What is meant by "coming over the top"?

[Chas]

I have heard and read many times not to "come over the top" in the golf swing, but I really don't know exactly what is meant. I'm sitting here looking at pictures and an article about it in the new Golf magazine and I still can't figure it out.

[Clugnut]

Over the top is a move where your arms start the downswing. It causes your are to swing from outside to inside, causing the club face to cut across the ball. For a visual, if you see a golfer who seems to "drop" his arms at the beginning of the downswing, he is starting from his hips and dropping the club "into the slot". If the golfers arms go up and they seem to circle over to the outside, this is over the top.

[gunning4u]

Its hard to explain with out showing but it is when the down swing plane comes up out and over the plane of the backswing usually started just at the start of the down swing. It could also me considered an outside in swing on the downswing and it usually causes a slice. Ideally your swing plane on the down swing should follow or be slightly underneath the plane the arms and shaft make in the back swing, that’s why you hear the term staying on plane a lot.

[PhillyEagle]

Incorrect being over the top. Picture on left is take away, picture on right is downswing.

[cypressperch]

of these great responses. Here is an additional thought. The back-swing involves coiling the shoulders and turning the hips (not as much as the shoulders) with an arm-swing brings the club back and up.

The down-swing involves a hip turn and an uncoiling of the shoulders with an arm-swing that is down and then through the ball.

The blasted over-the-top move comes when at the top of the swing, we decide to skip a step or two. Above you will notice the down-swing is very much the opposite of the back-swing, as it has to be if we are to get back to the address position which as far as the clubface is concerned is also the impact position. So from the top, we try to go at the ball immediately! You will not believe your eyes how stupid this move looks when you see it in slow motion on a video! The body has to make a really spastic looking move to go at the ball before the hips have turned to allow the upper body to uncoil with the arms coming down and then through, from the inside to the ball, rather than over-the-top.

Sincerely, Cypressperch

[dave.]

Downswing in this order;

hips,shoulders,arms,hands

Ott is;

The above in a different order,usually arms or shoulders first,or shoulders and hips together,either way you miss time the swing,the right elbow comes out and pushes the plane over,nasty.Probably the most destructive swing fault there is

[bryank]

This guy shows a very common look to "coming over the top" in his swing...may help for more of a visual.



Peace, B