Topping The Golf Ball: 3 Ways To Start Hitting It Solid Today

Topping The Golf Ball

Stop topping the golf ball today

Do you regularly hit topped golf shots that trickle off the tee block and barely make it onto the fairway? If this sounds like you then you've probably been searching for ways how to stop topping the golf ball. Most beginner golfers at some point struggle with topping the golf ball. This shot is probably the worst in golf as it usually has no power or distance and results in a poorly played hole. Image credit of CSG Hoodies.

The golf ball misses the sweet spot entirely and leaves you with a very empty, frustrating feeling.

There are many reasons why you top the golf ball, and I'll go through the 3 most important ones here and how to fix them.

Learn the simple methods of the Perfect Golf Swing system like I did to not only eliminate your topped golf shots but improve your entire golf swing.

It's easy to implement and can be mastered in just 15 minutes regardless of your current handicap or limited practice time.

>> If you like this, you'll also like: 6 Secrets How to Break 100 in Golf Without Lessons

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3 SECRET MOVES I WISH I WAS SHOWN WHEN I FIRST PLAYED GOLF

 

What do topped golf shots look like why they happen

I get asked a lot from golfers "why do I top the ball in golf"? Firstly, you need to understand what an actual topped golf shot looks like. The golf ball is hit on an ascending arc and only catches the top half of the golf ball which results in it trickling over the tee and usually only a very short distance.

Arguably, it's the worst shot in golf to hit and possibly even worse than a golf shank. You can find a great golf shank fix here.

Topping the golf ball happens for 3 mains reasons of which I've provided more detail and fixes below.

  1. Coming out of posture and losing spine angle

  2. Coming over the top and too much out to in

  3. Poor balance and not shifting your weight correctly


1. Maintain your spine angle

The most common reason for topping the golf ball is when golfers come out of their posture or lose their spine angle during the golf swing. What I mean is at set up you should have a nice posture with your back bent at the waist and arms hanging comfortably over the shoulders.

Imagine setting up to a golf ball with your butt up against a chair or wall.

During the golf swing, your butt needs to stay up against the chair or wall to maintain your golf posture.

Most golfers during the golf swing (especially the downswing) push the butt forward towards the ball, they stand up and then struggle to hit the ball.

This almost always will result in a topped golf shot unless you make some sort of compensation to overcome this position.

 

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW THAT DEMONSTRATES HOW TO STOP TOPPING THE GOLF BALL:

 

2. Understanding your strike location

Another common way golfers top the golf ball is they perform an over the top golf swing and come in too steep at the golf ball. A steep downswing leads to more of an outside to inside swing path which makes it difficult to strike the golf ball solid.

A great way to test this out and see if it might be your problem is to do this:

Place a golf iron or wood cover about 6 inches behind the ball and also about 3 inches above the ball. 

Make practice swings or even real swings and try not to hit the iron or wood covers.

If you do then it's likely you're coming over the top and need to practice a lot more to fix.

 

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW WHERE I DEMONSTRATE HOW TO FIX YOUR OVER THE TOP GOLF SWING:

 

3. Maintain balance

Having great balance is vital to a good golf swing and poor balance is another reason golfers struggle to stop topping the golf ball. Here's a great drill you can practice at home that ties in with the 1st method talked about above. Place a chair behind your butt and practice making golf swings with your butt still against the chair until just after the impact position of the golf swing.

Do this for about 100 repetitions until it feels natural as it will be uncomfortable at first and will require plenty of practice.

After you've done all the repetitions you can progress up to hitting golf balls with half swings whilst still maintaining the butt against the chair. 

Work your way up to hitting full shots and feel like you're balanced and finishing with your weight on your left side (lead side) after the follow-through. 

If you can do the chair drill successfully you'll continue to strike the ball solid time after time eliminating any topped golf shots from your game.


What you need to do now

So the real key to stopping topping the golf ball is to maintain your posture and spine angle throughout the golf swing.

This is absolutely vital if you want to become a consistent golfer and hit solid golf shots.

All great players keep and maintain their posture throughout the golf swing.

If you’re struggling with topping the golf ball perform the chair drill and the iron cover drill and I am certain you will start to hit the golf ball well again.


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