Stop Coming Over the Top in Your Golf Swing

Understanding the Over the Top Swing Fault

One of the most frustrating faults many golfers encounter is coming over the top in their swing, which often leads to slicing the ball. This opens the clubface and can ruin an otherwise great shot. However, the good news is that this issue can be one of the easiest to fix in golf if you understand two critical keys that will help you eliminate this problem immediately.

The Dominance of the Left Arm

Golf is predominantly a left-sided game. This may sound counterintuitive, especially for right-handed players, but it is essential to recognize that while the right side plays a crucial role, the left arm must do a significant amount of the heavy lifting when it comes to controlling the clubface and swing path.

Many golfers over-rely on their right side during the downswing, which leads to a steepening of the swing plane. When you push with your right arm or heave your right shoulder forward, the pitch of the shaft steepens, causing you to come over the top of the swing. This results in a classic chicken wing scenario where the clubface remains open, and the ball slices off the clubface.

Using the Left Arm Correctly

To combat this, it’s vital to learn how to effectively use your left arm. When you reach the top of your swing and engage your left arm, you will naturally shallow out the shaft. This is a crucial movement that allows you to come more from the inside, which can help eliminate that dreaded over-the-top move. The feeling of using your left arm might be weak or awkward at first, but it is essential for correcting your swing path.

The Importance of Weight Transfer

The second key to stop coming over the top is effective weight transfer. Properly shifting your weight from your right leg to your left leg will help to shallow out the swing plane. When you initiate the downswing, it’s not just about ripping the left arm down; you must engage your body mass to change the club’s direction.

This weight transfer should be a smooth motion where you shift your pelvis from the right side to the left side. As you do this, your arms will naturally follow, allowing the club to drop into the correct delivery position. If you don’t shift your weight effectively, you might still encounter various swing problems.

Combining Left Arm and Weight Shift

By combining the actions of pulling with the left arm and transferring your weight correctly, you can significantly reduce the chances of coming over the top. Higher handicap golfers often struggle with these mechanics. They tend to hang back on the right side, using their arms too early and getting stuck in their swing. In contrast, lower handicap players might focus more on adding speed to their swings once they’ve mastered these fundamentals.

Putting It All Together

To recap, the two keys to overcoming the over-the-top swing fault are:

• Utilizing the left arm effectively at the top of your swing to shallow out the club.
• Executing a proper weight transfer from your right side to your left side to aid in the swing path.

By focusing on these aspects of your swing, you’ll be well on your way to a more consistent and effective golf game.

Key Takeaways

• Focus on using your left arm to control the swing plane and path.
• Implement a proper weight transfer from right to left to help shallow the club.
• Combine both techniques to effectively eliminate the over-the-top swing fault.

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