How Do I Stop Topping the Ball? It's Simpler Than You Think

Yahoo

29-04-2025

One of the most common misses for an amateur golfer is topping the ball, leading to lots of frustration and, worse, unnecessary strokes to the scorecard.
While there can be a number of reasons why you keep topping the golf ball, the most common error is simply coming in too steep on the downswing, according to top-ranked golf instructor Brian Mogg.
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'If you top it, that means either your angle of attack is way too vertical and the clubface is closed, or your angle of attack is too steep,' Mogg explains.
How to Stop Topping Golf Shots
Sure, it's great to diagnose the problem, but golfers want solutions — which will, ultimately, make them better and score lower.
That's why Mogg provides a simple tip on improving your club's attack angle from too steep to more of a sweeping motion.
'What's true about your golf swing,' Mogg asks me. 'You have a tendency to over-flex your legs and push the club to the outside and up, but what goes up must come down.
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'So one of your keys is to create a little more room and space with your golf posture, and when you go back, you've got to straighten your [trail leg] and get deeper into your turn,' he instructs.
Mogg then explains how six-time PGA Tour winner Rickie Fowler is just one of the players who really load up into the trail leg in order to execute a sweeping motion.
'Guys like Rickie Fowler maybe even overdo that, which is why he comes from the inside and sweeps it.'
Mogg then says that the broad reason for topping the ball is due to coming in too steep. However, for players like me who tend to come from outside-to-in in the golf swing, it's important to rotate more into the trail leg, helping to promote more of an inside swing path.
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'If you do that, you'll sweep it [coming from the inside path], rather than top it,' Mogg affirms.
Related: Try Nick Dunlap's Easy Practice Drill for Straighter Putts
Related: Never Struggle With Nasty Uneven Chip Shots Again. Here's how
Related: 1 Easy Swing Hack to Control Your Distance on Approach Shots