How to Fix an Over-the-Top Golf Swing

Few swing faults plague amateur golfers as consistently as the over-the-top move. It’s responsible for slices, weak pulls, glancing contact, and frustration that can last for years if left unaddressed.

While the term “over the top” is commonly heard on the range, many golfers don’t fully understand what causes it — or how to correct it in a sustainable way.

At its core, an over-the-top swing is a sequencing issue. The club moves out and over the ideal path during the transition, often because the upper body dominates the downswing.

This creates a steep angle of attack and a club path that cuts across the ball, resulting in that familiar left-to-right shot shape for right-handed golfers.

But here’s the good news: over-the-top isn’t a permanent flaw. It’s a habit built on compensations, and with the right understanding and training, you can rewire your motion.

This article will help you identify whether you’re swinging over the top, understand why it’s happening, and walk you through key concepts and drills that will train a shallower, more efficient swing path.

If you’ve ever felt stuck at the top, pulling across the ball, or simply struggling to hit it straight with power — this could be the swing fix that finally clicks.

What Is an Over-the-Top Swing?

An over-the-top swing refers to a downswing path where the club travels outside the target line and cuts across the ball on the way to impact.

Instead of shallowing and approaching the ball from the inside, the club moves “over” the ideal plane — resulting in a swing path that comes too steeply from the outside.

This move typically produces:

• A pull if the clubface is square at impact
• A slice if the face is open
• A glancing hit with weak contact and low compression

From a visual standpoint, you’ll often see the trail elbow flying away from the body early in transition, and the shaft pointing above the target line.

The club gets thrown outward, and the swing path becomes narrow, rushed, and difficult to time.

Why It’s a Problem

Coming over the top puts you in a position where your only options are to:

• Pull the ball hard left
• Hold the face open and slice it right
• Try to manipulate the club at the last second

None of these are reliable options — especially under pressure.

Over-the-top isn’t just a swing flaw. It’s usually a compensation for a deeper problem, such as poor sequencing or lack of mobility. And once you understand the root causes, it becomes much easier to make the right changes — which we’ll cover in the next section.

Why It Happens

The over-the-top move is rarely intentional — it’s a reaction. Most golfers don’t decide to swing steep and across the ball. Instead, it’s the body’s way of compensating for a breakdown in sequencing, setup, or mobility.

When something goes wrong earlier in the swing, coming over the top becomes a “survival move” to get the club back to the ball.

1. Starting the Downswing with the Upper Body

This is the most common cause. When you initiate the downswing with your shoulders instead of your hips, the club immediately moves out and over the ideal path. The upper body dominates the motion, forcing the club away from your body — rather than shallowing into the slot.

2. Lack of Depth in the Backswing

If the hands and club stay too high and in front of the body during the backswing, there’s no space to drop the club on an inside path. The result? The club goes out and over by necessity. Depth creates space; without it, the over-the-top move often feels inevitable.

3. Poor Setup and Ball Position

Standing too close to the ball or placing it too far forward encourages a steeper angle of attack. When your body lacks room to swing from the inside, the club naturally lifts and cuts across. Proper distance from the ball and neutral ball position are crucial to support an inside path.

4. Fear of the Hook

Some players swing over the top because they’re subconsciously trying to avoid a left miss. This leads to holding the clubface open and swinging across the ball to compensate. Ironically, the fear of one miss leads to a swing pattern that creates a different — but equally damaging — miss.

Key Concepts to Shallow the Club

Fixing an over-the-top move doesn’t mean you need to force the club into an unnatural position. It starts with understanding the right movement patterns during the transition and learning how to let the club fall into place — not throw it.

Shallowing the club is about body sequence, not just swing plane.

Let the Club Drop Behind You

Instead of pushing the club outward with your hands or shoulders, focus on letting the clubhead fall behind your body as you begin the downswing. This motion helps the club approach the ball from the inside and adds width to your arc. Think “drop, then turn” — not “lift and pull.”

Lead with the Lower Body

Proper transition starts with the hips and legs shifting toward the target. This clears the way for the torso, arms, and club to follow. When the lower body initiates, the club shallows naturally. But when the upper body starts the move, the club steepens and swings over the top.

Create Backswing Depth

One of the easiest ways to shallow the club is to start in a better backswing position. Get the club and your hands slightly behind your trail shoulder at the top. This gives the club space to drop and rotate inside. A narrow, upright backswing makes shallowing almost impossible.

Keep the Trail Elbow Tucked

If your trail elbow flies away from your body early in the downswing, the club will almost always move outside. By keeping your elbow closer to your ribcage and pointing more down than behind you, you naturally shallow the shaft and set up an inside path.

Drills to Correct the Over-the-Top Move

Changing your swing pattern requires more than just understanding what to do — it takes feel and repetition. These drills are designed to help you retrain your transition, improve your path, and get comfortable with the feeling of the club dropping inside rather than moving over the top.

Pump Drill

This drill exaggerates the shallowing motion.

• Take a backswing, then pause at the top.
• Slowly rehearse the start of the downswing by dropping the hands and club slightly behind you while initiating a lower body turn.
• “Pump” this motion two or three times, then swing through on the final rep.

It trains the feeling of dropping and turning, not throwing and pulling.

Split Grip Drill

Grip the club with your top hand in the normal position and your trail hand several inches down the shaft.

• As you swing to the top, feel how your trail hand helps guide the club down and behind your body.
• It exaggerates the inside path and makes over-the-top nearly impossible.

This drill builds awareness of how the club should track through the downswing.

Wall Plane Drill

Stand with your trail side near a wall (or alignment stick vertically stuck in the ground behind you).

• Make a backswing and start your downswing without letting the club hit the wall.
• If your club hits the wall, it means you’re swinging too steep and outside.
• Focus on dropping the club inside and rotating under the plane.

It gives instant feedback and helps you feel a more efficient swing path.

Swing Under Stick Drill

Stick an alignment rod or pool noodle into the ground at an angle just above your swing plane.

• Your goal is to start the downswing and swing under the rod without hitting it.
• This forces you to drop the club inside rather than go over the top.

External cues like this are especially effective for breaking ingrained habits.

Changing Your Mental Approach

Swing faults like coming over the top are often rooted in how you think about the swing, not just how you move. To make lasting change, you need to shift your mindset as much as your mechanics.

Most golfers who swing over the top are trying to “guide” the ball or over-control the motion — especially from the top of the backswing. That tension leads to upper-body dominance and a steep, out-to-in path.

Instead, you need to trust the sequence. The club doesn’t need to be thrown at the ball — it needs to fall into place.

Think more about rotating through impact than hitting at the ball. Let your body unwind and allow your arms and club to follow naturally. The smoother your transition, the easier it is to create lag, shallowing, and solid contact.

A few shifts in focus that can help:

• Replace “hit the ball” with “turn through it”
• Replace “pull down the club” with “let it drop”
• Replace “guide it straight” with “swing through to the target”

By trusting the process and resisting the urge to correct mid-swing, your motion becomes more fluid and consistent. The swing path improves — and so do your results.

Conclusion

Fixing an over-the-top swing is one of the most transformational upgrades a golfer can make. It’s not just about changing your path — it’s about retraining your sequence, refining your feel, and developing a swing that’s both powerful and repeatable.

By shallowing the club, using your lower body to initiate the downswing, and practicing the right drills, you can break free from the slice and learn to hit strong, penetrating shots with confidence.

The process takes time and awareness, but once you feel the difference, there’s no going back.

If you’ve been battling the over-the-top move for years, this is your roadmap to finally leave it behind — and start swinging like a better version of yourself.

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Thanks for reading today’s article!

Nick Foy – Golf Instructor