45º Ball Drill – Stop Coming Over-The-Top

Your over-the-top move can have many causes – most commonly though, it stems from poor fundamentals. Regardless your over-the-top move travels on an out to in swing path and to help fix this, we need to get you swinging the opposite direction – in to out. The in to out swing path will help you …

Your over-the-top move can have many causes – most commonly though, it stems from poor fundamentals. Regardless your over-the-top move travels on an out to in swing path and to help fix this, we need to get you swinging the opposite direction – in to out. The in to out swing path will help you get into the slot, fight against your slice and help you create more lag and power on your downswing. By practicing the drill below you can get away from your over-the-top move and over time transition into the ideal in to in swing path.

 

ball drill over the top fix

 

Back to your problem though – if you pull the ball, you suffer from an out-to-in swing path and tend to have a very steep angle of attack. This move into impact is common for beginners and slicers – it usually stems from a rushed move from the top. If you hurry your downswing, your shoulders will begin to turn horizontally before your hands have begun to drop, this move throws your hands away from your body making it impossible to attack the ball from the inside. Some warning signs of this move include deep divots that point left of your target line, popped-up shots, shanks and topped balls. To reduce and eliminate your pull, you’ll have to flatten out your downswing so you can approach the ball from inside your target line. This drill is designed to completely change your out-to-in swing path into a much more manageable in-to-out swing path.

 

Set up three golf balls along a 45º angle to your target line, and space them out enough so if you set your club behind the middle ball, there is about on inch on either side of the top and bottom ball for your club to travel through, as shown in the picture above.

Swing back inside your target line on the backswing, and when swinging through – focus on hitting only the middle ball, to do this properly you must drop your hands down from the top so they can travel on an in-to-out swing path. If you do this correctly you should push the ball to the right with every shot. If you can hit five pushed shots in a row without contacting the other balls, try hitting shots normally again. With some practice you’ll start to get into a better position on the way to impact – and soon you’ll get your swing back on track.

If you are still consistently pulling it and only making contact with the middle ball, try putting the other two balls even closer towards your clubhead. This drill will train your swing to be in the proper position into impact and help to eliminate your over-the-top move.

Also, don’t miss the video to the right for a better idea how to perform this drill!

Give it a try!