How to stop topping the golf ball

All golfers want to hit the golf ball cleaner and with more consistent contact. These expert PGA Play tips from a PGA coach will help you to do just that and eradicate the dreaded top.

Topping the golf ball is one of the most common problems for novice golfers. It can also be one of the most infuriating things about playing golf. You make what feels like a good swing, only to see the ball bobbling along the ground instead of soaring through the air. To stop this from happening, follow these five simple tips from PGA Professional and expert coach, Jordan Brown.

He will get you striking the ball solidly in no time at all.

1. Make Sure Your Grip Is Not Hindering Your Game

When we have an open club face, it's usually due to the left hand being a little bit too weak. So, on the side of the grip, with the left hand and in the palm of the hands, as opposed to being in the fingers and allowing that to wrap around. So, you want to see that left hand a little bit more wrapped over. You won't see a bit of an angle to where the thumb is pointing over to the right shoulder. And you want to make sure that you've got that pinch point between the thumb and the finger, to make sure that we've got a strong enough left hand so that the club face isn't open at the point of impact.

2. Improve Your Posture to Help Your Striking

It is important to have a good posture to aid consistency of striking. We are looking for a nice straight back, having a good forward tilt from the pelvis and not too much knee flex. This is what’s called leaning over the fence. Imagine there's a fence right in front of you and you’re just trying to see just what's on the other side of it. That's the kind of posture that you should get into – as opposed to sitting down at the dinner table.

I see a lot of golfers sitting down into the legs too much. That means there's not enough room as the club starts to come through impact. As a result, everything's pulling up and away. Get the legs straight to the hips back and more of a forward tilt, getting a nice straight back at the point of address, and then from there, it's a case of maintaining that posture.

Once you've got good posture and you've got that forward lean, imagine that you're leaning your head on a gate post, and you're trying to keep your head forward on that gate post throughout the swing, so that you can keep that posture down. Keep your chest and head down over the golf ball, as opposed to leaning back and therefore catching the top of the ball.

3. Shift Your Weight Forward to Drive Down on the Ball

If your weight is on your back foot, then the clubhead is going to overtake the handle and the head will then be working upwards as it approaches the ball. Otherwise you will catch the ground first. From here, there is no margin for error: if you don't quite get it right, you'll catch the top of the ball and top it. A good practice technique to prevent this is a half swing. Practise a shorter shot to get that nice, strong grip with the left hand, while getting into a good posture, keeping that forward lean and a good hip tilt. Lean on your left foot, keeping every bit of your weight on that left foot throughout the entire swing. You're only going to swing to about halfway, because all you’re trying to do is practise the impact feel. This will give you a feeling of what it feels like to be on that left foot. Remember to work forward while staying down over the golf ball through impact.

4. Keep Your Arms Extended to Reach the Bottom of the Ball

This is what we call using dead arms. We're trying here to keep the arms as straight as possible throughout the swing. Again, you’re only going to do a half swing just to get a feel of the opposite of pulling away from the golf ball. Get into your normal setup again, with a strong left hand, good posture, your forward tilt, a nice straight back and your weight on your left foot. Then make sure that your arms remain nice and straight all the way through to the finish. This will help to prevent you from catching the top of the ball.

If you have one, try using an alignment stick and position it under the grip so that the alignment stick is sticking out. Have that on the left-hand side of your body. Keep that alignment stick in front while you hit shots, making sure that you don't connect with the body and the stick. This will help to keep the handle leading forward and ensure that the clubhead is always working down towards the ball. Additionally, it helps to stop the clubhead from passing the grip and then pulling up and away from the ball.

5. Strike Down on the Ball to Make it Go Up

To help ensure that you have what’s called a downward angle of attack, place something just behind the golf ball. A towel is a good choice. It's to ensure that we don't get that early release, we don't lose that that clubhead too early, and that we actually hold the angles nicely all the way through to the ball, keeping our weight forward, ensuring that you miss that towel.

The aim is to hit down with your weight on the front foot. If you have got a strong left hand, that club face is going to be square. To practise this feeling, do a full swing, ensuring that the weight moves into the front foot. Your arms should remain straight, and you should strike down into the back of that ball.

A combination of these five drills will have you striking the ball confidently and crisply in no time at all. Good luck!

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