Can someone help me cure a flaw in my golf swing which causes me to top the ball/hit thin shots?

Question

I know a huge part of the problem is that my spine angle changes as I enter the impact zone; My head and body starts to come up to avoid hitting the shot fat. But if I try and maintain that spine angle and not come up, the club instead will hit 6 inches behind the ball, catching all grass and the ball doesn't go anywhere.

Any suggestions would be helpful: drills, points to look at in the swing, etc.

Thanks!

Answer 1

This is an easy fix. So easy, that the solution may sound stupid. Find yourself an old car tire and set it flat on the grass. Get an old golf club and hit it as if you where trying to lift the tire. Do this drill untill you can hit the tire hard without doing any damage to your wrist or the club.
The basic problem when you hit thin shots is that in your mind you are afrait to hit the ground on your downswing because of the resistance you will get. Once you take care of that, youll have more confidence hiting a golf ball. This drill works best If you can get a impact bag trainning aid.

Answer 2

Reasons for Topping

1. When you start taking the club back lifting your body up. This is done by straitening the knees. Try to keep them bent the entire time. The ball is 1.5 inches so it only takes a little movement to cause a top. Here is how you try to prevent this – Take some practice swing hitting something the size of penny. You have to concentrate on it to make sure you hit it. That is the same thing you need to do with the golf ball. You want that concentration to keep you from moving away from the ball.

Just incase I forgot to tell you. You can only think of one thing when swinging the golf club. When working on something, take practice swings working on it. Then when you hit the ball all you can do is worry about hitting the ball just above the ground.

2. Second reason for topping ball – since you have worked out a lot this may be it. You have to keep that left arm straight. You bend it ½ and inch and your in the middle of the ball. This is where you use your hand eye coordination. The right arm just keeps things going, don’t let it over power your left. All your power comes form the left forearm wrist area. That is the area that will keep thing on line for you.

Now if you have a lot of line drives that curve to the right sometimes way right. Timing You need to slow down or speed up. Your body is moving up to see where the ball is going before you hit it. So you can stay down longer or swing you arms faster. Swinging the arms faster is kind of a joke but it would work. You want to see the club hit the ball. No one sees the club hit the ball, but you know what I mean.

You have upper body strength so don’t worry about a big turn. All you need to do is have a good release. When you grip the club your thumb on the left hand is going down the shaft. When you take the club back to the 9 o’clock position the toe on the club should point up. Very important – now when you hit the ball and the club is 3 o’clock it should point up once again. That is the move that puts all the power into the ball by producing club head speed. Now if the toe points to the right on back swing the ball will go right. Toe points left it will go low and left

Answer 3

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Answer 4

"keep your head down" is the worst advice cause your body can still rise up in your down swing.

topping the ball usually occurs when you lift or sway your body at some point in your swing.

without seeing your swing...its hard know exactly what YOU are doing wrong.

sometimes its as simple as a bent left arm.

often its a body sway thats gets too far away from or behind the ball to get back to center. this results in hitting the ball thin.

keep things simple. keep your lower body quite. keep the upper body from rising or lowering or swaying too far right or left. the rotation or the arms should be around the SPINE, so make sure you are making a decent turn. swing with your body and let the arms follow. dont swing at the ball with your arms. keep the wrists less active. mine are almost dead. i let natural motion hinge and unhinge them.

lastly...if this all fails....get yourself taped by an instructor that can SEE your swing and put you on the right path.

Answer 5

The easiest way to learn golf like a pro is by following "The Simple Golf Swing" program. It's primarily a 31 page eBook that teaches golfers how to make solid contact with the ball, how to avoid hitting fat, how to avoid slicing, how get more power, accuracy, and consistency in your swing. Consistency being the number 1 golf skill.

You not only get the eBook though, you also receive a ton of extra material including video, lessons on putting, driving, chipping, sand play etc. Here is their official site: http://www.golfswingguru.net

Answer 6

Recommend PGA pros. I mean I can sometimes fix people swing. I hit at 6 handicap, but I mean I really have to see the swing. People pay heap loads of money on the equipment, but not on how to use them. Get to the pro is the best way and you won't be practising a lot of wrong things, which will waste your time, and discourage you from playing good golf or playing at all.
Once you hit about 16-18 handicap, golf is a lot more fun, trust me you won't get there soon write on the internet. Go the driving range and get a pro!

Answer 7

what i would do as a drill is the "annika" drill

butch harmon believes in this drill a lot

basically when you are about to hit...look up and dont worry about the ball...your contact SHOULD be better...not guaranteed....

also i would highly recommend taking lessons

but from the info you have given me it seems like you are not turning your lower body enough causing the club to come down on a steeeeep angle and thats why you lift or dont lift and hit it fat


feel free to email me if you have questions

Answer 8

Asking for advice from folks who play is silly.....we all have 20 different things you could try.....Find a teaching pro and have him/her evaluate your swing. The lessons though a bit more pricey than this free stuff you are getting will help a lot more. Besides who wants to take 50 pages of swingthoughts to the course everyday?

Answer 9

easy lower irons need to be towards your back foot mid irons to the middle of your stance and high irons and woods insides your front foot. then take a shorter swing. if your follow through is good you might only loose 10 yards tops. i actually gained yardage cause i hit the ball better. but a shorter swing and have a good firm grip will do it.

Answer 10

You need to visit a club professional that will evaluate your swing. He/she will then be able to offer you the correct advice on how to correct the problem. Listening to other golfers is probably the worst thing to do and may lead to other problems in the future like hooking or slicing.