TC004. How to Stop Topping Golf Shots

Why You Need This: In this video, you'll learn how to stop topping golf shots.

Now...

Imagine you're facing an important shot...

And whoops!

You fall back, top the ball, and lose the hole.

Well, let's make sure this doesn't happen again...

Ever!

In the first part of this video, you'll learn how to eliminate the reverse pivot, the primary cause of topping the ball.

A reverse pivot happens when your hips move to the right in the downswing, and at the same time, your shoulders go left.

Once you're in that horrible position, the downswing starts with your body falling backward and your weight shifting back.

If you're falling away from the ball, it's really hard to compress the ball.

More likely you'll hit up on the ball and top it.

Here's a great drill to eliminate your reverse pivot...

Tilt away from the ball at setup and put more weight on your back foot.

As you begin your backswing, focus on loading up on your back leg.

From the top, shift your weight forward through impact.

Do about 100 reps with this drill.

Next in the video, you'll discover some great tips to stop casting.

Use a light grip with your right hand...

And a little tighter grip with your left hand.

Also, bow your left wrist and shallow out your club path in the downswing.

Practice these moves and you'll start to compress the heck out of the ball.

Watch this video now to...

Eliminate your reverse pivot...

Learn how to stop topping golf shots...

And hit with more compression!

Golf Pros Featured:

Instructors Featured: Clay Ballard    

Video Duration: 7:04

Video Transcription:

Hi guys, we’re faced with a very important shot, big match, feeling a little bit inconsistent today. Let’s see how it goes.

Whoops! The top. That was a good one, there, that was about as good as we could get top on. Very frustrating shot.

You’ve got to swing through the ball, you hit the top of the ball, it’s unbelievable how frustrating that is. To even have a ball pop backwards like that, that’s probably the first time I’ve ever had that happen, but it’s very easy to top those if we’re using the wrong swing technique.

We’re going to talk about today how to get rid of that reverse pivot, stop falling back, and get rid of those tops once and for all. That way we can hit this ball nice and clean. Let’s go ahead and get started.

Hi guys, crazy top there, I wasn’t expecting it to go backward, I’ve never had that happen before. I challenge you to try to top one backwards, it’s tough to do.

But what that’s coming from, and what so many people struggle with the top, also for those of you who aren’t actually topping the ball, and you’re just hitting it thin, maybe this sounds familiar. We have to get that ball fluffed up on a nice piece of grass, really get it high in the ground.

We feel like if it’s on a bare lie we really can’t come down through and compress that golf ball, hit down and through a nice clean divot. If that sounds like you also, you’re struggling with the same issue.

What this is coming down to is a reverse pivot. It doesn’t have to be a severe reverse pivot, it could be a little small one. Meaning that in the backswing the hips go to the right, my upper body leans to the left, so it looks something like this.

Then as I go into the downswing, because I’m so far left with my upper body, I naturally realize that I’m not going to be able to hit from here. Just like we talk about in the Top Speed Golf System, we have to be tilted away from the target, like our stable fluid spine that we go over.

We’ve got to be tilted away with our upper body about 20 degrees to these good, clean, solid shots like you see with the pros. Well if I’m at the top of the swing, and I’m back here and my subconscious mind knows I’ve got to be way back there somewhere at contact, I end up falling away from the ball.

My right shoulder drops, I’m coming down behind the ball and then my club’s almost moving up as I’m hitting this golf ball and I’m getting that really, really bad top on there. That’s what’s happening.

Another thing that’s happening we get to in the second part of this video is the right arm firing. So we’re taking our right hand, we’re casting a little bit getting rid of it, and then again the club is working almost back up as we’re coming through the ball.

So I’ve got a great drill that’s going to help you with both of these things. Number one, we’ve got to get our body in a good position to hit down and through.

As I set up with this golf ball, again, the stable fluid spine, what we want to get a little tilted away at address, that way we’re set up in a position where we can hit nice and clean through that shot every time.

I walk you through this in the system, but I’ll give you a great tip for this here. We want to feel like I have a little bit more weight on my right side at address.

So let’s say 50/50 is right dead in the center, my spine is straight up and down. I’m going to go ahead and let my hips bump a little forward, my upper body bump a little bit back, and I want to feel like my left ear is behind that golf ball.

That’s how I want to be tilted back a little bit behind it, and I’m going to feel like I have a little bit of weight on the inside of my right foot as I’m doing this. Now you can see my upper body’s tilted back.

Now what that’s going to do, is that’s going to angle my leg in so as I turn to the top, I want to feel -- for those of you who struggle a little bit with this reverse pivot -- I want to feel like this right leg kind of goes back toward the target a little bit.

I’m exaggerating here, but I want to feel a little bit of this. The reverse pivot is too up and down, hips slide to the right. I want to get a little bit more tilted away to set me up in a good position at address, a little weight on the right.

As I go to the top I’m going to feel my hip stay in, almost move that way a little bit, and now I’m loaded up behind this golf ball. My right leg is angled in. From there, now I’m loaded up behind the ball as I shift to the left everything wants to move down and through coming through the golf ball.

So I don’t have to worry about falling back, I’m already in a back position, and I can just let everything transfer on through. That’s going to look like this.

Again, a little bit of tilt, left ear behind the ball. Weight on the inside, and then I can come on through the shot to the left, because I’m angled up in a nice position I’m going to be able to be really, really consistent.

That’s the first piece. I want you to do about 100 reps ingraining that, get that body position in there.

The second piece here is my casting with my right hand. I’m pushing this club through the ball and it’s actually working back up as I’m hitting the golf ball. I’ve got to get my right hand moving through this shot.

Now I want you to feel two things here. Number one, let’s imagine the left hand. If I’m going to get rid of this right hand, I want this to be nice and relaxed with the right hand, not putting any pressure in there at all. I’ve got to use a little bit more left hand.

So the first thing we’re going to do, as I come into the downswing, I’m going to let this left wrist bow a little bit. This is something that we go over in The Move section.

Every Tour player that you see starts to shallow this club out and get this wrist at least flat, or a little bit bowed as they’re making the downswing. I want you guys to practice that just with your left arm only.

Get that club bowed and feel like you’re coming in and making a divot in front of the golf ball. I’m going to visualize a point in the ground right here in front of my golf ball, and I’m going to swing just with my left arm only and feel like I’m going to hit the turf right there in front of that ground.

So just like we talk about in The Move section, we’re going to get that club shallowed out coming through the ball rather than flipping with the right hand. That’s the first piece in this.

The second piece, we’re going to go ahead and we’re going to relax this right hand now that we’re letting the left hand do a little bit more.

I want to feel like the index finger, the middle finger, and my thumb on my right hand are very, very soft, and I’m only going to have pressure kind of in the ring finger of my right hand. Now you’ll notice I can’t grip the club very tight with my ring finger.

I’m going to feel like I’m barely holding on with my right hand. That’s OK, that’s exactly what we want. Then as I’m coming down, the palm of my right hand, remember my left hand is a little bowed now, my right hand is going to be cupped back.

So those hands are working through like this as I’m releasing the ball. That’s going to help you to get rid of that flip. Let’s recap on this.

Number one, left ear behind the ball, a little bit of weight on the inside of the right foot. As I turn to the top, I’m keeping this hip going back, my leg is angled in. I’m in a great position with my body now.

Number two, as I start down, left wrist starts to bow like we talk about in The Move. Right wrist only holding on with my index finger, or excuse me, my ring finger, and I’m going to be nice and soft with my right hand. It’s coming palm down to the ground.

If I can do these things, I’m going to make a nice full finish as I come on through, and as I tie these together, I’m going to be hitting nice and clean through this ball every time. You’ll see a nice little divot out in front of this golf ball.

There we go, nice and down and through, divot out in front. Clean shot. Good luck to you guys. Practice those keys, you’re going to hit some really crisp golf shots, you’ll never top one behind you again.