First, I don’t use this term since it does not occur using Large Muscles to control the golf swing, but I get asked how to fix this often. Here is a quick definition of how you develop this problem and how to prevent it from happening.
Q: Ross, Whats the easiest way to stop coming over the top and also to get more power
A: The most common reason for a need to have a “Coming Over the Top” recovery move, is that the takeaway came inside, usually do to the hands taking over and pulling the club inside and (or) the hips over rotating on their own during the backswing that adds to the problem. Result… the club is too far behind you.
The Correct Move: If you push the club straight back and up, using the front shoulder, you will be in an ideal position to use your lower body (hips) to start the downswing and unwind all the way to face the target. This removes the need for the over the top move. It also removes the need to hit at the ball with the hands. Just unwind and hit the ball with your body turn.
Temporary Help: While you are learning your new takeaway, if you Start the Downswing using the hips to unwind, your over the top move will be controlled and go along for the ride. Now you will still be returning from the inside (not good), but your over the top problem will be in check. Also be aware this will create a new ball flight but it’s a start. The Real Key… fix your takeaway and backswing.
One last thing… yes more power since the shoulders will control winding up against the lower body resisting… MUCH MORE POWER!
Here are some great drills that will help:
Large Muscles Drill
The Ross Move
Front Foot Drill
Straight Arm Drill
2 Comments
I will try in words but a video is in order on this one…
The reason I said “not good” is that the club does not come from anywhere into the ball. It is not redirected with the hands to be on some arbitrary path or plane on the backswing… or taken away to the inside so it can return in to out. These kinds of thoughts are what have most golfers struggling. If you think the club comes from some direction into the ball, you’ll use your hands, arms or hips to get it to a place in the backswing, that will allow it to return how you were told it should be coming from. This disconnects the arms from the body and loses the athletic connection. You would not see a football quarterback take his arm inside behind himself. He just turns his shoulders back a little the unwinds from ground up. If you are truly using the large muscles, in this case the shoulders, to carry the arms and club up to the top of the backswing… and then all the way to the finish, the arms and club stay essentially in front of the body both directions. What I mean is, as the shoulders turn away 90 degrees, your arms are still in front of your chest extended away from the body, they are not across your chest and behind you. The real key is to not let the arms or hands get evolved. Use the shoulders to push the arms and club to the top and then the athletic unwinding to bring them back down keeping them in front of the body all the way to the finish. The width of this entire trip is very narrow. I will put this on my list for a new video this spring to show you …Ross
Hi Ross,
In the Temporary Help section above, you talk about ‘still returning from the inside’ which you say is ‘not good’, I don’t understand this as I thought it was correct to come back to the ball slightly from the inside. Maybe this ties in with the thought of going straight back and up on the back swing. Can you explain please?
Best Regard’s,
Dave Wade