Topping the Ball can Be Most Frustrating

There are many basic errors for topping the ball. Let’s go through them and their fixes.

Scooping

The most common error is trying to lift the ball especially on pitch shots. The left wrist bends to the left while the right hand is trying to lift and scoop the shot.

The right side lowers in this motion and can often result in the club head hitting the ground first causing a “fat” shot or topping the ball.

Fix
To cure this action you need to understand that the club is designed to lift the ball without changing the way you swing. Trust it to do this job.

In many respects golf is a game of opposites. If you can understand this statement you will be sure about how to execute any shot.

A good mindset here is, never try and lift the ball, let the club swing down and through it. Imagine you are hitting every shot under some branches and you will most likely hit the ball up into the air.

Right hand grip

I have covered this point in a previous article, but if your right hand is turned too much clockwise on the grip, or under the grip, it will help to top the ball. This position will close your club face and force it upwards over the ball.

Fix
Check the grip position again here.

A very common fault amongst weekend golfers is to place the ball too far forwards off the left foot. Your club is bound to be swinging up too soon because the bottom of your swing is before the contact with the ball resulting in a topped shot.

A ball position too far the other way towards your right foot can also cause topping the ball.

Fix
Take practice swings and notice where the club brushes the ground. That point is where the ball should be placed in the feet.

Should the wrists work independently while the arms are away from the body you will have little chance of good timing nor make a solid strike.

Fix
Keeping the arms together throughout the swing will help the wrists work more in unison with the body turn and arm swing. This is the most consistent way to achieve a more rhythmic swing and solid ball contact.

Usually occurs with short shots. Standing too close to the ball you lose control over the club head because of the arms swing away from your body.

Fix
Stand more erect and “feel” the arms close to each other and the body, this will give them more freedom to move without any compensations from the body.

A common error with balance is having the weight concentrated too much on the toes or heels of the feet at address or during the swing.

You will lose balance during the swing and compensate with the arms to correct it. Most cases the club will return to impact from an outside swing path.

Alternately the weight can move backwards to the right foot when swinging down causing the club head to left up at impact.

Fix
Feel the address position through your posture. I have distinct feelings you should feel here. Take a look.

We have all taken advice at some time to keep our head down. If you over do this it can lead to restricting the body turn through impact.

The body can drop down in this movement and the arms separate, lifting the club with it.

Fix
Keep the head as steady as possible to impact and let the head swivel to the left with the shoulder turn through the ball. Feel the right arm straighten into impact and the club will meet the ball squarely.

The head stays up all the time while the arms extend downwards. Another good feeling is feeling the body staying tall from address to impact. The head will swivel through with the shoulder turn.

A very common problem with topping and hitting thinned shots is straightening the spine angle on the back swing. The causes for this move are lifting the upper body while you are trying to turn on the back swing, straightening the right knee, and too much tension in your hands and arms.

Fix

Check your posture, make sure you are in a good ready to position to move from.

Keep the right knee bent all the time during your swing.Take practice swings making sure you brush the grass or a mat each time. The feeling is you are sitting down on the knee in the back swing.

Be as tension free as possible in your hands and arms, this will help to promote a free arm swing and allow the club freedom to swing. This automatically lengthens the arms due to centrifugal force of swinging the club in the impact area. Tension shortens your swing.

You can find more fixes with topping the ball here.

I am sure one of these fixes will help you and eliminate topping or thinning the ball.


Shoulders too open at impact

This is a common fault if you are too upper body dominant and topping the ball. What happens is, you return to the ball with a dominant shoulder turn on the down swing and this action delays the arm swing pulling the club over the top of the ball.

Fix

Practice the body turn with you arms crossed over your chest. On the down swing transfer the weight to the left foot with a slight sideways move, open the hips as much as you can (towards the target), but keep the shoulders back and feel them parallel to your target at impact.

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