Topping & Thin Shot ~ The Truth!

What’s wrong with this picture? Why is the club past ball? That’s what a topped shot looks like!

Topping the ball is an extremely frustrating and embarrassing thing to do out on the golf course. It is a very common fault among beginners, but also can be seen occasionally among tour players. The most common cause is a flat swing or a change in spine angle from address. I see this problem a lot among my students. Some symptoms include:

Baseball-Like Swing

Especially with irons, a swing that is too flat (baseball-like) will have a hard time making solid contact with the ball. For beginners who lack the hand-eye coordination to get back down to the ball, a flat swing can create a lot of frustration. Work on trying to make your swing a little more upright (hands behind your head at the top of your backswing, not your back), so that each practice swing makes contact with the ground.

Too Much Knee Flexion

When your knees are bent too much, it leads to an unstable base of support. Without a solid base, your entire body will move up and down with the swinging of the club. This will cause your spine angle to change, which makes getting to the right impact position nearly impossible. Your knees should be unlocked only, never bent! Be sure to give whoever tells you to “bend your knees” a good smack, because they are dead wrong.

Tucked in Chin

If you chin is tucked in towards your chest at address, when you swing back your shoulders cannot rotate under your chin properly. Since you chin is in the way of your shoulders, your body to lifts up; this changes your spine angle. At address your chin should up and relaxed. Ideally, it should be aligned with your spine angle, so get it off your chest!

After knowing these common causes, ask yourself, could this be why I top it or hit it thin?

Take this knowledge to the course and give yourself a personal lesson guys!

Be sure to visit The Golf Drill Guru for all your golf instruction needs!

Related posts:

1. The Truth About Bunkers
2. Casting ~ The Truth!