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Author: Topping the Golf Ball
I know we all have done it. You set up to the ball ready to deliver that perfect swing and swoosh the ball never leaves the ground and shuffles out about 70 yards or less.
How did that happen?
Some of the things you can check are as follows:
- Grip
- Ball Position
- Stance
- Posture
Grip
The grip may be too tight at address, preventing a proper hinging of the wrist and thus properly releasing the clubhead at impact causing the club to be topped. You can correct this by holding the club light but firm and felt in the last three fingers of the left hand and the middle two finger of the right hand (reverse if you are lefty).
Ball Position
The ball may be too far forward in the stance or you may be standing too far away at address. To correct this check that for shorter irons the ball is about midway between the feet, for longer irons move ball slightly forward in the stance toward the target and the driver should be opposite the inside of your left heal. How far away, depends on your height but the butt of the club should be no farther than 4-5 inches from the inside of your left thigh.
Stance
The problem could be the body weight is set too much on the heels at address and cause you to pull away at impact
and pulling the head of the club up. To correct this at address try to keep your weight on the balls of your feet and not rock back through the swing.
Posture
An inability to maintain your knee flex may cause you to dip downward on the backswing. If this happens the only way to get the club back to the ball and this causes a straightening up of the body up and away from the ball. Check that your posture is correct by looking at yourself in a mirror. You should imagine a vertical line from the middle of your shoulders, down through your kneecaps and into the balls of your feet.
Well that is why we top the ball and a few remedies for you to try.
until next time,
John
P.S. Emmanuel Fauvel has a great short e book that will take 10 strokes off your golf score, get you a copy Now.
See previous post for information
Posted in 
I am so excited today, I know golf is what this web site is about but, my son’s team
won the 10-11 year old championship. Way to Go White Sox!
They were down 2-0 until the bottom of the fourth and just started to rip the ball.
Final Score Whitesox 10 BlueJays 3.
See you soon,
John
I want you to think back to the number of times you have followed a really poor shot with a fantastic one. Probably the worst thing you could do on a hole is to quit after you hit a poor shot. This tip will help you focus not on your last shot but on the shot your hitting now.
Be aware that missed tee shots are not as critical as they seem.
Mid-irons, short irons and the putter are your chance to save a poor drive.
Fight back from a disaster with a positive attitude and self respect. Let’s say you hit one into the trees, focus on how to hit the shot in a position where you can score. Never look back, always look at the pin on the green. That is
where you need to hit the ball.
Focus on getting the ball forward in the best position to hit the green. If that means punching it out to the middle of the fairway, do it. You will be surprised how many times you can save a stroke just by thinking the correct strategy.
Never Quit on a hole!
See you on the links,
John
Do you know what the most important golf shot on any hole is?
No, it is not the final putt.
No, it is not the approach.
No, it isn’t the chip.
Yes, you got it, the most important golf shot is your tee shot. A long, straight tee shot benefits your whole results on any given whole on the course and makes each subsequent shot that much easier.
A longer drive will enable you to hit a shorter approach into the green and will likely better your chance of hitting it closer to the hole to sink more shorter putts. If statistics are correct, the longer, accurate golfers score
lower.
So how do you start? For a regular drive, make sure you tee the ball to the correct height. You would be amazed that most golfers are really unsure what height to tee the ball up.
As a general rule, try to tee the ball so that the top of the clubface is level with the manufacturer’s logo on the ball.
Many golfers slice their tee shots because they tee the ball too low and have to hit down too steeply to get the ball in the air. To reduce your chances of slicing, try teeing the ball a little higher.
This will force you to swing the club more around yourself on a slightly flatter plane
in order to strike the ball with more power.
I have started to create some lessons that you might find interesting if you want to increase your distance and accuracy. For more information go to www.golfswingreal.com. This is my website.
After you have setup for your golf swing, I recommend you check the following:
- Your Target is 1-3 feet out
- Your Back is Straight
- Your Bent at the Waist
- Your Holding the club lightly – NO WHITE KNUCKLES
- Your Relaxed
Right before you swing remind yourself
- Swing around axis of spine
- Stop when left arm is parallel to ground
- Ball won’t move in my vision as I am swinging the club back and then through
Now SWING BACK slowly while thinking…
- • CONNECTED (keep the triangle)
- • STRAIGHT LEFT (for straight left arm)
- • SHOULDER TURN (turning RIGHT SHOULDER around spine)
- • ELBOW SIDE (right elbow against right side)
- • STOP LEFT (stop when left arm is parallel to ground)
Now SWING FORWARD. Use these trigger words…
- • TURN (hands turning with chest)
- • LEFT ELBOW (delay left elbow at belly button)
- • SNAP (roll right wrist over left at the ball)
- • CROSS (forearms cross after impact)
- • FINISH (keep turning to finish, keeping left shoulder low)
Practice this on the practice range and practice this on your practice swing before your shot and you will soon find your shots are on target and your scores will decline.
Luke Cameron sent this one to me.
If you start with a bad golf stance, you’ll probably follow with a bad golf back swing, a bad downswing, and a bad follow through. Not to worry though. It’s just not that difficult! Your golf stance may not be perfect, but you can compensate by staying balanced and relaxed.
Your weight should be equally distributed over your left and right leg. If you can pick either of your feet off the ground, you’re not balanced. Start by placing the inside of your front foot just ahead of the ball. Since you’re going to be using a driver or 3 wood, the front and back feet should be shoulder width or slightly more than shoulder width apart.
Next, bend at the top of the legs (keep your back straight) and then bend slightly at the knees. The kneecaps will be directly above the balls of your feet. The angle of your back to the ground will be approximately 45 degrees. Your arms should be hanging straight down from your shoulders.
Good posture counts. Keep your back straight but don’t tense up. You might think of it as pushing your back pockets higher.Your weight should be on the balls of your feet, not on the toes or heels. Likewise, your weight should be equally distributed between your front and back foot. Now you should be more comfortable
and less tense. If you’re out of balance, you’re falling down. That’s no way to start a good golf swing.
A line drawn across the front of your feet should point to your target. You may want to check this by first placing your club up against the toes of your feet and then step back and see if the club is really pointing to your target. This is your target line and your knees, hips, and shoulders should also be parallel to this line.
One slight adjustment will be the position of your shoulders. When you assume the proper golf stance and grip, your club and left arm will form a straight line between your shoulder and the ball. For this to happen,
your right shoulder will be slightly lower to the ground than the left, but a line through your shoulders should still be parallel to the target line.
Once you grip the club and take your stance at the ball, find a way to relax and loosen up before you start your swing. You may want to waggle – or shake your tush – just a little bit and to heck with those who might laugh at you. Once you hit that monster shot, they’ll stop. Now you’re ready to swing.
David Ledbetter likes this drill to help you establish feel and rhythm in your swing. I found this in his book The Fundamentals of Hogan
When you are in the practice area take a club in you hands with a light grip pressure and relaxed arms, then place the club just above the ball and ahead of it a couple of feet, slightly inside the target line.
Next simply swing the club back to the top and hit the shot in a normal manner. With this swing you create momentum when you start forward of the ball and this really gets you in a flowing start. You will feel the grip going first and the club head lagging ever so slightly without much thought.
The wrists cock naturally and easily through the weight and momentum of the club; your trunk is in motion, and the club seems to find the correct plane instinctively. It all adds up to a smooth transition into the downswing and an accelerated release of the club through impact.
Try it with a teed-up 7 iron and then work it to some longer clubs. Incorporate it into your practice session and you will find it will relieve some of the tension you feel at address.
Bobby Eldridge and David Nevogt of Simple Golf Swing sent me this one.
Click for these guru’s website
How to Hit the Ball Well from Uneven Lies
I know some of you are laughing under your breath wondering what I am doing writing a tip on UNEVEN LIES. What in the world could I possible know about uneven lies living in Scottsdale, Arizona? Well, it is the Grand Canyon State for starters, but yes you’re right, we do not face as many uneven lies as someone from North Carolina, for example. However, there are plenty of times during the course of a round when we are faced with a golf ball that might be on a side hill lie.
Before I begin, I am going to first give you the definition of the four uneven lies in golf.
Uphill Lie – The easiest of the four uneven lies. The ball is level with your feet but the slope is up-hill, we refer to this as an uphill lie.
Downhill Lie – A ball that is level to your feet but the slope is down hill, probably the second most difficult shot in golf.
Ball Below Feet – The most difficult shot in golf is when the ball is below your feet.
Ball Above Feet – The fourth uneven lie is when the ball is above your feet.
Don’t get confused between an uphill lie, and when the ball is simply above your feet. These are 2 different lies, and should be addressed separately. Also, don’t get confused with the downhill lie, and the ball being below your feet. Again, these are 2 different lies.
Uphill Lie
1. Let’s start with the easiest shot in golf, the up-hill lie. If you struggle with this shot, you probably swing the golf club to vertical into the ground and hit a fat shot. Before you prepare for an uphill lie, you need to think of a few important items first. Make sure you take a less lofted club. When you have an uphill lie, it will make the ball go HIGHER and SHORTER.
2. The ball will have a tendency to hook to the left, so aim a little to the right.
3. To avoid hitting the shot fat, check your shoulder alignment and make sure they are parallel to the ground you are standing on. If you are on an uphill lie, your back shoulder should be a little lower that your leading shoulder.
4. The ball should be positioned according to what club you are using, as though you were on a level lie. (A bit forward for longer clubs.)
5. You want to make sure you follow through HIGH after impact.
Downhill Lie
Now we can move on to one of the hardest shots in golf, the down hill lie. If you have a tendency to struggle with this shot, the miss hit is usually a top. Follow the steps below and you will see a huge change in your down hill shots.
1. Because the ball will fly lower, you can take a more lofted club to help the ball go a little higher.
2. The ball will have a tendency to curve to the right, aim a little to the left.
3. If you have your shoulders at address tilted level to the down slope of your lie, this will encourage the club to swing DOWN into the ball (correct) and not up in the down swing. Thus, you will hit the bottom of the ball and not the top.
4. Play the ball in your stance according to the club you are using (again, a little forward for a longer club).
5. You want to make sure you follow through LOW to the ground after impact.
Ball Below Feet
THE HARDEST SHOT IN GOLF. The dreaded, (I can’t believe this is happening to me) BALL BELOW YOUR FEET golf shot. You have come to the right place, below is the answer.
1. When the ball is below your feet, you will have a tendency to top it to the right, whiff the ball, or shank it.
2. The address is the most important part of this shot. Bend your knees and bend WAY over at address. You ALMOST can not bend TOO much.
3. The ball will have a tendency to go to the right, aim farther left.
4. The golf club wants to swing up and down, NOT around. LET IT…It will feel like a lob swing, this is correct. IF you make your normal swing, you will whiff the ball completely.
Ball Above Feet
Now we are back to an easy shot, the ball above our feet. If you follow the steps below, you will not hit the ground behind the ball anymore, and the ball above your feet will become your absolute favorite shot in golf
1. If you struggle with hitting the ball fat in these shots, make sure you are standing taller than your normal stance.
2. The ball will have a tendency to fly to the left, aim a little farther to the right.
3. DO NOT BEND YOUR KNEES
4. This is the main point, the golf club wants to swing more AROUND your body, let it…DO NOT TRY TO MAKE A NORMAL SWING…let the club swing around you.
My friend David sent me this one.
To Ensure Consistency and Success – Play with a Straight Back
I believe that to mature as a golfer, you need to have an
understanding of why certain individual fundamentals on the course
are working for you, and why others aren’t. In short, you have to
understand the working components of your swing. Secondly, you
need to understand what corrections or adjustments could be made in
order to attain success.
The set-up that we teach is very specific and important. Playing
with a straight spine and back angle is an important fundamental
that we teach, and something that is literally the glue of our
swing theory. Whether you are 5 yards form the green or teeing
off, playing with a straight spine and back will ensure that you
swing on a consistent plane every time you set over the golf ball.
The following are reasons why a straight back is essential for you
to see success out on the course:
1. Gives you a fixed position to start from – every time
2. Allows for the club to travel on a consistent plane
3. Avoids the common problems below…
- If you are hunched over (and golfers are usually unaware of this)
your swing plane is constantly changing due to the changing level
of your body over the ball. This leads to many inconsistent shots
(especially around the green).
- Minimizes hitting behind the ball or hitting the ball thin
This is a big problem for most golfers. If you haven’t played for
weeks and you find yourself not making solid contact, the first
fundamental that should go through your mind is: “Is my back
straight at setup and throughout the shot?”
This is one of the most important truths that we teach
about the golf swing. If you look at the tour pros they always
have a straight spine angle and back at set-up and throughout the
swing. Whether you are on the tee, fairway, around the green, or
even on the green – having a straight spine and back angle is
extremely important especially around the green when you are pitching and
chipping!
For some golfers, straightening your spine angle is going to feel
very strange, because you’ve never played that way. But trust me,
maintaining a straight spine throughout the swing will do wonders
for your consistency. It also leads to better impact with the
ball. Next time you watch the tour players on TV, make sure to
check out how straight their back is at setup.
The main point that I want to communicate is that there are many
factors in golf that you can’t control. For example: course
conditions, weather, and course difficulty. However, one aspect of
your golf swing that can be constant and unchanging is your spine
angle at set-up. So play golf this way and you will begin to
develop consistency and confidence.