An over-the-top golf swing occurs when a golfer’s upper body is out of sync with his lower body, creating an “outside going in” swing. Correcting for this will allow you to hit the ball squarely with your clubface, reducing the ball’s tendency to go in undesirable directions.
Here are some tips for properly correcting an over-the-top golf swing.
Strengthen your core
Your core muscles are the foundation of strength for both upper and lower body. A weak core will prevent your upper body from delaying as your lower body rotates during your club’s movement, creating an imbalanced swing.
Perform core workouts such as back and abdominal exercises, and repeat sets where you twist your upper body while your legs stay in place.
Maintain the correct grip
Gripping your club too tight is the source of many over-the-top problems. Tense muscles will move and rotate your club in unexpected ways, sending the ball in different directions every time.
Learn to loosen your grip and relax your arm muscles, holding the club just enough to prevent it from slipping away from your hands throughout the swing. Try opening your hand then re-gripping your club to relax your muscles, or letting your club shift like a pendulum while you are gripping it.
Correct your posture
Novices usually being their posture with looking at the ball by crooking their necks and shoulders, instead of bending at the hips.
The proper posture is straightening their necks and shoulders then tilting the hips. This sets up the club into one plane throughout the entire swing.
Avoid the reverse pivot
A reverse pivot is when you distribute too much of your weight on your forward leg, forcing you to shift your weight during the downswing and throwing off your plane. Resist the urge with your lower body and coil with your torso, instead.
Drop your left shoulder
Perform this during your downswing, letting your arms fall down as you turn. Keep your neck level at all times.
Clip your arms near your body
Think about pinning a book to your body with each arm during your back swing. Allow your upper body to move with your arms as the swing develops.
This improved form will train your arms to follow your body and maintain the same rotational speed instead of moving independently, creating an uncoordinated swing. By keeping your arms close to your body as you swing, it’s very unlikely you’ll perform an over-the-top swing.
Perform the hula hoop drill
Grip a hula hoop the same way you do a club. Slowly move your hands to the top as if performing a back swing, keeping the hoop in the same plane at all times.
Afterwards, swing the hoop down completely while maintaining the plane. Repeat this drill until you know the feel of a proper swing that remains in a single plane.
By performing these drills repeatedly, you will train your body to avoid swinging over-the-top. You may need to break down your swing into several components then correct each to improve your swing as a whole.