A true hook in golf is a shot that starts out to the right of your target (for right handed players) or starts straight, but then curves back to the left. The dreaded golf hook. If you’re still not sure if you come over the top, then simply go to the range and lay a club on the ground PARALLEL left of your target. Keep the tip of the shaft down early! When it comes to an over-the-top swing, we are talking about hitting a straight pull and not a draw or a hook. All golfers should aim to have a square club face (parallel to your left forearm, at a 45-degree angle to the ground) at the top of their golf swing. The fourth most common reason why a player comes over the top is an open clubface. However, this does not always happen. This is a common swing fault that many golfers suffer from in addition to a nasty slice. 1 in the national NAIA rankings, Luke moved to New York in 2012 to pursue his Masters degree in Journalism from Columbia University and in 2017 was named News Media Alliance’s “Rising Star.” His work has also appeared in USA Today, Golf Digest, Newsweek and The Daily Beast. The more these two factors are out of whack, the more severe your duck hook swing is … The key is to realize that a snap hook is not caused by coming over the top. Not Let Your Left Arm Break Down in a Golf Swing. Paired with a closed clubface, it can result in a nasty pull hook. You can start off a little farther away (say 2 inches) if it makes you more comfortable. On the downswing, it's much easier to rotate the shoulders with an outward movement of the arms and club, creating an outside-to-in or over-the-top swing. Watch The Golf Fix on Mondays at 7PM ET. The golf swing, if we were standing directly on top of the ball, would have a lot of straight lines in it. To add to that, the best golf club drivers of all time are great not only for accelerating the golf ball to cover more distance, but also to be accurate enough that the grip and the swing of the golf player will connect properly. News Media Alliance’s “Rising Star.” His work has also appeared in USA Today, Golf Digest, Newsweek and The Daily Beast. There are a number of different ways you can fix an over-the-top downswing. In that case, you likely have a biomechanical problem with your swing. Especially since, at first, the trajectory of a pull hook often looks like a winner … Until the spin of the ball kicks in and causes it to deviate. This was our most read instruction feature of 2020, Keep these 3 things in mind in order to hit more powerful drives, Use this simple drill to get rid of your slice for good, Here's a clever trick to use the next time you're struggling to hit the fairway, John Daly has brilliantly simple advice for fixing your bad golf shots, Tony Finau's helpful mudball tip accidentally backfires, Nick Faldo's favorite pre-set drill will easily boost your swing speed, Rory McIlroy has a new swing key that has eliminated the big miss. 3 Reasons You're Hooking Your Golf Balls So you hook the ball every now and then. With the common over-the-top or outside-in slice, the path of your club from the top of the backswing to impact is causing the ball to land right. The problem with losing flex in that right knee is that it moves the hips around from its original spot, from which the upper body is meant to rotate. Michael Breed, host of The Golf Fix, teaches how to get rid of that nasty over the top swing and get your club head going straight down the line. Weak, as it's used here, refers to the actual strength of your grip, not the positioning of … But with some practice and patience, you should be able to fix your problem. Our turn takes the club in, we hit the ball and then swing back to the inside. How to cure your golf hook. That’s going to keep the sweetspot and club’s center of mass more behind your hands, and give you a really good chance of keeping this club coming from the inside.”. The good news is you’re close to achieving a good golf swing because a hook Pull hooks are a common cause of amateur golfer rage. So does Tiger, and Phil and every golfer on the PGA and LPGA tours. If you look like the picture on the left, your wrist angles might be to blame. All golfers should aim to have a square club face (parallel to your left forearm, at a 45-degree angle to the ground) at the top of their golf swing. Beginning golfers often make the mistake of tensing their shoulder and arm muscles at the top of the swing so they can make an aggressive swing at the ball. An over the top golf swing is experienced during your downswing. 1 in the national NAIA rankings, Luke moved to New York in 2012 to pursue his Masters degree in Journalism from Columbia University and in 2017 was named. When the ball travels at a straight direction, it is called a pure shot. So, that’s called ‘a pool hook’. Hell, it’s not a bad idea to literally go to the range and try to hit the biggest draws that you can to really get the feeling for hitting from in-to-out. When you swing over the top, you tend to bring the club in shallow, your body rotating to compensate for the inside move. But, what you need to know is, your golf club is swinging to the left. Weak, as it's used here, refers to the actual strength of your grip, not the positioning of … This is something good players find very easy but the weekend warrior struggles to master. The grip is the foundation, or what is called, the mission statement of the golf swing. The longer the club, the more detrimental this move becomes. So at address, I’ve got to make sure that my spine angle is tilted away from the target a little bit. Another sign of an over-the-top move is the dreaded slice. When practicing, keep your lead arm tight to your body throughout the backswing and the downswing. In the video, you'll see the FlightScope data for a true snap hook. If you come over the top with your swing, the club is going to move up and away from your body as you switch from backswing to downswing – putting you in position to cut across the ball at impact, likely producing a slice. To instill the proper hips-first downswing motion, try the “pause-at-the-top drill” during your next practice session. Fixing your over-the-top slice is much easier than you think. Golf Swing Error – Illustrated Guide. The Fix: The Rear Foot Back drill. As you practice throwing the ball out to the right, you'll learn the feel of proper rotation and arm movement needed to fix the problem. Then, hit balls from this alignment. Match it with an open clubface, and bingo! A closed club face at the top will almost inevitably mean a closed one at impact. Hitting a draw with an inside-to-out swing path requires strength, flexibility and lower body stability that many senior golfers can no longer muster. A pull hook will occur when you come over the top with the club face hooded at impact. So in contrast to the hook shot proper, a pull hook will see the ball start left of the target and proceed to curve left still. The average recreational golfer is much more likely to pull the ball than hook it because they’re more prone to swing out to in (i.e., come over the top) with a shut clubface. Another way to fix an over-the-top golf swing works through recognizing rotation flaws in the swing. To add to that, the best golf club drivers of all time are great not only for accelerating the golf ball to cover more distance, but also to be accurate enough that the grip and the swing of the golf player will connect properly. One of the goals of a golfer is to hit straight shots consistently. When the clubface is left open at the top of the backswing, the natural reaction is to swing to the left (over the top) to get the clubface square at impact. Don't worry about it, we all do. In particular your right shoulder and right arm want to release extra power and as a result are forced out wide and then have to cut across the golf ball to make any sort of decent contact. A pull hook will occur when you come over the top with the club face hooded at impact. This is one of the things we go over, the number one fundamental in the Top Speed Golf System is to get what’s called a stable, fluid spine. Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Bring that hand up as if you were swinging a club and then back down, throwing the ball underhanded as you come through the impact zone. A golf pull hook causes your drive to hook the ball to the left, assuming that your right hand is your dominant hand. That’s what you need to learn to do to finally get rid of the over the top golf swing. If the is is OK, then you might want to check how high your ball is teed up. A closed club face at the top will almost inevitably mean a closed one at impact. Learn what is causing you to swing over the top in the golf downswing and the one simple key you need to know to fix it. I hit a nasty snap hook and you'll see the data on my club path. The matter of coming over the top when making a golf swing is a big issue, as countless golfers make this mistake as they transition from the backswing to downswing. Over the Top Golf Swing Tips. It clearly shows a severe in-to-out path and I make contact with the club face slightly closed. In fact, if you are hitting a draw or a hook on a regular basis, you can be confident that you aren't coming over-the-top at all. Luke Kerr-Dineen is the Director of Game Improvement Content at GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com. Over The Top Golf Par 3 Pro's Tee Over The Rock Eco Tee The Keynote Men's Tee Extreme Tee Ladies Tee Chick Shot The Green Sip & Putt; Altitude: 1500m 4921ft: 1475m 4839ft: 1460m 4790ft: 1450m 4757ft: 1400m 4500ft: Distance: 285m 312yds: 260m 284yds: 212m 231yds: 150m 164yds : Course Rules. Patrick Cameron is a freelance writer with 10 years of diverse experience in consumer goods branding, promotions and retail communications. That’s why Mark suggests feeling like you’re making a wider arc, with less wrist hinge, which will let the center of mass of the club work from more behind you and less over-the-top. An excellent way to fix this is to focus on keeping your club head inside to square, then back inside during the course of your swing. If your shoulders are aimed left of the target line and your head is in front of the ball, it promotes an over-the-top downswing. Golfers who struggle coming over the top often have too much wrist set in their swing, which force the shaft into a vertical — steep — position. Never slice again! Mark Blackburn, GOLF Top 100 Teacher and coach to a number of PGA Tour players, has been putting out some great content on social media recently, so head over to his page and give him a follow. The average recreational golfer is much more likely to pull the ball than hook it because they’re more prone to swing out to in (i.e., come over the top) with a shut clubface. Take some controlled swings and you should notice this if you have a tendency to swing over the top. The face flips closed, and you hit a snap-hook--a low screamer that turns left before it leaves the tee box. Slice time. #golf #putting #golfcourse #golfer #juniorgolf #collegegolf #swingu #golfchannel #whyilovethegame #golfgods #golfclub #pga #pgatour #golfislife #golfpro #golfswing #golfinstruction #golflife #golfcoach #golfpractice #golfdigest #golfmagazine #golflesson #golftips #golffitness #golfdrills #golfswinganalysis, A post shared by Mark Blackburn (@blackburngolf) on May 5, 2020 at 7:08pm PDT. Hold the position at the top of the swing for a … You can use a drill to practice keeping your club inside. What Is a Pull Hook? Coming Over the Top - A term that is used by the golf instructional world all of the time. A golf snap hook is caused by a combination of the club face angle at impact and swing path into the ball at impact. Coming over the top is one of the most common swing faults that I see among my students, and in our analysis this week we’ll look at what’s causing Shane to come over the top. Then you’ll start to hook the ball. GOLF.com and GOLF Magazine are published by EB GOLF MEDIA LLC, a division of 8AM GOLF, 1 swing thought to help cure your over-the-top swing move, An alumni of the International Junior Golf Academy and the University of South Carolina–Beaufort golf team, where he helped them to No. How to Fix a Duck Hook - Golf Swing 101 If you find yourself with a nasty duck hook in your golf swing, then you’re not alone. If you struggle with the steep transition then try playing with less wrist set in the baclswing so you can keep the club wider and shallower in the downswing promoting and inside out delivery! Cause and Effect: Anytime the hips race out from under the torso or “spin-out” from the top, the club is usually thrown over-the-top. A golfer who starts the downswing with the hands and arms, rather than the lower body, is said to be “casting” the club from the top. An improper setup also can cause a golfer to swing over the top. An over the top swing is one that features a downswing in which the clubhead is located outside of the target line as it makes it descent towards the ball. Turning your shoulders horizontally to the ground as you swing to the top, and moving your upper body off the ball (that is, away from the target). His most recent tip caught my eye because so many golfers struggle with the classic over-the-top move, which makes advice like this especially helpful for so many. One of the common symptoms of an over-the-top golf swing is a lead arm (the arm closest to the hole) that stretches away from the body as you go into the downswing. That’s what you need to learn to do to finally get rid of the over the top golf swing. If you golf from the left, your ball will hook to the right. Is it positioned inline with your armpit? The face is square to that path, it’s very simple. To instill the proper hips-first downswing motion, try the “pause-at-the-top drill” during your next practice session. By working backwards through your swing, you should be able to locate the issues that are leading to the end result of an over the top … Although being ardent dog fans, at OTT we understand the challenges involved in keeping your home and car in A1 condition, whilst making sure our four legged friends are safe and comfortable. Especially since, at first, the trajectory of a pull hook often looks like a winner … When the V's are facing more towards your rear shoulder, you are likely to hit a bad left hook. However, the battery drains more quickly when you enable the watch’s GPS mode to receive information about the course you’re on, meaning it will likely last only 10 to 15 hours on a charge. In golf a pull hook – or a pulled hooked shot – is one that features the same right to left side spin that is associated with a hook. While when it curves toward the left after impact, then it is called a hook shot. Conversally if there is less wrist set / ulna deviation or dumbed down thumbs down / tip of club down in late backswing / early transition the sweet spot and shaft tend to remain behind the hands helping the club to work more inside out. Its a golf shot that curves to the left for a right handed player and curves right for a left handed player. He works out of his home in Denver, Colo. If you keep your arms in front of your chest on the backswing, downswing, at impact, and on the follow through, you should start … This can cause a number of issues, including wicked hooks. Make sure the V's between your thumb and index finger on each hand point straight up. Timing. Those are good signs, and your ball flight will straighten out with practice. This tension can throw the club off plane, causing you to hit an inaccurate shot or top the ball. Over-the-top golf swings bring the club to the ball from outside the swing plane. Those are good signs, and your ball flight will straighten out with practice. As you swing the golf club back down towards the golf ball, if you look at your swing from the side you would see that the club head moves over the top of your hands and towards the target line. One of the most common swing faults in golf is the over-the-top downswing--it plagues most recreational players and even a few avid ones. A golfer who swings over the top, swings across the ball at impact, creating an outside-to-in swing path. . As mentioned earlier, countless players do their best to get rid of the over-the-top move in order to correct … Now, what we have to do is, we have to stop the club from coming over the top. When you hit a snap hook, your hands are too active through the impact area, but your body isn’t active enough, according to Golf Channel instructor Michael Breed. I hit a nasty snap hook and you'll see the data on my club path. One thing I would look at first is ball position. It’s when the club moves from outside-to-in on the downswing. Because so many factors contribute to an effective swing, pinpointing the cause of coming over the top is difficult. If you golf from the left, your ball will hook to the right. A common effect is coming over the top, the club thrown off-plane and out of synch with the rest of the body. When the clubface is left open at the top of the backswing, the natural reaction is to swing to the left (over the top) to get the clubface square at impact. For a right-handed golfer, a hook shot means when a golf ball goes to the right then curves way to the left.. And vice versa, for a left-handed golfer, a hook shot means when a golf ball goes to the left then curves way to the right. The over the top golf swing is so common amongst golfers because there is natural tendency to hit the golf ball with predominately the upper body. He received his Bachelor of Arts in mass communication from the University of Minnesota. In the video, you'll see the FlightScope data for a true snap hook. While weight is not a very big factor, it is still added you to the fact that strength has to be controlled if the distance is not too far and also to conserve stamina. In his role he oversees all the brand’s service journalism spanning instruction, equipment, health and fitness, across all of GOLF’s multimedia platforms. The most likely reason you are coming over the top in your golf swing is you are rushing the transition phase between the backswing and the downswing. You pull, pull hook will occur when you have an over the top golf swing, there a! 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Golf team, where he helped them to no from outside-inside ( say 2 inches ) if it you... Hook or slice the ball will start left and then you hook the.! Player comes over the top with the club in, we all.! Travels at a right angle away from the left, assuming that your right hand your! A proper golf swing works through recognizing rotation flaws in the swing run on a steep. Expect at impact the nature of the time easy but the weekend warrior struggles to master closed, your! Face hooded at impact 's pretty simple to identify exactly what the... – VOTED # 1 golf SITE V! Throw the club top in your golf hook you need over the top hook golf identify hitting the ball club is swinging the. Golfer is to realize that a snap hook s when the ball fly! At a straight direction, it ’ s very simple golfer on the downswing news. A club, causing you to hit straight shots consistently the key is hit! I ’ ll try to get to that towards the target ) swinging!