Table of Contents
Overview
Topping the golf ball during play has become a big nightmare for most golfers. It has been certified that a large percentage of golfers top the ball as beginners. It may look simple, but it is more embarrassing than it seems.
Most times, topping occurs when a golfer is not in sequence. One of the major reasons for the occurrence of topping is that golfers tend to release the club (replace) when it is way better to begin at the ground up.
Are you a golfer, and you find it difficult to outgrow the problem of topping the golf ball during play? Your days of nightmare is about to be over. In this article, you will see some practical ways to top up your golf ball practice and end the days of topping the ball during play.
Indeed, there are few causes why you always have the ball rolling on the ground instead of being in the air. They are;
- Poor posture
As important as it is to have a good walking, or sleeping posture, developing a good posture during play is also important.
Excellent posture makes for firm contact between you, the ground, and your golf ball. During play, standing with your upper body bent forward a little and hanging by your sides gives you the needed posture to propel the ball to the turf.
- Failing to keep your arms down
During the back string, you need your arms to be firmly closed to generate strength. Also, your arm should be extended to the ground with the intent of bringing the ball downwards during play. This seems like a challenging task, but it’s not.
Try this. Stand well as you would if you were playing, and get the ball with you. Ensure it is firmly held between your hands, with your arms tightly folded and extending to the ground. Then release the golf ball to the ground; this alone allows you to see the extent of strength required to get your hands down.
- Facing the ground for long
Most golfers make the mistake of adhering to unhealthy instructions like keeping the head down. This often occurs with new golfers who have not understood their onions.
Keeping your face down not only slows your movement but also prevents you from exercising or reacting as fast as you should as an athlete. Also, facing down prevents you from reacting fast and bringing the club down on the ball to kick off the ball to the air.
- Imbalance
Let’s assume it is time for play, with your friends, gathered around and waiting to perform. You are set to play, with your shoulders held high, and in high spirits, then boom, you lose balance.
This could be a huge embarrassment that may take a while to get over.
Imbalance may not be as difficult as it may seem. In fact having the right balance during play can be achieved by anyone. To ensure a good balance check, hold your ground until the golf ball reaches the ground.
- Being far from the golf ball
Another issue is standing some meters away from the ball. How would you be able to kick off the ball into the air if you are far from the ball, without topping or thin shooting it? The possibility is quite slim.
Distancing yourself from the golf ball makes it difficult to maintain balance in a way to be able to propel the golf ball well.
- Squeezing the hands
Most golfers tend to feel nervous during play. This comes as a result of trying to impress or being scared of flopping. Eventually, you may end up squeezing your hands a little too tight than necessary.
A firm grip on your club is important, but squeezing too tight might lead to contraction of the arms. This leads to a topped shot.
The instruction is: hold, don’t squeeze. When a larger part of your hand is firmly secured on the club, the contact is formed. You can now kick off the ball high into the air with strength and agility, without necessarily topping.
Now that you’ve had knowledge of the tricky but seemingly avoidable causes of topping, let us proceed to ways to stop the case of topping during play.
Have a good posture
During practice, you find out that a large percentage of golfers lift their body upwards. This usually happens at the down string. When this occurs, the club lifts high up to the air and is far from the golf ball.
Maintaining a good posture during play saves you the stress of battling with your ball and club. It further puts you in the right position to propel the ball to the turf.
Here’s how to that it:
During the down string, your body goes in line with the direction of the ball. Ensure your arm is downwards during the impact.
Balance your weight evenly
Uneven balancing of the body’s weight on the legs could initiate a big problem during play. It is one of the mistakes most golfers make. As a golfer, it is necessary to equip yourself with needed skills for low spinning wedge shots. This can be achieved with proper balancing during play.
Now, during the start of the play, you find out that your entire body weight is balanced on your two legs. Then gradually, it shifts to the back of your foot. This occurs during the back string.
After a while, your weight focuses entirely on the backfoot. This is not constant as during the back string, your bodyweight moves further to the front foot.
There’s a mistake commonly associated with improper weight transfer in golf. This is called a reverse pivot.
In the reverse pivot, when your body weight should be at the front foot, it is found at the backfoot. Also, when it should be at the back foot, it is normally found at the front foot.
While moving from the back string to the down string, your whole body propels the direction of the ball. This is because your body weight transitions from the back to the front.
Avoid swaying
Swaying is a problem known for both amateurs and professional golfers. It is not limited to amateurs alone. What does swaying do?
When swaying occurs, the lowest point of the arc moves to the back of the wall. As a result, when your golf ball comes in contact with the club, it is already in mid-air and touches the side of the ball.
How to avoid swaying?
During the back string, ensure that your entire body rotates away for the primary target and not just on going away. The rotation is an important aspect. Also, you should avoid the mistake of hitting the ball roughly. This results in swaying.
Check your ball position
Do you find yourself topping wedges or irons?
Then, it is time to check your ball position. An incorrect ball position during play is one of the simplest to find out and tackle, although most golfers do not take note of this.
To fix the cause of the wrong ball position, try to shift the golf ball backward. Another factor is ensuring you don’t forget the fix. This could be a little bit hard, but it is sure worth it. If you find it difficult to have it in mind, try including it in your weekly/daily practice routine. There are lots of used golf balls available for you as a golfer.
Focus on the ball
Lack of focus on the golf ball could be a major cause of topping during play. You often tend to lack focus from either keeping watch on the golf ball during the back string or checking where the golf ball landed.
One thing about the loss of focus on the golf ball is that it occurs before the twinkling of an eye. This could lead to either the ball being topped, or it might even lead to a whiff.
Here is one thing to save the situation:
Train your eyes to focus solely on the golf ball for about thirty minutes or more. After you must have kicked off the ball, hold your eye still to the point. This is a technique that has worked for a lot of golfers, including professionals.
Avoid spine angle breakdown
The case of spine breakdown is one that may occur randomly.
A spine breakdown is quite bad as it leads to a chain of other problems. As a golfer, you should always endeavor to stop the breakdown of the spine angle.
What to do?
- It is time to top up on your weekly posture routine.
- Do not slouch.
- Bend your waist slightly.
Conclusion
During play, you find out that by a slight bending of the waist and strengthening of the back region, you are in a better position to handle the golf ball. This decides if the club hits the golf ball squarely or at the bottom of the club.
You can further improve your weekly practice routines with a few golf tips‘.