I lifted my head. Too quick. Too fast. I didn’t keep my eye on the ball. I didn’t post up (whatever that means). Got ahead of it. Hit straight down on top of it (no you didn’t) Etc. etc. The list goes on and on. The things you tell yourself immediately after you hit the dreaded “top” shot. Always at the worst time too, right? You were just off the green after hitting a great drive and approach shot. ALLLLL you have to do is chip it close and walk away with a par. Perfect. Except you bladed the ball over the green into the bunker. Nice. You walked off the green with a 7 instead of a 4. Ready for the 19th hole yet?
Are you ready to understand the REAL reasons you hit that shot? Let’s dive in…
Imagine a hula-hoop. That’s what your golf swing is. Except your not spinning it around your hips. The hula-hoop is touching the ground tilted at roughly a 45-degree angle. The point where the hoop touches the ground, we will call your “swing bottom” or Dynamic #2.
When you execute the dynamics properly, the point where the hula-hoop touches the ground will be just AFTER the golf ball. The white piece of this hula-hoop is the bottom of the swing (Dynamic #2). With proper Load and Lag, I can have a flat left wrist at impact with a swing bottom that is after the golf ball, resulting in a solidly struck golf shot.
The reason you hit the top shot, is because the point the hula-hoop touches the ground, in your case, is before the golf ball. Notice how I have lost Dynamic #1, the shaft is leaning backwards, and the club head is on the RED side of the hoop. This means the club is moving UP, or ascending. If the club head is moving UP trying to hit a ball on the ground, the ball will be struck with the blade of the club sending the ball screaming across the ground…or in your case, the green.
Now, notice what happens to the hula-hoop after the low point. It starts moving back up again, doesn’t it? If your golf ball is after the SWING BOTTOM (where the hoop starts moving up), what part of the club do you think is going to hit the ball? If you said the leading edge, or “blade” of the club, you are absolutely correct. THIS IS WHY YOU TOP THE BALL OR “BLADE” IT!
To learn more about the 5 Dynamics and Impact Based Instruction, call 239-236-5536.
