What is the “over the top” golf swing? The over the top golf swing is when the club comes down too far outside the target line on the downswing. This steep angle forces the golfer to fight to square the clubface at impact, often resulting in a slice or a weak pull.
Many golfers struggle with this move. It is perhaps the most common fault in amateur golf. Fixing it can transform your ball flight. It leads to a much more reliable shot. We will explore why this happens and provide clear steps to stop coming over the top for good. This focus will help you achieve an inside out golf swing path.
Deciphering the Root Causes of the Over The Top Move
To fix the over the top move, you first need to know what causes it. It is usually a chain reaction, not just one bad move. Think of it like dominoes falling. One small error starts a sequence that ends with the club coming in too steep.
Incorrect Transition Mechanics
The most frequent culprit is how the swing starts from the top. Many golfers rush the downswing. They immediately fire their upper body toward the ball. This aggressive start forces the arms to jump out and away from the body. This pulls the club onto a steep angle, setting up the fix outside in swing.
Lack of Proper Weight Shift
A poor weight shift also contributes greatly. If you keep too much weight on your trail side (right side for right-handed golfers) during the transition, your body cannot rotate freely. To reach the ball, you have to throw your hands out. This steepens the swing plane dramatically. A proper shift starts the downswing from the ground up, promoting a better golf swing plane fix.
The Effect of Previous Flaws
Sometimes, an over the top move is a compensation for another issue. For example, if a golfer feels they are coming too far inside takeaway golf, they might consciously try to “steer” the club from the top. This overcorrection often results in the opposite problem—coming too far outside.
Grip and Posture Influences
While less direct, grip and posture play a role. An overly strong grip can make a golfer feel off-balance. If your posture encourages you to stand up during the swing (early extension), your arms have nowhere to go but out and over the top.
The Path to an Inside Out Swing Path
The goal when you stop coming over the top is achieving an inside out golf swing path. This path allows the clubface to return squarely to the ball without frantic manipulation. This secret lies in shallowing the club.
What Does “Shallow” Mean in Golf?
Shallowing the club means bringing the club shaft onto a flatter plane during the transition phase of the downswing. Instead of the hands moving out, the hands drop slightly down and back toward the trail hip. This move naturally encourages the clubhead to approach the ball from the inside. Learning to shallow out golf swing is key to consistency.
Visualizing the Shallow Move
Imagine the club is on a shelf behind you when you reach the top of your backswing. To shallow the club, you want the butt end of the club to point toward the ground somewhere between your feet, rather than pointing outside the ball. This is the feeling that sets up the correct sequence.
Essential Drills to Correct the Over The Top Swing
Fixing a persistent fault like coming over the top requires repetition and feel. These drills isolate the necessary movements to encourage a better plane and help you eliminate slice golf.
The Towel Drill (The Body Connection)
This simple drill forces the arms and body to work together, preventing the arms from racing ahead.
- Place a small towel or headcover under your lead armpit (left armpit for a right-hander).
- Take your normal swing.
- The goal is to keep the towel pinned during the entire downswing until impact.
- If you come over the top, your lead arm detaches from your body early, dropping the towel. This reinforces the connection needed for a good sequence.
The Gate Drill (Plane Awareness)
This drill provides immediate visual feedback on your path.
- Place two alignment sticks (the “gates”) on the ground.
- The first stick should be slightly in front of the ball, angled slightly to the right of your target line (for a right-hander). This stick guards against coming too far inside.
- The second stick should be slightly behind the ball, angled more sharply to the right. This stick prevents the club from dropping too far underneath, which can cause a weak push.
- The desired flight path forces the club to travel between these gates, encouraging that essential inside out golf swing path.
The Pump Drill (Sequencing Practice)
This is a fantastic over the top golf swing drill for feeling the shallow move without swinging at full speed.
- Take your club to the top of your backswing.
- Slowly initiate the downswing by shifting your weight forward, letting your lower body start the motion.
- As your hands reach about waist height, stop. Feel how the club has dropped behind you, shallowing out naturally.
- Return to the top.
- Repeat this “pump” motion 3 to 5 times, feeling the shallowing.
- After the last pump, complete the swing, focusing on maintaining that shallow feeling through impact. This builds muscle memory for a golf swing plane correction.
Using Training Aids for Shallowing Drill Golf
Many specialized tools can help. Consider using an alignment rod placed slightly in front of the ball, pointing toward your trail hip. As you start down, the goal is to feel the club swing under this rod rather than hitting it. This forces the necessary shallow out golf swing move.
Technical Adjustments for a Flatter Plane
Fixing the swing path is often about making subtle adjustments early in the transition. Focus on these areas to achieve golf swing plane correction.
H4.1: Initiating the Downswing from the Ground Up
The downswing must start with the lower body, not the upper body.
- Weight Shift First: Feel a definite lateral shift toward the target with your lead foot and hip. This should happen before your arms start moving down.
- Hips Lead the Hands: Your hips should begin unwinding while your hands are still relatively high. This separation creates lag and naturally drops the club onto a flatter plane. Think: “Hips unwind, arms drop.”
H4.2: The Role of the Trail Elbow
The position of your trail elbow (right elbow for a righty) is critical in preventing the over the top action.
- Keep it Connected (Initially): During the transition, the trail elbow should feel like it’s folding and dropping toward your back pocket, rather than flying out away from your body.
- Avoiding Early Extension: If your elbow jumps out early, it pulls the hands high and steepens the angle. Keeping it close helps maintain the inside track, which is vital to fix outside in swing.
H4.3: Mastering the Inside Takeaway Golf
If your takeaway is too steep or rushes outside, it sets you up for disaster at the top, making you prone to dropping the club outside on the downswing.
- One-Piece Start: Start the backswing smoothly, moving the club away with your chest and shoulders. Avoid lifting the club immediately with your hands.
- Shaft Plane: At the halfway point (when the shaft is parallel to the ground), the club shaft should ideally point just inside the ball, or right over the ball. An inside takeaway golf setup ensures you have a good platform to shallow from.
Common Mistakes While Trying to Fix The Move
When golfers try to correct coming over the top, they often create new problems. Be wary of these pitfalls when you try to stop coming over the top.
| Mistake | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Casting or Throwing | Trying too hard to shallow by actively pushing the hands forward too early. | Loss of lag; heavy feeling; often still slices. |
| Over-Correcting Inside | Swinging wildly from the inside without controlling the face. | Severe hooks or deep divots far behind the ball. |
| Holding the Lag Too Long | Resisting the natural unwinding of the body. | The club stops shallowing and flips at impact. |
| Ignoring the Lower Body | Focusing only on hand position at the top. | The core issue (poor sequence) remains unsolved. |
The Danger of Over-Shallowing
While you want to shallow out golf swing, there is a point of diminishing returns. If you shallow the club too much (i.e., the club drops significantly behind you at the bottom of the swing arc), you risk having to flip the hands desperately to square the face. This often leads to a massive pull-hook or a major mishit. The goal is to feel like you are swinging under the path, not behind the ball.
Video Analysis and Self-Assessment
How can you tell if you are truly making progress? Self-assessment tools are invaluable for diagnosing swing plane issues.
Using Slow Motion Review
Film your swing from two angles: down the line (behind you) and face on.
- Down the Line View: Watch the transition. Does the club shaft drop down toward the ball or shoot out away from your head? If it shoots out, you are coming over the top. The correct move shows the club dropping toward your trail hip area. This helps confirm your golf swing plane correction.
- Face On View: Look at your lower body. Is your lead hip moving toward the target, or are you swaying backward? A correct weight shift enables the inside out golf swing path.
Feedback Tools
If possible, use impact bag feedback. Hitting an impact bag correctly with an inside path produces a firm, solid feeling. If you come over the top, the impact bag will move sharply out toward your lead side, confirming a fix outside in swing pattern.
Maintaining the New Swing Plane
Changing a deeply ingrained habit like coming over the top takes commitment. Consistency is built through diligent practice and reinforcing the correct feelings.
Practice with Purpose
Don’t just hit balls aimlessly. Every session should include focused time on the corrective drills. Dedicate 50% of your warm-up time to the shallowing drill golf routine. This builds the motor pattern necessary to automatically engage the inside move under pressure.
Course Management Implications
When you successfully eliminate slice golf by fixing the over the top move, your confidence soars. On the course, trust the new path. If you feel the urge to steer or stop the swing, revert mentally to the feeling of the weight shift leading the hands—the feeling that encourages the inside takeaway golf.
Remember, a slight fade is often better than a desperate block caused by trying to hold onto a steep angle. Embrace the slight inward attack angle that comes from a shallow transition. This is the secret to consistent power and accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: How long does it usually take to stop coming over the top?
A: It varies greatly depending on how long you have had the fault and how often you practice. For some, a slight adjustment in feel happens in a few range sessions. For others, retraining muscle memory takes several months of consistent practice with drills. Be patient; consistency beats speed.
Q: Can a poor grip cause me to come over the top?
A: Yes. If your grip is too weak (especially in the lead hand), you lose the ability to control the clubface through impact easily. You might overcompensate by throwing the hands over the top to try and square the face, exacerbating the issue.
Q: If I stop coming over the top, will I start hooking the ball?
A: It is possible initially. When you switch from an outside-in path (slice) to an inside-out path, if the clubface is still open relative to that new path, you will hit a strong push or a hook. This means you need to focus on squaring the clubface at impact after achieving the shallow path.
Q: What is the difference between shallowing and just dropping the club?
A: Shallowing is the result of a proper sequencing where the lower body initiates the downswing, allowing the hands to drop naturally. Dropping the club often means actively manipulating the hands and arms without any body rotation leading the charge, which usually results in poor timing and a loss of power.
Q: Should I change my ball flight immediately if I fix this?
A: Not necessarily. If you have been slicing for years, your body expects that flight. When you start hitting the ball straight or slightly left (a pull), it might feel “wrong” initially, even though it is technically better alignment. Trust the process; the straight flight will follow the improved path.