The Setup Mistake That Can Cause An Over-the-Top Swing

One of the issues golfers seem to constantly be trying to fix is an over-the-top golf swing. It happens to a lot of players and there are plenty of reasons and swing faults that can cause it.

Sometimes, though, the problem starts before you even swing the club back.

I love finding setup mistakes like this because you can fix them without spending the entire downswing thinking about rerouting the club or dropping your hands into a certain position. Make a change to your pre-shot routine, get yourself into a better position and you can still swing freely.

The mistake can happen as you walk into the ball

A common mistake is walking into the shot and gradually getting your body closed to the target.

It makes sense how it happens.

You approach the ball from the side, get your feet into position and look up at the target. The problem is that you may already be aimed too far to the right.

Your brain still knows where the target is.

Now your body is set up in one direction while you’re trying to send the golf ball somewhere else. That can encourage the club to work back across the ball on the downswing.

A better way to walk into the shot is to stay a little more open at first. Set the clubface toward your target and then build your stance around it, going from open to square rather than walking in closed and trying to correct it from there.

Checking your feet isn’t enough

Golfers will sometimes put a club across their toes, see that their feet look pretty good and assume everything is square. Your feet can be fine while your shoulders are aimed somewhere completely different.

In the video above, Chris Ryan demonstrates a setup where the toe line looks relatively square but the shoulders are aimed well left. His point is that checking the feet alone doesn’t give you the full picture.

Take a look at your toes, knees, hips, forearms and shoulders. Even reaching with your trail hand to put it on the club can change your shoulder alignment without you realizing it.

Staying loose is not the same as letting your setup creep

I think this is where a lot of golfers get themselves into trouble without realizing it.

You get over the ball, take one more look at the target and then one foot creeps a little. Maybe the other one follows. You look again and make another tiny adjustment. None of these movements feels significant but, by the time you’re ready to swing, the setup you started with isn’t necessarily the setup you have anymore.

Your toe line can change, your shoulders can change and even your ball position can shift relative to your stance.

There is nothing wrong with staying loose over the ball. Waggle the club, keep a little movement in your feet and don’t feel like you have to stand there completely frozen. The issue is when those little movements start changing your alignment.

If you realize you’re aimed incorrectly, don’t keep creeping your feet around until it looks better. Step away and reset. It’s much easier to rebuild the setup.

A simple way to get your alignment right

Stand behind the ball first and establish your target line. Find something small on that line a few feet in front of the ball and use it as an intermediate target.

From there:

• Aim the clubface at the intermediate target first.
• Build your stance around the clubface.
• Check that your upper and lower body are working on the same lines.
• If something feels significantly off, back away instead of shuffling into a new position.

A target that’s two feet in front of you is much easier to aim at than one that’s 150 or 250 yards away.

If you’ve been working hard to stop coming over the top, don’t assume the next fix has to happen during the swing. Make sure your setup isn’t encouraging the move before the club ever starts back. Put an alignment stick down on the range and see if your aim is causing your over-the-top move.