The ‘over the top’ swing is the most common problem move in golf. First
of all describing the ‘over the top’ move is simply someone who swings the club on an in path as they swing through the shot. For a right handed golfer that means swinging it toward the left as they swing through and for a left hander it means swinging toward the right. The result of the ’over the top’ move is a pull shot to the left and a slice shot to the right. The causes of this move are a combination of factors. First of all the alignment. Typically someone with this move has one part of heir body aiming left whether it be the shoulders, hips, knees or feet. Alignment greatly influences swing path.
The other is a steep back swing. When someone swings the club too upright, they tend to swing on an inside path on the downswing which causes that ball to start to the left. Vice Versa if someone swings it a long way inside on the backswing, the natural response on the way down is a move that causes the club to be thrown away from the body resulting in the club travelling on an inside path again. Lastly and the most common cause of the ‘over the top’ is an overactive upper half. A lot of people as a result of the club being attached to their arms, try and hit the ball with the upper half and forgetting to use their legs.
The result of not using the legs to start the down swing causes the club to be thrown away from the body and thus working down on an inside path resulting in that dreaded slice. Now to fix this ‘over the top’ move first of all the alignment has to be parallel to your intended line. Second you need to make a good turn and third you must start the down swing with the legs keeping the hands behind the body as long as possible aiming to swing out toward the right on the way through. If you imagine a clock face, an ‘over the top’ move is similar to swinging toward 10 o’clock. The solution once the legs have been activated is to then practice swinging toward 2 o’clock.
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