't matter what club you're using, your arm position should be the same.

Why do I hit grounders with my driver?

Specifically, players who hit ground balls are leaving too much weight on their right foot as they come down into the ball. When your weight gets stuck on your foot in the downswing, the club will bottom out before the ball – meaning it will be on the way back up when it actually arrives at impact.

Why are my drives going along the ground?

Often times, a low drive is caused simply by teeing the ball up too low. A number of golfers, worried about teeing the ball up too high and hitting a high, looping drive, tee the ball up just off the ground.

Why do I too my driver?

0:191:52Topping your Driver? What are the Main Causes? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBut there's usually many causes as with anything in the swing. That can cause you to top the ballMoreBut there's usually many causes as with anything in the swing. That can cause you to top the ball you know there's many causes that can cause you to shank there's many causes that could cause you'd

How do you hit down with a driver?

0:191:06Sean Foley on How to Hit Down on the Ball With Your Driver | Golf DigestYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipI really want you to feel like the lower body is moving forward the upper body is on top of the ballMoreI really want you to feel like the lower body is moving forward the upper body is on top of the ball. And that the hands are leading the golf club at the bottom.

How to stay down on a golf club?

To help you stay down, think about keeping your right knee flexed and your right heel on the ground for as long as possible. This encourages you to stay bent at the hips and prevents your legs from straightening and lifting the clubhead farther off the ground.

What causes a ball to swing over the top of the ball?

FAULT 1. EARLY EXTENSION. As you approach impact, you lose your original address posture and spine inclination to the ground, which causes you to practically swing over the top of the ball. This is often caused by the urge to help the ball into the air. FAULT 2.

How to get a fuller shoulder turn?

When viewed from behind, you should be able to see just a little bit of your left forearm. This setup adjustment promotes a fuller, deeper shoulder turn and, as a result, a more inside downswing path and delivery.

Is it embarrassing to dribble off the tee?

Few shots in golf are more embarrassing than the topped tee ball. Unfortunately, there’s more than one way to dribble the ball off the tee. You can swing too steeply from the outside and skim across the ball, or even drop-kick it from the inside. Or, as so often happens with amateurs, you can come up out of your posture at impact and all but whiff.

Why do I top the golf ball?

Your calves could be the problem if you find yourself standing up onto your toes as you swing down toward impact. This is a move that some golfers end up putting into their swing, usually by accident, as they try to get more power. It is actually possible to play good golf this way, and you might see better players who get up on their toes from time to time – especially when swinging hard. However, for a golfer who wants to figure out how to stop topping the golf ball, getting rid of this move should be a top priority.

What happens if you hit the ball too far left?

If you’ve got the ball too far left (closer to your lead foot) at address, your swing will find its bottom point before it reaches the ball. By impact, the clubhead is traveling up and over the ball, usually clipping it above the equator. If you’ve been topping the ball often, check your ball position first.

How does a golf swing stay level?

Good golf swings remain level throughout the backswing and downswing, so the body remains as stable as possible and the job of delivering the club head to the back of the ball gets that much easier. To better understand this concept, think about other areas of life outside of the golf course that require precision.

What is it like to watch your golf ball fly?

One of the great pleasures in the game of golf is looking up after your swing and watching your ball soar through the air in the direction of the target. Even if you don’t hit a great shot every time, there is something satisfying about watching the ball fly that gives the golfers a great feeling of accomplishment.

How does a golf swing work?

While your body might move a little bit laterally throughout the swing, the majority of the motion is going to be rotational – that is, your center of gravity is going to remain in roughly the same spot while your body turns to the right, and then back to the left toward the target. Much of golf instruction has to do with removing any extra unnecessary motion from the swing. For example, sliding from right to left while the club is in motion is something that will hurt your golf swing and rob you of power.

What happens if you don't clear your swing?

If you aren’t clear on what is going on in your swing that is leading to the topping of the ball, you don’t stand much of a chance at all to fix it. The good news is that unlike some other parts of the golf swing, the issue that you are likely dealing with to create this problem is relatively easy to understand.

What position should the driver be on the golf ball?

If you’ve been topping the ball often, check your ball position first. With the driver, the ball should be opposite your left heel; a little farther back is OK, but too far left is no good. Proper positioning varies with the irons, woods and hybrids, but a little experimentation should tell you whether your problem stems from the setup or the swing.

Posture Is Key

A great way to achieve good posture is to hold the club out in front of you and bend from the pelvis first before just adding a little soft flex in the knees

Tee Drill

We all want to know how to compress the golf ball. Well, think of it like this: the lowest point of your swing should be after impact. Those who top it very often have the low point too early because they've lifted up away from the ball - this is one of the main cause of fat and thin iron shots.

What happens if you top the ball?

If you are topping the ball, you might not be getting to your lead side properly. Try to make an effort to shift more of your weight to your lead side when you swing and it should get you hitting down on the ball more. – V.J. Trolio, Old Waverly G.C., West Point, Miss.

What does topped ball mean?

A topped ball simply means the club was too high when it got to the ball. (You didn’t pick your head up for goodness sake!) Make sure your practice swings make the club head bounce off the turf, not just brush it. Better yet, make sure when the ball is in the way that you still bounce the club off the turf. We are looking for ball then turf contact after all. The ball will just get in the way as your club travels down to bounce off the turf. Bounce the club every time, even if it’s too far behind the ball, then you can tune in the bounce point so you always hit the ball first. – John Dunigan, White Manor C.C., Malvern, Pa.

How to swing a golf club?

1. Bounce the club off the turf 2. Practice on sidehill lies 3. Steepen your swing 4. Shift weight to lead side

What is the most common miss in golf?

One of the most common misses for the beginning golfer is topping the ball. Just as they come through the impact zone, the clubhead does not bottom out properly and they only catch the top half of the ball. The result is a disappointing dribbler that barely gets out of their shadow.

What is the goal of the golf teacher roundtable?

The goal? To help your game and lower your scores ASAP.

Should you stop topping the ball?

It seems like it should be simple to stop topping the ball, but that is rarely the case. Tops are something that can seem to stick around for a while once they start.

Does the clubhead bottom out?

Just as they come through the impact zone, the clubhead does not bottom out properly and they only catch the top half of the ball. The result is a disappointing dribbler that barely gets out of their shadow. It seems like it should be simple to stop topping the ball, but that is rarely the case.

How to stop your body from sliding back when you take a golf ball?

Solution: Lean in your right knee as you turn away from the golf ball. This prevents the upper body from sliding back during the backswing and takeaway.

What does "topping the ball" mean?

The term “topping the golf ball,” refers to hitting the ball above the ball’s equator.

What happens if your arc is too high?

When this happens you usually have two options. You either completely whiff the ball. Embarrassing, but it happens. Or you hit above the equator, topping the ball. You reach the bottom of the arc before hitting the ball and are on an upswing when the club connects.

What happens if you hit the ball too far forward?

For instance, if the ball is too far forward or back in your stance, the arc of your swing will be off, resulting in a topped golf shot. Solution: Position the ball in the middle of your stance for irons and in-line with the lead heel for your driver.

What happens if you slide your hips back in golf?

This mechanical error in your golf swing can result in topping the ball. Whether you’re sliding your hips back and not correcting prior to impact or you’re sliding too far forward during the downswing, the result is the same.

How to stop choking down on golf clubs?

Solution: Invest in custom-fitted golf clubs or hold the club higher on the grip instead of choking down.

What happens when you hit the bottom of the arc too late?

When the bottom of the arc occurs too late, you’re still hitting above the ball’s equator, meaning you’re hitting at the top of the ball rather than the sweet spot.

How to hit the tee on golf?

In order to hit the tee, you will naturally hit the ball with a descending blow, which is the very thing you are after. Do this, and you will have no trouble taking your divot in front of the ball, where it belongs. Once you get the hang of this, test yourself with a ball on the ground.

What does it mean when you top the ball on the downswing?

Why it works: If you are topping the ball it means you are not hitting down on the ball, with a descending blow. You are certainly not taking a divot either.

How to get the feel of a descending blow?

Just make yourself hit the tee that you know lies beneath the ball. This is not a strange or esoteric situation, of course. You have several par threes per round where you get to hit the sunken tee.

Why is it important to tee the ball low on short par 3s?

And on the short par threes, you will be teeing your ball low . Again, teeing the ball low is important, because it encourages a descending blow, which is what most Occasional Golfers struggle with.

Can you put two golf balls side by side?

You can even set two balls side by side at the range, one with, and the other without a tee underneath. Just imagine the tee is there even though it is not. No problem! You will no longer be hitting thin golf shots if you can clip that imaginary tee beneath the ball.

Can you hit an iron shot without a descending blow?

You simply cannot hit a good iron shot without a descending blow . Aiming at the tee instead of the ball gives you the descending blow you seek. Once you get the feel of the descending blow you will say “ah, so that’s what it is supposed to feel like.”.