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Are you an over the top swinger?

I used to be. Now I'm a steady in to out. I hit down on it pretty hard though so a lot are hit very high on the face... no bueno.
 
VA. Vince said:
For me it's the start of my downswing. Casting 101, swing hard and I cast or Come OTT. When I can relax its not perfect but really changes to a more inside out swing. It can make the game of golf very frustrating when I hit massive pulls, divots literally pointing way left. It's a work in progress to correct and I will get it done but damn it can be frustrating.
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I wasnt sure what u meant at first. Thought when u said OTT that u possibly meant it as just an expression for swinging too fast but realize ur talking about being too perpendicular or too much over your head. Correct if wrong.

Last summer at one point i started slicing irons which I never realy did before and was also feeling uncomfortable with my iron swing at adress. And one day i noticed (like you) that my divots were pointing left too. And I never had an OTT swing at all but practicing in the park one day I was trying to figure it out.

Thats when I rrealized a couple things. I was letting my right elbow fly out. Well when I tucked it in, all a sudden the divots straightened out and was back to swinging straight again. No more left pointing dinots. I also realized that for some reason i had also gradually started to stand closer to (more over) the ball at adress along with the fact that my elbow was fying out. I wasnt comfortable anymore in my stance or my swing.

I dont know which mistake lead to the other. Dont know if I was gradually standing closer because I was flying my elbow or if i was flying the elbow because I stood too close. But regardless, once i kept the elbow from flying I stopped the slicing, straightened the divots and felt much more comfy in my stance at address and not so much over the ball. It did the trick. Was nice to see straight divots again and no more iron slice and feeling comfy again.

and now my game is perfect, my cap dropped to single digits and everything....LOL.....But really, just perhaps what i found to be my issues may help you too. The elbow flying and/or standing too close or both. Just some thouts there.

Just a side note - IMO theres difference in swinging hard vs swinging fast to gain speed. For me, Swing hard leads to tensing up, pushing with the right too much vs pulling with the left, being all over with the club, among other things, which by the way just may lead to a flying elbow. Swing fast means relaxed, comfy, and gaining speed from being loose. A much better scenario.
 
I suffer from an over the top move and like most of you it can be even worse when I really try to go after it. I have really been working on just taking the club back and letting my body move my hand through impact, and honestly I have been seeing better results when I just swing freely and not try and guide it so much.
 
I still fight it from time to time but have improved. Here is an optional video to see if it can help, but nothing beats one on one lessons.
Spoiler
[video=youtube_share;w16Nal6t-3c]http://youtu.be/w16Nal6t-3c[/video]
 
I do it more often than I'd like. It isn't constant, but a few wild shots and I know I'm doing it again.

I usually take a backswing, and the lightbulb comes on when I notice how horrifically high my hands are. Drop the hands, change the plane, and suddenly I'm on the fairway again.
 
I used to come over the top a lot. Now I'm much better when I focus. My problem comes when I take a lazy swing that I mean to be an easy swing. I get inside early and then release my wrists too early. It always ends up in a weak slice that goes (unsurprisingly) about 30 yards short and 30 yards right of where I was aiming. Really annoying. I think this year I'm going to try and avoid 'easy' swings and see if it keeps me from these lazy slices. My normal aggressive swing is usually a slight draw.
 
I've fought this in the past but I think I have gotten much better with it but it creeps back once in a while. I have other issues to make up for it though.
 
Actually, I talked to the pro where I go, and he played on a few mini tours, and worked with some better golfers, and he flat out told me many pro's are slightly over the top, and it's not always a big deal. Looking at some video closely you can sometimes see this. Now, I'm not talking about the huge, loopey over the top swing I see out there at times - including myself!
 
I to come over the top when I let my hips trail instead of lead. I played yesterday and hit the ball terrible. The high school senior I was playing with told me my upper body was way ahead of my hips. Thx to him for the tip and the help.
 
I will get OTT if I get rushed. I think the key for me is to make a nice full shoulder turn and keep everything in tempo. After watching Fred Couples warm up a few months back I've been using the "swing like Freddy C" swing thought, to great effect.
 
I'm no golf pro, but I wanted to pass along what my pro and I have been working on to correct this:

A lot of golfers (including me) go about trying to fix this the wrong way. They believe that to swing more inside-out, they need to start the club more inside. As my pro explained it, that's the worst thing you can do. If you get yourself stuck too far inside, the only way you can get back to the ball with a mostly-square face is over-the-top, out-to-in and a chicken wing.

To swing more inside-out, you have to start the club more outside. That gives you room to drop it in "the slot" on the way down. Keep in mind though that even if you exaggerate the outside takeaway, it's likely not near as dramatic as it feels. On the downswing, you just concentrate on that "swing to right field' feeling.

Anyhow, just wanted to pass this along because it's paying dividends for me. My high fades are starting to become pushes. As my pro says, a push or a pull we can deal with, and are actually a good sign. After all, that just means (most commonly) that the face was a bit open or closed. That's far easier to deal with than the out-to-in path, which puts all that spin on the ball and causes the fade/slice. Most importantly, by getting the path correct, you're reducing your dispersion. Misses become 10 yards offline rather than 30.

Hope it helps someone.
 
Nice tip Wade. I have really been working on trying to drop the club in the slot. I still cant get comfortable with the idea of swinging out to LF (RF for rightys) but I am trying
 
I used to have this problem all the time until I changed 3 things in my downswing I have little by little overcome this.

1. Slow down. When I have the grip it n rip it mentality I almost always come OTT.
2. Feel as if you are pulling the butt of the club down towards the ball. This will explain better. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwHzCOTjboI
3. As mentioned earlier feel as if you swing towards first base.

These helped me. Good luck
 
I have had the OTT problem for way too long. I will try some of these tips. Thanks guys!
 
wadesworld said:
I'm no golf pro, but I wanted to pass along what my pro and I have been working on to correct this:

A lot of golfers (including me) go about trying to fix this the wrong way. They believe that to swing more inside-out, they need to start the club more inside. As my pro explained it, that's the worst thing you can do. If you get yourself stuck too far inside, the only way you can get back to the ball with a mostly-square face is over-the-top, out-to-in and a chicken wing.

To swing more inside-out, you have to start the club more outside. That gives you room to drop it in "the slot" on the way down. Keep in mind though that even if you exaggerate the outside takeaway, it's likely not near as dramatic as it feels. On the downswing, you just concentrate on that "swing to right field' feeling.

Anyhow, just wanted to pass this along because it's paying dividends for me. My high fades are starting to become pushes. As my pro says, a push or a pull we can deal with, and are actually a good sign. After all, that just means (most commonly) that the face was a bit open or closed. That's far easier to deal with than the out-to-in path, which puts all that spin on the ball and causes the fade/slice. Most importantly, by getting the path correct, you're reducing your dispersion. Misses become 10 yards offline rather than 30.

Hope it helps someone.
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Yeah bringing the club back to the inside makes it worse


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk 2
 
i first started golf last june. i was so over the top trying to kill everyball lol, i didnt understand the golf swing:banghead:. now i have a slight idea of what i need to do :bulgy-eyes:. IMO i believe the hips will should start the down swing.
a few swing thoughts that i think about, when im practicing.

i am right handed.first i just go through motion like im skipping a rock. i want that right elbow no matter where it is, to shoot down twarads my right hip.
then i think about my hips. my personal way,is to feel like im flexing my right butt cheek and my right obliq.
i want to keep my forearms as close to gether as i can(this has helped me release the club well) keep my grip relaxed a bit.

so when i adress the ball,i try to replace where my right shoulder was with my left shoulder, then i set my wrists by pushing the butt of the shaft as far away from me as i can. i keep my right knee flexed and dont let it straigten out. once i am at the top of my backswing. i think about flexing my right butt cheek and flex my obliq in an aggesive manner, which for me, fires my right elbow towards my hip. (i almost want to feel like im catching my arms off guard.)
then i make sure my head stays behind the ball and i get a full club release. i dont want to feel like im using my arms or shoulders. basically a good hard hip fire, keep my head behind the ball and release my hands.

it seems like a lot. but it really isnt. i just take my time at the range and evaluate each shot. make sure i stick to what has been working for me. and i belive its been working. in the last 9 months iv gone from shooting in the 120's to the 80's and its only march:act-up:

hope this helps somebody!!!
 
Anyone have a good image or explanation of where exactly "in the slot" position is? Is it with arms parallel to the ground, shaft on plane in the downswing?
 
Tbonafide said:
Anyone have a good image or explanation of where exactly "in the slot" position is? Is it with arms parallel to the ground, shaft on plane in the downswing?
Click to expand...

Google it and you'll find lots of pictures, but my understanding is that when at address, imagine your club shaft is lying on a plane. That plane represents the slot that you want your hands and shaft to get back on during the downswing. If your hands/shaft are on top of that plane/slot, you're coming 'over the top', and if your hands/shaft are underneath that plane/slot, you are coming from inside too much.

Swing+Slotting+Hip-Plane1a.png
 
I was when I first started and was a hacker, haven't had the OTT move in years.

Lots of drills to work my way out of it early on helped tremendously.
 
wadesworld said:
I'm no golf pro, but I wanted to pass along what my pro and I have been working on to correct this:

A lot of golfers (including me) go about trying to fix this the wrong way. They believe that to swing more inside-out, they need to start the club more inside. As my pro explained it, that's the worst thing you can do. If you get yourself stuck too far inside, the only way you can get back to the ball with a mostly-square face is over-the-top, out-to-in and a chicken wing.

To swing more inside-out, you have to start the club more outside. That gives you room to drop it in "the slot" on the way down. Keep in mind though that even if you exaggerate the outside takeaway, it's likely not near as dramatic as it feels. On the downswing, you just concentrate on that "swing to right field' feeling.

Anyhow, just wanted to pass this along because it's paying dividends for me. My high fades are starting to become pushes. As my pro says, a push or a pull we can deal with, and are actually a good sign. After all, that just means (most commonly) that the face was a bit open or closed. That's far easier to deal with than the out-to-in path, which puts all that spin on the ball and causes the fade/slice. Most importantly, by getting the path correct, you're reducing your dispersion. Misses become 10 yards offline rather than 30.

Hope it helps someone.
Click to expand...

If I go outside the line on the backswing I shank everything.
 
Great responses guys. It is something I have battled for years and really need to work on. A lot of easily understood tips in here.
 
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