Topped shots

[Capella]

I am sure we all hit a top once in a while. But I find that I have days when I top absolutely every shot I hit, from driver over full iron to chip shot. No matter what I try, I seem to be unable to reach the ground with my golf club. It is as if I have been somehow tyrannus rexified and my arms have grown shorter. It drives me nuts. Other days everything is fine. Any ideas what might be causing this?
:swing:

 

[Yant]

The obvious answer and the one most people will give you will be that you are lifting your head. Which may well be the case. But in most cases that i see (even when i hear the player shout at themselves "Damn it i lifted my head again") it isn't actually the case at all.

When i see someone topping the ball it's usually caused by a combination of a change in spine angle which means that the club doesn't return to the ball along the same arc that it was taken away on, and, more commonly, caused by not transferring weight from the right side to the left side (right handed golfer). Players leaving their weight on their right side (or back foot) will be more likely to top the ball.

 

[Roops]

I've topped a few in my time and if I now hit bad shots they are normally thin/low groovers. For me the issue has always been lack of weight transfer to the left, coupled with a swing path that is in to out. This will mean that any slight tightness in the hands arms shortens the muscles enough to create a thin hit. If you swing in to out, the club will be going up very soon after reaching the low point if you don't transfer your weight left. If you swing out to in, it's more of a downward strike with the club going left, with only a little weight transfer you will probably get away with it.

I have worked a lot on my weight transfer, step across drills, ball outside left foot etc etc. These are all good to get you moving left. The other thing that has helped is really thinking about your right hip going behind you at take away, then a gentle lean to the left just prior to starting the downswing. If you watch slow mo vids of tour players this is pretty much the move most make. It really loads up the left side and gets the weight going in the right direction.

HTH.

 

[YamiKuriboh]

Any ideas what might be causing this?

Happens to me all the time, especially at the start of the round. For me it is because I fail to get my weight forward so the bottom of my swing is before the ball - I hit the ball on the upstroke causing a top that rolls 50-60 yards on the ground.

A tip I use is to focus on a point an inch to the left of the ball (I am right handed) and try and hit that instead of the ball. As I am aiming left of the ball I tend to hit the ball more on the downstroke.

 

[Doh]

Look at Early Extention loads of YouTube vids on this.

 

[jim8flog]

Most of my tops come from swaying to the left (right hander) rather than a weight transfer to the left which means the point a which the club reaches the bottom of the arc has moved forward by a couple of inches.

 

[Orikoru]

I've topped a few in my time and if I now hit bad shots they are normally thin/low groovers. For me the issue has always been lack of weight transfer to the left, coupled with a swing path that is in to out. This will mean that any slight tightness in the hands arms shortens the muscles enough to create a thin hit. If you swing in to out, the club will be going up very soon after reaching the low point if you don't transfer your weight left. If you swing out to in, it's more of a downward strike with the club going left, with only a little weight transfer you will probably get away with it.

I have worked a lot on my weight transfer, step across drills, ball outside left foot etc etc. These are all good to get you moving left. The other thing that has helped is really thinking about your right hip going behind you at take away, then a gentle lean to the left just prior to starting the downswing. If you watch slow mo vids of tour players this is pretty much the move most make. It really loads up the left side and gets the weight going in the right direction.

HTH.

I think Stenson is one of the best for that, the weight transfer. Great to watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XTdsv5AI28

 

[Lord Tyrion]

My FiL does this a lot. He bobs up and down between his back swing and down swing so it is no great surprise when it happens, although for some reason it shocks him every time . The diversity of answers on here already suggests you may have to see a pro to find out what it is that makes you do it.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

I think overswinging is a big cause.

A shorter more compact swing, with a sole focus of making solid contact with the ball is much better when having problems with ball striking.

 

[ScienceBoy]

The bottom of the swing has moved backwards to behind the ball.

Usually it's moved inwards/outwards a little too so you don't take a divot.

All you have to do is bottom out the swing after the ball.

Tops and fats can be very close, usually one is where you try to not do the other and do or don't smash into the turf before the ball.

That's my understanding anway

 

[Beezerk]

Scared of hitting it fat, anxious of where the ball is going to end up so looking up too quickly, swinging too hard?
Once it sets in it's hard to get out of your mind, I think you just have to play through it and trust in your swing rather than trying to force it.
Sorry not technical at all but there you go

 

[williamalex1]

I am sure we all hit a top once in a while. But I find that I have days when I top absolutely every shot I hit, from driver over full iron to chip shot. No matter what I try, I seem to be unable to reach the ground with my golf club. It is as if I have been somehow tyrannus rexified and my arms have grown shorter. It drives me nuts. Other days everything is fine. Any ideas what might be causing this?
:swing:

Did you remember to change out of your high heels

 

[ScienceBoy]

I think overswinging is a big cause.

A shorter more compact swing, with a sole focus of making solid contact with the ball is much better when having problems with ball striking.

I would be careful of using the word compact as my interpretation of that relates to one of the causes of my poor shots. When I have "width" rather than being compact I hit straight solid shots.

Of course me saying the word "width" should come with the same warning!

 

[Capella]

Did you remember to change out of your high heels

Damn, how could I miss that ...:rofl:

No, seriously though. Most of the issues you guys are mentioning are things I am aware of and have been working on a lot this year. And I ususally have a nice solid contact with my irons now, including a little, ladylike divot after the ball. It is more that on some days, even though I try to keep all that stuff in mind (keeping spine angle, creating lag, slow and shorten the backswing etc.) I just totally can't get it to work. Like I think with all my mind to hit the ball and then the ground, but I just can't get myself to do it (not even in my practice swing, or, as I said, in my chip shots). It is as if my perception of height is off.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

I would be careful of using the word compact as my interpretation of that relates to one of the causes of my poor shots. When I have "width" rather than being compact I hit straight solid shots.

Of course me saying the word "width" should come with the same warning!

Compact to me means not letting arms and body becoming disconnected - i.e. confusing continued arm movement with turn.

 

[Roops]

Try this. If you can, find an old divot and put the ball in it, or some soft ground and press the ball down into it. You have to hit down and through to get a solid contact, it should get the feel back of hitting down and through.

 

[GreggerKBR]

Does this tend to happen when you under pressure
Or just any time?

 

[YamiKuriboh]

I found this video really helpful in controlling my own frequent tops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pemswD4SRIA

 

[Capella]

Does this tend to happen when you under pressure
Or just any time?

Not golf related pressure at least. It happened to me yesterday for example. I went to the course to play 9-holes after work. I was playing on my own, so no pressure whatsoever. But I did not hit any warm up shots. Normally I always start out with a bit of short game practice first (I found that that really helps my confidence and my ball striking more than hitting balls on the range before a round), but I skippped that yesterday because I did not have that much time for my round, so I jumped right to the first tee. It was very windy yesterday, so hitting thin shots wasn't the worst that could happen and I got around okay, but it was annoying that even though I tried all the usual remedies (shorter backswing, focus on a point behind the ball etc. which usually work for me) I kept missing the ground.

 

[Orikoru]

It sounds like you need longer arms. Or shorter legs.