Easily Fix Your Over The Top Golf Swing
The dreaded over the top golf swing, and how to fix it without one more golf lesson.
When we all start this crazy game of golf, it seems we have the wrong idea of how to hit the ball. And the key word is HIT. You see…the golf is a SWING not a hit, so if we have it in our mind we are going to HIT the ball, our mind will tell us to get to the ball as quick as we can, and that is usually the over the top golf swing.
When our eyes are fixed on the ball, we instinctively want to get at it, to HIT IT, to smack it with our hands first. Unfortunately that doesn’t work too well does it? In fact, this is counter-productive to a solid shot in golf.
The best analogy for the golf swing is throwing a rock side arm. Remember when we were kids and we found the flattest rocks and could throw them all day long skipping them across the water? Look at what your body is doing when you throw the rock.
The most critical part is your lower body is leading the way. Then your hips, your core, shoulders and lastly your hand throwing the rock. This is exactly how the golf swing should feel. Like a side arm baseball throw.
The next time you go to the range, before you hit one ball, pick up a golf ball and throw it out in the range side arm. Remember that feeling, and then start hitting balls with the shorter clubs first, so you can repeat this motion. Get it built into your body, so you really know what it should feel like.
If you still can’t do it with your golf club, I can almost bet you have a flexibility (and strength) issue in your core rotational movement. Because the golf swing seems to many as a very unnatural movement, your body actually gets in the way of you swinging the club.
Does that make sense?
I know I’ve fought a lateral slide in my golf swing and I personally need to focus on rotating very early in my golf swing. That’s just me though.
But if you cannot lead your downswing with the lower body first, while staying back with your upper body, you have a physical limitation in your core area that needs to be addressed right away. If you don’t take care of the physical limitation, you will most likely struggle with this swing fault for a very long time.
Doing stretches where your lower body is held still while your rotate your upper body to one side then the other is an easy way to improve your core rotational flexibility. This is a must if you want to fix your over the top golf swing.
Improving your core strength will also allow you to aggressively rotate your lower body first from the top of the downswing while keeping your upper body back for a split second. This allows you to get the lower body out of the way so you can drop your club into the proper slot, coming from the inside. Get this right, and you will NEVER swing over the top again.
