A problem many golfers struggle with is getting the ball up in the air. It can be a problem when using the irons but, more often than not, it’s topping the golf ball with a driver and hitting the fairway woods that can be so frustrating. To deal with the problem, first we need to understand what is happening.
The best way to do that, is to visualise the club contacting the ball above the ball’s equator. Hitting the top section of the ball won’t allow it to rise in the air and it will only trundle along the ground.
If you are new to golf, I have a few tips below which should help you a lot. Or even if you are a more experienced golfer, bad habits can always creep in and you too may find the information useful.
Topped shots caused by standing on the tee with the driver and trying to kill the ball is probably the biggest culprit. Closely followed by swaying during the backswing.
Let’s take a look at what is happening when going for the biggie with the driver. Often the problem starts on the downswing by moving the hips and the legs to fast back into the ball. This doesn’t allow the hands and wrists to keep up, resulting in the swing arc not being able to reach its full length at impact.
Now the other problem, swaying during the backswing takes the swing arc further away from the ball. This makes it difficult to get the body moved forward again to the good address position you probably ensured you had to start with.
The result with both these situations is that they cause the arc of the swing to be to high when contacting the ball with the club. Instead of the middle of the club striking the ball, it is continuing on the upstroke and the bottom of the club is what is striking the ball.
As I mentioned earlier, the club is contacting the ball above its equator resulting in topping the golf ball with the driver. The best way to avoid such shots is to have a good understanding of the golf swing sequence. Which breaks down all the possible errors that may be happening.
We have a much wider selection of drivers these days and choosing the right one for you is important. The drivers we find today with the oversized heads can be a lot more forgiving when hitting a bad drive. The deeper face especially when the ball is teed up, can see you topping less often.
The Same Problem With Topping Fairway Woods
More often than not, when we pull out a fairway wood we do so in the knowledge, we need to get some distance. Perhaps we have bunkers to negotiate or a water hazard that it is imperative we clear. Giving ourselves the chance of making birdie or perhaps securing a par, hinges on getting the ball up close to the pin.
Once again, we have put ourselves in the exact same position as when driving. Trying to murder the ball and swaying away from the ball, trying to achieve the required distance. We might imagine we are the Tiger when swinging the club as fast as he does BUT. Remember the Tiger Woods practice routine was 12 hours a day.
Believe me, topping a golf ball with a driver and with any of the other clubs in the bag for that matter was a very rare occurrence. If that did become a problem, then Tiger would have doubled the amount of practise to ensure it was eradicated quickly as possible.
To stop topping your golf shots, try to relax a bit more. Have faith in the club, be it a 3 wood or the 5, after all they are designed to get the ball up into the air. While we are on the subject about clubs being designed for getting the ball up into the air there are no better examples than the wedges. Yet the same problem exists. You may have heard the term “bladed shots”. This is when you top the ball with an iron.
Slowing down on the downswing and maintaining the correct posture can ensure that the club face hits squarely on the ball. Instead of watching the ball scuttle along the ground right into the hazard you were trying to avoid in the first place, you will see it fly straight to your target. Or, even if it is still short of the green, you will at least have given yourself a chance with a short chip and a putt.
If you have trained yourself to have a good setup and posture, then why waste all that effort you put in when you perfected it. This can happen a lot with experienced golfers who can’t understand why they start topping the ball. They have done all the hard work building a good address posture, but forget they need to be back into that good position when striking the ball.
You Could Hire A Golf Consultant To Stop Topped Shots
Often, there is not a simple solution to hitting balls thin. Fundamentally, this is an issue that is directly related to your golf swing. The mechanics of your golf swing is not correct if consistently topping the ball. If you are using the right driver, the design will ensure that your ball will lift into the air PROVIDING, you are swinging the driver the right way.
If this issue continues, you may want to consider hiring a golf swing coach or a golf consultant. Your coach or consultant will be able to show you where you’re making mistakes and will also give you drills to perform to improve your golf swing. After you have performed these drills correctly, the issue of topping golf balls with the driver etc, should be resolved.
Research and Study Online and Offline Resources
Of course, it’s not everyone who will have the money to hire a competent golf professional. However, before you begin searching for tutorials or other resources, it is important to know that some of the information available on the subject may not be correct. For example, there are some websites that can confuse by using terms such as ‘skulling’, ‘hitting the ball thin’ and ‘topping’ interchangeably.
Many of these websites also contradict each other and give information that is inaccurate or confusing to a novice golfer. An alternative to these sites is to take a trip to your local library and look for golf swing instruction books. These books teach readers the correct mechanics of the swing and will show different golf swing techniques.
Read the information and take notes if necessary, and then record yourself as you swing your golf driver. Review your technique on the video and compare it against your notes. You will likely see a deviation in your golf swing technique than what is normal. You can then begin to correct your mistakes and improve your swing over time. As a result, you should no longer be topping golf balls on a regular basis.
No More Topping Ball with Driver with Your Own Pro Trainer
Today, golf video training is the thing. I don’t mean watching countless video snips from countless golf trainers. There are too many well-intentioned views coming from them, but they only confuse rather than train. Much better if all the training comes from the same instructor.
Two huge benefits can be gained through this type of training. Instead of small snippets, a more in-depth explanation of all aspects, of each particular course can be provided. And this includes the causes as well as the cures.
Plus of course, there is the continuity provided with video training by having just one pro trainer. Although it is not the same as personal training with the pro down at your local club, it is without doubt the best affordable alternative.
Affordable is great but being able to take the training at your convenience, whenever it suits you, is probably the main benefit. Topping a golf ball with the driver could well become a thing of the past. Without the need to visit the library, or the local pro for a refresher course on a regular basis.
No longer will you have to listen to those teaser remarks from your golfing colleges such as, “you burned a few worms with that one”. If you need to fix any aspect of your game, all you need to do is flick to that section of the video. Click the link to learn How To Hit The Driver Properly with this video training course.