There are few things in golf more frustrating than ruining a solid drive with a lackluster approach. The worst is when you don’t even give the ball a chance with a shot that is poorly struck. It’s a feeling that is all too common for weekend warriors, and it holds them back from consistently shooting lower scores.
There are two main misses when it comes to poor contact: the chunked shot and the thinned shot. We’ve covered what causes a chunked shot, but today we’re going in the opposite direction as we share some advice on how to guard against the top.
In the text below, GOLFTEC’s Director of Teaching Quality Josh Troyer explains what OptiMotion tells us about the causes of topped shots, and offers solutions to fix them.
Why you top the ball
If you’re topping the golf ball, it’s usually not random — there are two common swing faults behind it, and both are fixable.
1. Hips hanging back
One of the biggest issues is poor hip movement during the swing. Instead of shifting the hips toward the target, golfers will hang back, leading to poor low-point control.
“The best players in the world, when they hit, their hips are about 3.1 inches towards the target,” Troyer says. “Golfers who top the golf ball tend to be more away from the target at all of those spots.”
In other words, you’re likely staying too far back. That lack of forward sway causes you to instinctively try to avoid hitting the ground behind the ball — which leads to the next issue.
2. The chicken wing
To avoid chunking the ball, many golfers pull their arms in toward their body — resulting in the dreaded chicken wing.
“They basically are pulling their arms closer to their bodies so that the club doesn’t smash into the ground,” Troyer says. “When you do that and you don’t time it well, that’s when the sweet spot gets too high and you top it.”
You’ve got to keep your arms extended at impact if you want to swing efficiently, and the chicken wing doesn’t allow that.
How do you fix these issues?
One easy fix for the issue of your hips staying back is to pre-set them a touch closer to the target. When you address the ball, try bumping your hips a couple inches closer to the target.
With your hips pre-set like this, try making some smaller half swings. And when you do so, focus on your hips shifting toward the target and keeping your arms extended through impact.
“Try to squeeze your elbows really close together as you go to hit the ball while you push your hips towards the target,” Troyer says.
If you can do that, you’ll be well on your way to eliminating topped shots for good.
If you want to get some expert insights into your swing, book a swing evaluation with GOLFTEC below.
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