Over The Top, aka "The Slicer," and How To Fix It
Apr 21, 2023
This may be the most common swing fault in all of golf. This swing fault is characterized by the person who is constantly and drastically slicing the ball, losing distance, and making it difficult to hit the ball straight.
What is it?
The over the top swing fault is when a player being viewed from behind or the “down the line” view has a swing path that goes from outside to inside.
Why does it matter?
If you’re an over the top swinger you usually have one of two shot misses (sometimes you’ll have both depending on your grip):
- The slice (more common): the shot that comes off the club and goes immediately left to right (if you’re right handed) and does not go as far as it could.
- The pull: the shot that comes off the club going straight to the left (if you’re right handed) and continues to go left in a straight line.
Similar to the early extension swing fault, this problem causes two misses that are the are exact opposite. This swing fault is usually a bit more predictable than early extension. However, once a player realizes they have this swing trait, instead of attempting to fix the issue, they start “playing their slice,” which only makes the problem worse.
How to fix it?
Dry drill (with club but not hitting a ball):
- Get into your normal golf stance with a club and take some ¼ practice swings with the feeling that you are swinging from inside to outside as if you had a target 45 degrees to the right of a target directly in front of you (if you’re right handed). After completing this, go up to a ½ swing, ¾ swing, and then a full swing with this thought process. Take 15-20 swings at each stage as many times a day as you like until it begins to feel natural.
Live drill (with club and hitting a ball):
- Get in your normal golf set up with a ball in front of you. Now place an object such as a club head cover, cardboard box, tee, etc. about a club head width outside the ball you’re hitting. Attempt to hit the ball without making contact with the object. Once you’re able to consistently hit the ball without making contact with the object, your swing path will be more inside to outside.
If you struggle with slicing the ball, give these drills a shot and up your golf game.
Also, if you’re in the Atlanta area struggling with any sort of injury limiting you from doing the things you love, give Athletes' Potential a call at 470-355-2106 or fill out a contact request form and we will reach out to you.
All the best,
Dr. Caleb, PT, DPT, CSCS,
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