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why you top the golf ball

by Josue Adams Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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These are a few of the potential causes of topping the golf ball:

  • Your arc is too high at the bottom of the swing. When this happens you usually have two options. You either completely...
  • You reach the bottom of the arc before hitting the ball and are on an upswing when the club connects. Again, you’re...
  • You’re reaching the bottom of your arc after you’ve hit the ball.

Full Answer

How do you stop topping the ball in golf?

Jun 15, 2020 · These are a few of the potential causes of topping the golf ball: Your arc is too high at the bottom of the swing. When this happens you usually have two options. You either completely... You reach the bottom of the arc before hitting the ball and are on an upswing when the club connects. Again, ...

Why do you hit the ground before the golf ball?

Aug 06, 2018 · Chris Ryan shows you 3 of the most common causes of the dreaded top shot with your irons clubs.If you struggle with thin or topped shots then there is a very...

How to stop topping the golf ball?

The top 5 reasons you might be hitting the golf ball high include: Casting of the golf club; Improper weight shift; Angle of attack; Wrong equipment; Wrong golf ball; Before I dive into more detail on each of these 5 reasons you might be hitting the ball so high, let’s first understand why hitting the golf ball the right height is important.

How to 'top' a golf ball?

However, for most people, it isn’t lateral movement that they need to worry about when it comes to topping the golf ball. Rather, it is vertical movement. When you start to move your body up and down during the golf swing you will be exposing yourself to the possibility of hitting a topped shot. Good golf swings remain level throughout the backswing and downswing, so the body remains …

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Why do you top a golf ball?

This type of shot is referred to as a thin, or a topped shot. Topping the golf ball causes it to stay fairly close to the ground after being struck. Some topped shots don't travel very far, while others can roll a long distance if you catch it thin as the angle creates topspin.

What happens when you top the ball?

A golfer who tops the ball usually releases the club early on the downswing instead of starting down from the ground up. You get a cupping action in the left wrist at impact, with the clubhead moving ahead of the hands. You need to stay in sequence going back and through.Mar 20, 2013

Why do I keep topping my driver?

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.Sep 21, 2017

Why am I topping the ball with my fairway woods?

One common reason that amateur golfers may get into the habit of topping fairway woods is that they are trying to help the ball up off the ground. When you look down at address, you see that your three wood, for example, doesn't have a lot of loft.

Can you swing up on a golf ball?

Unless the ball is sitting up on thick grass, which would give you a chance to get under it, you'll either swing up on the ball ( as with poor ball position) or stand up during your downswing. But most of the time, you'll still top the ball.

Is standing up bad for the ball?

The ball might be in a bad lie, lower than your feet. In any case, standing up increases the distance from you to the ball; if you hit the ball at all, you probably are going to hit the top half.

What happens if you swing too far forward?

If the ball is too far forward in your stance, it's easy to hit it fat. The clubhead reaches the bottom of its swing arc before it gets to the ball. If you adjust your swing so you don't hit the ground, the clubhead will be swinging upward by the time it reaches the ball. When that happens, you have no chance of hitting the bottom half of the ball.

What happens when you adjust your swing so you don't hit the ground?

If you adjust your swing so you don't hit the ground, the clubhead will be swinging upward by the time it reaches the ball. When that happens, you have no chance of hitting the bottom half of the ball . You'll either top or whiff the ball.

What happens if you don't hit the ground?

If you adjust your swing so you don't hit the ground, the clubhead will be swinging upward by the time it reaches the ball. When that happens, you have no chance of hitting the bottom half of the ball. You'll either top or whiff the ball.

How to get more clubhead speed?

Throwing the Clubhead. Sometimes you try to gain extra clubhead speed by flipping your wrists at impact, but all you do is straighten your wrists before the clubhead reaches the ball. That makes the club reach the bottom of its arc farther back in your stance, instead of in front of the ball. The clubhead then swings upward sooner ...

What happens when you lean toward the target?

If you lean toward the target at the top of your backswing, you'll tend to lean away from the target during your downswing. This changes the bottom of the swing arc. If you manage to avoid hitting the ground before you hit the ball (a fat shot), the clubhead will be swinging upward when it reaches the ball – and that's the recipe for a topped shot. ...

How to throw a golf club toward the ground?

It can be helpful to practice this by placing a ball in your right hand, from your golf posture. Allow the elbow to fold as it would in your backswing and then throw the ball so that it hits the ground.

How to get the ball down to the ground?

1. Bad Posture. Good posture is the basis for solid contact. Bowing forward from your hips so that your hands can hang below your shoulders can put you in balance and also get the club down to the ground. Too much knee flex or squatting can often make it extremely difficult to get the club down into the turf, and therefore get the ball into the air.

Is topping a score killer?

Often, a thin shot can be recoverable, but topping can be a score-killing shot, and immensely frustrating if you don’t know what’s causing it. In simplest terms, in order to get the ball up into the air — and not rolling across the ground — is to hit down into the dirt. (GETTY)

When your ball is at a neutral position on the ground, your club needs to dig into the ground?

When your ball is at a neutral position on the ground, your club needs to dig into the ground in order to achieve contact at the true loft of your club. This is one of the many counter-intuitive motions in golf, many of which take time to learn.

What happens if you stand too far away from the ball?

If you stand too far away from the ball at address, it’s almost difficult not to top the ball without a heroic move. Reaching for the ball — where your arms often get into a diagonal position — will often lead to a thin shot or a top.

What ruins a golf swing?

Nothing ruins a great golf swing like a loss of balance. Assuming you’re in a good set up to start, it only takes a small loss of balance to cause you to top the ball. A good check of balance is holding your finish until your golf ball lands.

Why is it so hard to keep your head down?

The problem with keeping your head down is that it limits your body’s ability to move athletically. If you attempt to keep your head down, it’s very difficult to allow your body to rotate properly on your downswing to get the club down to the ground and the ball into the air. 7. Tension in hands and arms.

What are the most common swing faults in high handicap golf?

The casting of the golf club might be the single most common swing faults among high handicap golfers. The inability to maintain any lag, lead s to a loss of speed and extra loft added to the swing prior to impact. This leads to poor contract and when the ball is well struck, potentially a ball flight that is too high for your liking.

How fast is a golf ball?

Many golfers fail to understand the importance of having the right golf ball for their game. If your swing speed is above 100 miles per hour and you are playing a low compression ball, chances are the golf ball is flying too high and taking away distance from you.

What happens if you hit the wrong shaft in your driver?

If you have the wrong shaft in your driver for your swing speed, not only are you going to lose distance, have trouble with accuracy, but chances are you will hit the ball too high. This is especially true of those that have a shift that has the wrong kick point for your swing. This will result in extra loft being added at impact, resulting in higher shots and a difficult to control driver in the wind.

Is the topped shot embarrassing?

Ah, the topped shot. It’s embarrassing, all right. Even worse, the ego damage is compounded by a lousy result, which moves you only a little closer to the intended target.

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.

What is reverse pivot?

It’s true that the reverse pivot is a leading cause of slicing. It’s also responsible for a large percentage of topped golf shots. Briefly, a reverse pivot is when your weight shifts to the left on the backswing, then right on the downswing and follow-through – the reverse of a correct transfer.

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.

Is sliding from right to left a lateral movement?

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. However, for most people, it isn’t lateral movement that they need to worry about when it comes to topping the golf ball. Rather, it is vertical movement.

Is it lateral or vertical movement when hitting a golf ball?

However, for most people, it isn’t lateral movement that they need to worry about when it comes to topping the golf ball. Rather, it is vertical movement. When you start to move your body up and down during the golf swing you will be exposing yourself to the possibility of hitting a topped shot.

Can you write while sitting still?

Obviously, it is much easier to write while you are sitting still. Of course you can’t sit still while swinging a golf club, but the same notion still applies. If you are moving up and down while trying to do everything else that hitting a golf ball requires, you are destining yourself for failure.

Why do golfers struggle to stop topping the ball?

Having great balance is vital to a good golf swing and poor balance is another reason golfers struggle to stop topping the golf ball. Here's a great drill you can practice at home that ties in with the 1st method talked about above.

How do golfers top the golf ball?

Another common way golfers top the golf ball is they perform an over the top golf swing and come in too steep at the golf ball. A steep downswing leads to more of an outside to inside swing path which makes it difficult to strike the golf ball solid.

What side of the golf swing do you hit the full shots on?

Work your way up to hitting full shots and feel like you're balanced and finishing with your weight on your left side (lead side) after the follow-through. If you can do the chair drill successfully you'll continue to strike the ball solid time after time eliminating any topped golf shots from your game.

What is the most common miss in golf?

Published on Tuesday, December 15, 2020. One of the most common misses in golf happens when the lead arm breaks down at impact and you top the golf ball. Of course, when this happens we've all heard the peanut gallery on the golf course say "keep your head down.".

Who said golfers should keep their eye on the ball?

Schippel says golfers should instead "keep their eye on the ball.". He breaks it down in the video below & provides an easy drill that you can try to generate power from the ground up and finish your golf swing with ease.

What does Schippel say about golf?

Schippel says golfers should instead "keep their eye on the ball.". He breaks it down in the video below & provides an easy drill that you can try to generate power from the ground up and finish your golf swing with ease. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.

Why do golfers flat miss shots?

The cause is almost always trying to kill it, which generates an acceleration of the legs and hips that in turn over-delays the release of the clubhead into the ball by the hands and wrists .

Where does the cupping action happen in golf?

A golfer who tops the ball usually releases the club early on the downswing instead of starting down from the ground up. You get a cupping action in the left wrist at impact, with the clubhead moving ahead of the hands. You need to stay in sequence going back and through.

Why does my swing arc not reach full length?

As a result, the swing arc does not reach full length at impact. Another cause is swaying. 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.

What moves the swing arc backwards?

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.

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