Have a slight over the top and i would like to improve

[98rzvr6]

Hey guys, i am 13 handicapper at the moment and i would love to improve to finally get to single digits. My issue has always been that my first move on the top of the swing is to get over the top a little bit and i also move head towards the target because of my right shoulder. What sort of pointers can you guys please give me? 

 

 

[MPStrat]

I’m not sure how you’re defining over the top, but you aren’t really over the top in any meaningful way. Let us know how you define over the top so we know what you mean.
 

From this angle, the only real major flaw is that’s way too much knee bend at setup which can affect dynamic balance which from this angle, is your biggest issue. 
 

But even with that, this p5 is quite good from this angle. Face on will tell more 
 

[chollier986]

Definitely not over the top

[MonteScheinblum]

Not over the top.  If anything, too far from the inside.  If your head is moving toward the target it’s because the LEFT shoulder isn’t separating first move down.

 

You have too much weight in your heels at address.

Edited August 11, 2023 by MonteScheinblum

[mizunotpz]

1 minute ago, MonteScheinblum said:

Not over the top and if your head is moving toward the target it’s because the LEFT shoulder isn’t separating forest move down.

 

You have too much weight in your heels at address.

Would you agree that his hipbone is too far back at setup?

[MonteScheinblum]

2 minutes ago, mizunotpz said:

Would you agree that his hipbone is too far back at setup?

Yes, that’s why weight is in heels

[MPStrat]

Just now, mizunotpz said:

Would you agree that his hipbone is too far back at setup?

I would, but the reason that the hipbone is too far back and the weight is in his heels is because he has too much knee bend. A bit of a chicken or egg. He needs to lose some knee bend and feel the weight more in the balls of the feet. 

[mizunotpz]

2 minutes ago, MonteScheinblum said:

Yes, that’s why weight is in heels

Yes true. I thought maybe it was possible to have the hipbone inline with your ankle and still be on your heels. Thanks!

[MPStrat]

Keegan Bradley does this and his one of the best swings on tour but I wouldn’t say it’s ideal for everyone

 

 

 

[98rzvr6]

Thank you guys for the replies, this is exactly what I wanted to see. Could you guys show me some examples of how my hip bone should be and how the knee flexion should be? The reason I say I am over the top is because I think I have poor contact with the sometimes so I always assumed it was because of the OTT. 

[MPStrat]

2 minutes ago, 98rzvr6 said:

Thank you guys for the replies, this is exactly what I wanted to see. Could you guys show me some examples of how my hip bone should be and how the knee flexion should be? The reason I say I am over the top is because I think I have poor contact with the sometimes so I always assumed it was because of the OTT. 

Basically the amount of knee bend necessary at setup is just unlocked from dead straight. So if you lock out your knees and then unlock them, this is about as much knee bend  as you need at setup.  From there you need to feel the pressure in the balls of your feet at setup instead of your heels where it’s at now. If you do those 2 things correctly, it’s impossible to have your hips and butt too far back. 

[98rzvr6]

12 minutes ago, MPStrat said:

Basically the amount of knee bend necessary at setup is just unlocked from dead straight. So if you lock out your knees and then unlock them, this is about as much knee bend  as you need at setup.  From there you need to feel the pressure in the balls of your feet at setup instead of your heels where it’s at now. If you do those 2 things correctly, it’s impossible to have your hips and butt too far back. 

So you're saying when I am setup, almost lock my knee out so essentially stand up taller and then I start to take the club back and I am in the top position, the weight should be at the toes and not so much at the heel? 

[MPStrat]

Just now, 98rzvr6 said:

So you're saying when I am setup, almost lock my knee out so essentially stand up taller and then I start to take the club back and I am in the top position, the weight should be at the toes and not so much at the heel? 

No. Don’t lock out your knees at setup. Im saying that they should be unlocked from dead straight and not much more. The weight in your feet at setup should be in the balls of the feet, not in the heels. That’s where it should start in the golf swing. The pressure will move dynamically in the actual swing, but that’s another conversation. We are talking about setup. 
 

[98rzvr6]

41 minutes ago, MPStrat said:

No. Don’t lock out your knees at setup. Im saying that they should be unlocked from dead straight and not much more. The weight in your feet at setup should be in the balls of the feet, not in the heels. That’s where it should start in the golf swing. The pressure will move dynamically in the actual swing, but that’s another conversation. We are talking about setup. 
 

 

Here is a video of me trying to stand taller and not be bent down so much. I will try to do another video tomorrow of the front of my swing but my head slides towards the target each time I swing and that is another issue I would like to correct 

[MPStrat]

12 minutes ago, 98rzvr6 said:

 

Here is a video of me trying to stand taller and not be bent down so much. I will try to do another video tomorrow of the front of my swing but my head slides towards the target each time I swing and that is another issue I would like to correct 

Ok.. noww we can see why you say over the top 😊 

 

This swing is quite different from the one at the range.

 

Post a face on when you can 

 

 

[98rzvr6]

22 hours ago, MPStrat said:

Ok.. noww we can see why you say over the top 😊 

 

This swing is quite different from the one at the range.

 

Post a face on when you can 

 

 

 

Here is a face on point of view. I'm hitting an 8 iron here. Typically that's my 150 club. My miss is usually a thin shot, rarely I fat shots. As you can see, the head moves towards the target as soon as I get to the top. What am I doing wrong

[Jeselnik]

Get your hands and rright hip deeper by engaging the ground in the BS.  You’re just waving at it.  May need to learn downshift as well.

 

JNIK

Edited August 12, 2023 by Jeselnik

[MPStrat]

42 minutes ago, 98rzvr6 said:

 

Here is a face on point of view. I'm hitting an 8 iron here. Typically that's my 150 club. My miss is usually a thin shot, rarely I fat shots. As you can see, the head moves towards the target as soon as I get to the top. What am I doing wrong

Just curious, are you right eye or left eye dominant? 
 

You correctly diagnosed yourself with the upper body lunge. Your left shoulder never clears down and away from your head. They stay stuck together. In your case the head needs to stay back and the left shoulder blade has to move away from your head as the first move in your downswing. 

 

Setup is a little better, but you are too far from the ball. I can see why father from the ball would be comfortable because you are probably hitting a lot of heels and shanks. 

[ucmike11]

On 8/12/2023 at 6:52 PM, MPStrat said:

Just curious, are you right eye or left eye dominant? 
 

You correctly diagnosed yourself with the upper body lunge. Your left shoulder never clears down and away from your head. They stay stuck together. In your case the head needs to stay back and the left shoulder blade has to move away from your head as the first move in your downswing. 

 

Setup is a little better, but you are too far from the ball. I can see why father from the ball would be comfortable because you are probably hitting a lot of heels and shanks. 

 

I'm interested to know what you are thinking when it comes to right eye/left eye dominance and how he has that upper body lunge.  I'm right eye dominant and definitely feel like my left shoulder pulls the club out.

[MPStrat]

2 minutes ago, ucmike11 said:

 

I'm interested to know what you are thinking when it comes to right eye/left eye dominance and how he has that upper body lunge.  I'm right eye dominant and definitely feel like my left shoulder pulls the club out.

Ya man that’s no surprise. Lunging is common in right eye dominant players because the urge is to want to see the ball with your dominant eye. 
 

 

[98rzvr6]

I am definitely right eye dominant. What can i do about it? It is so frustrating because i feel like i could strike the ball much better if i didnt do that. There is a way of keeping it to a minimum by literally forcing my body to stay back but then other issues occur and i dont like that fix either. 

[98rzvr6]

By the way, i practiced yesterday standing closer to the ball and staying on my toes more, seem to be hitting better in the face and much more consistent ball flight. 

[MPStrat]

1 hour ago, 98rzvr6 said:

I am definitely right eye dominant. What can i do about it? It is so frustrating because i feel like i could strike the ball much better if i didnt do that. There is a way of keeping it to a minimum by literally forcing my body to stay back but then other issues occur and i dont like that fix either. 

The thing about golf forums is that they are great for learning potential issues and root causes of problems, but they are terrible for fixing the problem. I could sit here and tell you to put a tee on the ground 6 inches behind the ball and focus your eyes on it until the ball is gone, but that’s just one of many things that help you fix this issue but could also make things a lot worse. 

 

The answer is to find a good teacher to help guide you through this in person. 

[ucmike11]

1 hour ago, 98rzvr6 said:

I am definitely right eye dominant. What can i do about it? It is so frustrating because i feel like i could strike the ball much better if i didnt do that. There is a way of keeping it to a minimum by literally forcing my body to stay back but then other issues occur and i dont like that fix either. 

 

Pirate eye patch over dominant eye to train the other...yes...this is definitely going to work!

 

 

[MK7Golf21]

edit- was only looking at his swing in backyard. Just have someone put a shaft up next to you head like in the drill below. Regarding swing in backyard, that one is over the top and the shaft in the bucket drill will help.

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cu8W373rTs2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

 

Edited August 14, 2023 by MK7Golf21

[jonsnow]

On 8/12/2023 at 5:45 PM, 98rzvr6 said:

 

Here is a face on point of view. I'm hitting an 8 iron here. Typically that's my 150 club. My miss is usually a thin shot, rarely I fat shots. As you can see, the head moves towards the target as soon as I get to the top. What am I doing wrong

I like the club twirl in the face on video. 🙂

[wagolfer7]

Golf gets complicated if you make it complicated.  Often times the solution is pretty simple.  

 

You lunge forward, because you have to.  If you didn't, you would hit a foot behind the ball in the turf.  You can't tilt your head away from the target like this and expect to make good contact without making compensations.  Camera angle is not ideal, but can still see you have at least some degree of tilting your head away from the target.    

 

Work on your setup first for awhile.  Get consistent with it.  Nail it down by looking at PGA pro's.  Good posture and balance is key to avoid unnecessary compensations.  

 

Left / Right Eye Dominancy has nothing to do with it.