Topping the ball

racso1975

I have just recently taken up golf and my first outing was in Leinster Hills in Carlow. Due to it being such a new course we were told to tee up on the fairways. This suited me perfectly. This weekend i was out on a par 3 course and whenever it came to hitting the ball with an iron i constantly topped it and it would travel 10 yards max. Any advice with this problem would be great. As a matter of interest I have a set of wilson clubs and have noticed that the irons are alot heavier then other peoples that i play with.

css

If you think about the basic physics of the golf swing, you are swinging in a U with the ball in front of that U..

You basically have the ball too far ahead of that U, with the result that you are hitting the ball on the upswing, instead of at the bottom of your swing. Which results in the topped shot. Does that make any sense?

Take a practice swing, and see where your iron hits brushes the ground. You want to have the ball at that location preferably. My guess is that you have it an inch or two forward of where it should be.

This assumes you are swinging ok!

racso1975

Hi Css thanks a million for that i will go home and practise it. I hope my swing is ok cause when i tee off 9 out of ten it goes straight up the fairway just dont get a huge amount of height on it:rolleyes:

irishpartyboy

Positioning the ball within your stance really depends on what club / wood you are using. Working from the low irons e.g. 3 iron, the ball is more towards your front foot, moving further towards the centre of your stance each club.

Remember your 3 iron is several inches longer than your 9 iron so positioning within your stance is critical.

Best tip I can give you, keep your head down all during your swing and until well after. That;s the biggest cause of a mi**** or top.

Get a lesson also.

BillyBoy

I always felt that telling a beginner to keep their head down can lead to them dipping their head which results in hitting it heavy. I read a lesson in a magazine a few years ago by some pro - his tip was to focus on keeping your chin up. I found this focuses the mind on keeping the head still (i.e. not lifting or dipping the head).

It worked for me so maybe give it a go. But then again i think every golfer is told to do the same thing but in different ways. Its just a matter of time before its explained to you in a way that you understand and relate to.

TheDoc

ball positioning is probably the fault here rather then swing mechanics, as we cant see your swing its hrad to tell.

As a rule of thumb, the less loft the club has, the further towards your left foot you move the ball(for right handers)

So in effect, your driver you will have positioned very far "foward" in your stance while your wedges you position very far "back" in your stance

If you are teeing off with a 3 iron and have the ball positioned more to hte back, you will top the ball or hit a punchy shot.

prospect

Don't forget to keep your eye on the ball.

When you back swing, keep your eyes fixed on the ball.
When you strike, eyes on the ball.
When you follow through, eyes on the ball.

A good tip is to count to 2 after you hit, then look up.

racso1975

thanks for all the advise people and please keep it coming. i think i will be spending many a summers evening on the driving range and in the back garden:D

copacetic

i'd say it is more likely you are swaying or lifting your head too early.
usual if you have a decent enough swing then having the ball too far forward won't make you top it, you will compensate as you know where the ball is and just tend to hit it higher.
topping is usually when you sway away from the ball on the backswing and have moved yourself away from the position you started it.
If this isn't it more likely you are lifting your head a little early and the clubs comes up a little with you.
If again this isn't it maybe you are gripping the club too tight, you naturally tense up even more during your backswing the the clubs rises a little bit into
your hands...

So as the guys say - check your setup. Then grip lightly, swing easy, turn don't sway. Finally, don't be in a rush to see where the ball is going, if you trust your swing it will be going where you are aiming

BillyBoy

daveym wrote:

i'd say it is more likely you are swaying or lifting your head too early.
usual if you have a decent enough swing then having the ball too far forward won't make you top it, you will compensate as you know where the ball is and just tend to hit it higher.
topping is usually when you sway away from the ball on the backswing and have moved yourself away from the position you started it.
If this isn't it more likely you are lifting your head a little early and the clubs comes up a little with you.
If again this isn't it maybe you are gripping the club too tight, you naturally tense up even more during your backswing the the clubs rises a little bit into
your hands...

So as the guys say - check your setup. Then grip lightly, swing easy, turn don't sway. Finally, don't be in a rush to see where the ball is going, if you trust your swing it will be going where you are aiming

Get a few lessons off a decent pro. As you can see from the responses given there could be a number of reasons for topping the ball but because we haven't seen you swing we can't say for definite. A good pro will be able to get you hitting the ball well

okden

AT IMPACT, you have either changed your RADIUS or POSITION
(1) RADIUS : the distance between the clubhead and the top of your spine has SHORTENED.
[pos. signs at impact (a) bent left elbow (b) bent back left wrist (adds more loft)]
or
(2) POSITION : the distance between the top of your spine and the ball has LENGTHENED.
[pos. signs at impact (a) spine angle raised up (b) falling backwards]

a good pro will spot which of these you are doing fairly quickly, but golf being a game of opposites, you are probably compensating too much for doing the opposite of one of these in the backswing when you shouldnt of, so if you dip on backswing you might raise going thru, or if you fall forward on backswing you might fall backwards going thru (reverse pivot).

SETUP might be causing any of these with ball to far back, forward, near, or far from you, messing with your RADIUS or POSITION.

FEAR is the ultimate opposite, very common in topping, as most toppers have a fear of hitting a fat shot that only goes 10 yards (compared to a top that can run and run). seen as you only just dumped the tees you might be jumping up at the last second, basicly compensating for a flaw that is only in your mind.

as i said a good pro will point out what your doing, else start your long search with radius and/or position.