Advice On How To Stop Topping The Golf Ball
Let’s face it; we’ve all been there. You feel sure that you’re in the middle of a good swing, and the next thing you know, you’ve topped the ball, and it’s dribbling away from you.
Topping the golf ball is one of the most common problems that golfers, especially beginners, face. It occurs when the clubhead makes contact with the upper half of the golf ball instead of striking it squarely in the center. This leads to a low, weak shot that often rolls along the ground rather than achieving the desired lift and distance. Topping the ball can be incredibly frustrating, but understanding why it happens is the first step to correcting it.
Luckily, there are a few simple adjustments you can make to your swing that should help you stop topping the golf ball and get you on your way to making good contact more often than not.
So, let’s take a look at the most likely reasons that you’re hitting topped shots and delve into the best ways to address this.
The Reasons You’re Topping The Golf Ball
Posture
Many golfers have a tendency to stand too upright or too far away from the ball, which can cause them to swing on a path that makes contact with the top of the ball rather than its center
It may seem simple, but this one of the most common reasons that golfers hit fat or thin shots is that the angle of their spine and their posture doesn’t stay consistent throughout their golf swing.
To consistently make the right contact with the ball, you need to maintain correct posture during the whole of the swing.
The ideal posture is to have flexed knees, stay bent at the waist, keep your back straight, and keep your arms hanging loose.
If you maintain the right posture for the whole swing, you will start making better contact with the ball.
Early Head Movement
Lifting your head too early to see where the ball is going can cause your body to rise slightly during the swing, leading to a topped shot.
Stance
Adopting the correct stance is crucial to avoiding topped shots, especially when you have an awkward lie and are hitting the ball uphill.
Leaning downhill after you’ve hit the ball will give your swing a heavy upward arc which is one of the best ways to make sure you hit a topped shot. To avoid this, you keep your shoulders sloped instead of level.
Short Club
If you’re using a golf club that is too short for your game,i you’ll be reaching for the ball, which will negatively affect your stance and posture, which will lead to you topping the ball.
Swing Path Issues
An outside-in swing path can cause the club to cut across the ball rather than making clean contact. This often results in topped shots, as the club is not striking the ball in the right place.
Reverse Pivot / Poor Weight Transfer
Failing to shift your weight correctly during the swing can result in a loss of balance and improper contact with the ball. For example, if your weight stays too far back on your right side (for a right-handed golfer), the clubhead will likely hit the top of the ball.
The reverse pivot is one of the most common causes of topped shots. This is caused by a poor weight shift during the swing and leads to you pivoting off your front foot instead of your back foot, causing you to hit up over the top of the ball. To avoid this, you should keep your knees flexed and your feet wide when at the address position.
Scooping Instead of Hitting Down
Some golfers try to help the ball into the air by scooping with their hands, which can lead to the clubhead rising too early and making contact with the top of the ball.
Avoiding the Ground
Another common reason that you might be hitting topped shots is that you’re overcompensating for catching too much ground with your golf swing.
This is especially common in beginner or high handicap golfers who overcorrect their swing, which then results in their catching the top of the ball.
Easiest Ways To Stop Topping The Golf Ball
Pendulum swing arc
To improve your swing arc, you should try to emulate a pendulum’s motion. The top of the grip on your golf club should act as the fixed point while the rest of the club swings below it.
A good golf swing is when the arc bottoms out at the same point each time you do it leading to solid contact with the ball.
Keep your head steady
So many golfers find it difficult to keep a steady head as they swing, but it’s crucial to ensure you don’t top the ball.
During the backswing and downswing, there should be as little head movement as possible, as any movement will make it harder to return the club to where it needs to be.
If you’re a right-handed golfer, you may be tempted to move your head to the right, but this will throw off your swing and make it harder to square the club again.
Correct hand placement
As part of your pre-shot routine, you should always check that your hands are in the correct position. Your hands should be in a slight forward press rather than back at address.
Having your hands in this position will improve your overall golf game as it will help you to hit down on the golf ball rather than trying to lift it.
Hit down on the ball
A lot of golfers mistakenly believe that to get the golf ball into the air; you need to hit it underneath. However, it would help if you actually hit down on the ball by making contact with it first and then the ground.
Only hitting the ball will result in a topped shot, and hitting the ground before the ball means you’ll hit a fat golf shot.
To address this, make sure your weight moves forward onto your lead foot on your downswing. This will cause your swing to divot at impact, which will result in a downward blow to the ball and then the ground.
Easiest Ways To Stop Topping The Golf Ball With A Fairway Wood
Adjust tempo
One of the surest ways to top a golf ball with a fairway wood such as the 3 wood or 5 wood is to try and hit it too hard. You’re more likely to grip the club too tightly when you do this, making you tense up and disrupting the entire swing.
Make sure you’re not trying to kill the ball and focus on developing a consistent and steady tempo instead.
Correct ball position
To prevent topping when you hit fairway woods from the turf, one of the most important things to get right is your ball position.
The best position is to place the ball between 1 and 2 ball lengths behind the inside of your leading foot. This will make it easier for you to have the right attack angle so that you can hit down on the ball.
Even when using fairway woods, you still want to make a divot and hit the ball and then the ground.
Low club head
Another good method to avoid hitting topped shots is to have a low and slow takeaway. You should keep your club head nice and low and make sure that you don’t rush the takeaway.
If you keep your backswing low and slow, it’ll make it easier to return to the club, and you should start hitting a lot of good golf shots.
The right lie
Fairway woods aren’t meant to be used in tight lies or out of the rough, so in these situations, it’s a better idea to use a higher loft wood.
However, if you are going to use a fairway wood from the rough, there are a couple of adjustments you can make to make it less likely that you’ll top the ball.
Make sure that you have a harder grip than usual so that the clubface stays square, and also open the clubface a little at the address to help keep the hosel open.
Golf Circuit's Helpful Drills
To correct the issue of topping the ball, it's crucial to focus on your posture, swing mechanics, and the correct sequence of movements. Below are some effective drills we think that can help you address the problem:
- The Towel Drill:
- Purpose: This drill helps ensure that you are making solid contact with the ball and not lifting the club too early.
- How to Do It:
- Place a small towel a few inches behind the ball on the ground.
- Your goal is to hit the ball without disturbing the towel. This forces you to make a downward strike on the ball, promoting proper contact.
- Start with short, controlled swings and gradually work your way up to full swings.
- Head-Down Drill:
- Purpose: This drill trains you to keep your head still throughout the swing, which helps in making solid contact with the ball.
- How to Do It:
- Set up to the ball as usual.
- Make a conscious effort to keep your head down and eyes focused on the ball until well after contact is made.
- Practice this with slow swings, gradually increasing speed as you become more comfortable with maintaining head position.
- Weight Transfer Drill:
- Purpose: This drill helps improve weight transfer during your swing, ensuring that your body is in the correct position at impact.
- How to Do It:
- Take your normal stance, then practice shifting your weight from your back foot to your front foot while making practice swings.
- Focus on feeling the transfer of weight to your front foot as you swing through the ball.
- This drill can be done with or without a ball and is particularly effective in building muscle memory for proper weight distribution.
- Swing Path Drill:
- Purpose: Correcting your swing path is essential to avoid topping the ball. This drill helps you develop a more consistent and correct swing path.
- How to Do It:
- Place two alignment rods on the ground, one just outside your target line and one just inside.
- Your goal is to swing the club between the rods without touching them, promoting a straighter swing path.
- Practice with slow, deliberate swings, gradually increasing speed while maintaining control.
- Impact Bag Drill:
- Purpose: This drill focuses on ensuring proper impact position, which is key to avoiding topped shots.
- How to Do It:
- Use an impact bag or a similar object.
- Take your normal stance and swing, aiming to strike the impact bag in a way that simulates the correct impact position.
- Focus on hitting down on the bag with a square clubface, which will translate to better contact with the ball on the course.
A Few Additional Tips to Prevent Topping
Proper Equipment: Ensure that your clubs are the correct length and fit for your swing style. Improperly fitted clubs can contribute to a topped shot.
Mental Focus: Stay calm and focused during your swing. Anxiety or tension can cause you to lift your head or alter your swing mechanics, leading to topped shots.
Consistent Practice: Like any aspect of golf, practice is key. Regularly incorporating these drills into your practice routine will help you build muscle memory and improve your ball-striking consistency.
Whether it’s improper weight shift, having the wrong address position, or simply using a club that’s too short, we believe you can address the issue of topping your golf ball as long as you have persistence and keep trying these drills.
Topping the golf ball is a frustrating problem, but with the right understanding and practice, it is entirely fixable. By focusing on your posture, weight transfer, swing path, and head position, and by using the drills we have mentioned, you can dramatically reduce or eliminate topped shots from your game. Remember, consistency comes from practice, so incorporate these drills into your regular routine and watch your ball-striking improve.
