One thing that makes golf so challenging is that it is predominantly a lead-arm, lead-side dominant game, and of course most players are right-handed.
That is not to say the trail side and the trail arm do not play a significant role in the golf swing. They absolutely do — if you have watched the other videos, you know that.
But it is still the lead arm that does much of the heavy lifting when it comes to controlling the club face angle, the swing plane, and path. If you do not know how to use the lead arm correctly, that is where problems develop.
Today you are going to learn one simple technique with the lead arm that, if executed correctly, will immediately change your swing plane and path, making it almost impossible for you to come over the top.
First, let us examine what tends to happen with right-handed golfers. Trail-side dominant golfers often dramatically overuse the trail side during the downswing. We will take a look at what that causes in the golf swing.
Stop the Trail Side from Dominating the Downswing
A significant amount of material on the website discusses pushing versus pulling, and that is what we are going to revisit right now.
We will see what happens when you push with the trail arm in an effort to generate power from the swing, instead of learning the proper mechanics for building speed.
One of the problems of pushing with the trail side is that it changes the pitch of the shaft, which steepens the swing plane and causes you to come over the top.
If you go to the top of the swing with your trail arm only, as Chuck demonstrates in the photos below, you will find that your trail arm and the musculature available to you in this position are very adept at rotating forward.
Your trail arm naturally wants to make that over the top motion because it is a natural movement for that part of your body at that point in the swing. What is more, this movement feels very powerful.
Your goal is to get the club moving extremely fast, and rotating the trail arm feels powerful at the top. The problem is, that motion steepens the pitch of the shaft, bringing you over the top and causing a chicken wing and all kinds of problems.
The same thing happens if you start to overuse the trail shoulder. Again, it feels powerful, but it is going to cause you to come out over the top of the swing plane, cut across it, and encounter all the same issues.
Overuse of the trail arm and shoulder is the single biggest cause of coming over the top. To see how your own swing path and plane compare to elite standards, try a free AI swing analysis.
Pull With the Lead Arm
Now let us look at the other arm.
If you go to the top with your lead arm only and try to swing really hard with the lead arm, what happens? The shaft shallows out automatically!
If you actually try to heave the club over the top or throw it into a steeper pitch using just your lead arm, you will find it extremely difficult. It is a weak, awkward feeling and you would never do it in your golf swing.
When you pull with the lead arm, the club naturally shallows out. Of course, if you overdo it you will start coming too far from the inside — but if you are an over-the-topper, coming too much from the inside is a dream come true. You would probably love to hit a big snap hook, which terrifies many golfers.
Using the lead arm correctly will allow you to shallow out your swing plane.
You cannot fix this by retraining the trail arm. It is very difficult to get your trail arm to come from the inside on its own, unless you drop your trail shoulder down and under — and you do not want to do that either.
You simply need to learn to use the lead arm correctly, especially at the top of the swing. That will allow you to shallow out your path.
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 is as simple as being loaded up on the trail side and then shifting your weight back to the lead side.
This simple movement — just shifting your pelvis from your trail leg to your lead leg — shallows out the shaft. Chuck demonstrates this move; it is easy to see from face on.
This move also pulls the arm down. You are not simply going to the top and ripping your lead arm down by itself. You are using your body mass, your weight, to change the direction of the club.
You build up significant momentum going back, so you need to use your large muscle mass to change the club's direction. Once you do, the club will drop down into its delivery position and that is when you fire with the arms and everything else in the downswing.
If you do not shift your weight first, you will encounter numerous other swing faults, so it is critical that you combine the two elements. Shift your weight and pull with the lead arm.
Know How to Use the Website
The videos on the website cover all kinds of issues for all kinds of golfers. Make sure you are watching the ones that apply to your situation!
- If you struggle with the issues covered in this lesson — swing plane, path, and coming over the top — then you will want to work on using the lead arm and perfecting your weight shift. These two issues are especially common among higher-handicap golfers, who tend to get less weight shift and have not yet learned to use the lead arm correctly.
- If you do not struggle with these issues — say you use the lead arm well and transfer your weight effectively, but struggle to generate more speed — then you will want to focus on the trail-side movement lessons for speed and energy transfer.
The higher-handicap golfer tends to hang back on the trail side and throw the arms at the top, getting stuck back because they have created a lot of force with the arms early, trapping the body weight behind.
Lower-handicap players may be focusing more on getting additional speed back into their swings once they have these fundamentals established. Find the lessons that are right for your level.
Again, for coming over the top there are two simple keys: weight shift, and lead arm. Master those and you will never be able to come over the top again. For real-time coaching on your downswing path and weight transfer, try a free AI golf lesson.
Watch part 2 now to see how you're moving your body in the opposite direction of the pros!
The right arm plays a part in over the top swings
At the top with right arm only (left). The right shoulder (center) and arm (right) naturally want to make an over the top movement.
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).
Weight transfer from the right side to the left shallows out the pitch of the shaft.
Weight shift (left) and pull with the left arm (center, right)
Don't do this: Hanging back on the right side and throwing the right arm
