The Over the Top Golf Swing - Tips to Get it Back on Plane

Probably the most common swing fault in amateurthem slightly right of the target. This will encourage
golf is the over the top golf swing. This swing planean inside out shot.
can result in slices, pulls and even whiffs. So what isAnother very common mistake is made in the
an over the top golf swing. Basically it is atakeaway. Rather than letting the shoulders take the
combination of bad techniques that causes the golferclub away, many golfers us their hands resulting in an
to come "over the top" of the original swing plane onincredibly flat swing plane. By the time they get to
the downswing. When the club goes off the originalthe top of the swing, the golfer has to compensate
swing plane, heaven only knows how, or even if, thefor the flat arc and comes over the top with an
clubface is going to strike the ball.outside in swing.
So why does this happen.The solution is simply to takeaway as one unit. Arms,
The golf swing is really a chain reaction. It starts atshoulders and hips bringing the club back on the
the set up. The way you set up will influence theproper plane. An easy drill to test this is simply
take away which will influence where the club is atputting a second ball just behind your first. Leave just
waist level which will influence the top of the swingenough room for the club face. Now when you take
which will influence; well you get the idea. A commonthe club back, see where that second ball went. If it
mistake at set up is having the shoulders aimed leftwent right you have too flat a takeaway. If it went
of the target line. Even if you made a perfect swing,to the extreme left, you are starting a too steep
the swing plane is going to end up being outside in asswing. If it goes just a little left, then you're on the
you bring the club along the line formed by yourway to a correct swing plane.
shoulders.So if you can set up properly and control your
So the first remedy for over the top golf swing is totakeaway, you are well on your way to curing the
insure that your shoulders are aligned with the restover the top golf swing.
of your body. If you aren't certain that they are, aim