When you’ve got an over-the-top golf swing, bad things tend to happen. The most common? Slicing the ball and leaving yourself with a difficult next shot — which usually piles on the strokes and adds to your scorecard.

While there are tons of remedies to help eliminate this type of swing flaw, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Michael Hunt shares an easy drill that can lead to better ball contact almost instantly. In fact, all you need to do is take a club and practice from pretty much anywhere, allowing you to get the necessary feels to translate it to the course.

Check out how it works below, and then give it a try for yourself.

A simple tip to fix your over-the-top golf swing

When you struggle with an over-the-top golf swing, it means your clubface is off-plane, leading to ball contact that’s either on the heel or toe of the club. Your angle of attack also gets thrown off, which is why you may hit a shot thin or fat, or why your ball may have way too much side spin to have a chance to stay in play.

But Hunt says the hack above is a good way to improve this common fault.

“This is for you golfers who struggle with steeping the club on the way down, or getting out-to-in on your club path,” Hunt says.

He then walks through the drill.

“Take your left hand on the grip [as you normally would for a right-handed golfer], and use an open face with your right hand,” he adds. “Then practice taking the club back, trying to take the palm [of your right hand] on a 45-degree angle. Then just allow the club to fall into that slot, getting the feeling of your weight moving towards the target and the club dropping.”

Next, Hunt describes a common mistake he sees from golfers who come over-the-top, with the player often rotating the club over too much.

“I see a lot of golfers use that right hand and pitch the club over, which steepens it,” he adds. “Or they use their shoulders and really throw that club out, causing their right hand to rotate over — which adds loft and leads to all sorts of bad things.”

It’s a simple practice drill to try before ever hitting a ball, so use Hunt’s advice during practice before your next range session or golf round — it should help you feel more comfortable and lead to fewer over-the-top golf swings.

Rukket Sports Pathfinder Impact Mat™

$69.99

Are you looking for a golf training mat to help your golf game? The Rukket Pathfinder Impact Mat™ was designed with input from professional golfers and golf teachers to help players of all abilities improve their game. The strike mat tracks club face alignment and helps ensure clean contact with the ball while the foam pylons can be used to keep your swing on plane. Use all four pylons to practice hitting straighter shots or remove pylons to practice hitting draw or fade shots. It’s the most versatile golf swing practice mat available and works with every club in your bag!
Features

2-in-1 golf swing training mat combining the features of an impact mat / strike mat and a swing path trainer to help golfers quickly identify and correct common swing problems like hooks and slices.
It’s a golf swing impact / strike mat to help identify and correct club face alignment. Use the “velvet” turf to ensure you’re making clean contact with the ball.
It’s also a golf swing training aid to help with swing plane alignment. Use it to fix a slice or a hook, and to practice hitting draw and fade shots.

What’s in the Box

(1) Rukket Pathfinder Impact Mat™
(4) Foam Pylons
(1) Instruction Booklet

Product Specs
25in x 13in x 0.8in
RUKKET FAIR PLAY GUARANTEE & LIFETIME WARRANTY: At Rukket Sports we know you came to win. We also understand that in order to win you need to train hard, so that’s why we’re proud to offer the Rukket Fair Play Guarantee & Lifetime Warranty for no-risk purchasing plus outstanding USA-based customer service!

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Nick Dimengo

Golf.com Editor