Questions & Answers Responses from PGA/LPGA Teachers on FINDaLESSON.com                                                                                  << BACK From Kim, golfer: I have a really bad tendency to come over the top. I have taken many lessons, and when I swing with my left arm only, it's great, but my right arm overtakes and I always come over the top. My divots always point way left. Please help! PGA/LPGA TEACHING PROFESSIONAL RESPONSES: California "You are not coming over the top. You have a clubface problem that is closing at impact and this is from incorrect wrist action. Your wrist should work just like a baseball player with no rolling of the wrists through impact. Good teaching professionals are very hard to find no matter where you live. Any questions, contact me directly." - James P. Della Penna, Teaching Professional Florida "Hi Kim. I have a drill that could help your problem of coming over the top. You are most likely coming over the top due to your right arm being too active in both the back swing and the downswing. It sounds like the right arms could be snatching the club inside or lifting the club up with little or no shoulder turn on the back swing. The club is then out of position at the top of the back swing and you must come "over the top" to get back to the ball. You can do nicely with the left arm only because with only the left arm you are literally forced to keep the club in front of your body and on the proper plane. You are probably making a better shoulder turn with only your left hand on the club also. So here's the drill.  Make a work station at the driving range with two clubs forming railroad tracks headed toward your intended target. Put a low tee in the middle of the railroad tracks and lie a shoe box lengthwise VERY close to the to of your club on the right side of the tee.  It should be so close that it is intimidating when you swing.  You will find at first that you strike the box during your downswing as you are coming "outside the target line" or "over the top". The goal is to make swings without hitting that close shoebox. It will feel very odd at first. I suggest making super slow motion swings first to figure out how to move that club down without hitting the box. Do it with left arm only and right arm only too without the ball just to get the proper feel of the club swing down the target line rather than across it. It is a good way to change a swing path on the downswing because you have to develop a new feel. Start with very small swings, about knee high on both sides. Clip the tee and hood your finish. Be aware of where the club is swinging. Do it with your eyes closed and see if you can miss the box. Loosen your grip pressure and make sure the club is "swinging" vs. you "hitting" at the tee with that dominant right hand. Gradually get a bit bigger with the swings. When you can successfully do this repeatedly without hitting the box, add a ball to the tee and start the process over. You are looking to clip the tee and sweep the grass in front of the golf ball creating a good divot pattern which is parallel to the shoebox rather than your old habit of crooked divots. You will have much quicker improvement if you can have the patience to do this drill without the ball and in a mirror so you can watch your body and feel the motion you are making. Slow motion swings or eyes closed swings are a great ways to "catch yourself" and recondition your body to allow a more natural swinging motion to happen. My guess is that you are simply trying to "muscle" the ball too much as soon as the right hand becomes part of the swing. Try these tips and I think you will notice an improvement and become more enlightened on what's going on. Thanks for using Findalesson.com! Best of luck to you!"  - Jennifer Cully, Teaching Professional Florida "Your divot indicates the path of the club. It is pointing left because your shoulders or hands are initiating the downswing. The transition into the downswing (or forward swing, since we want to move the ball forward!) Should be initiated by the last thing that moved on the back swing. If your left foot or knee moves last, it should be the first to make the transition into the forward swing. Try the "step drill" to get this feeling. 1. Take your normal stance and ball position with a 7 iron. 2. At the top of your back swing, pause and bring your feet together. 3. Then take a step with your left foot bringing it back to its original position at address. 4. Make your forward swing. Do this drill at half your normal swing speed and work your way up to your normal pace while maintaining your balance. Good luck!" - Andrea Drake, Teaching Professional Florida "Hold a club in each hand with the shafts about three inches apart. Swing to the top of your back swing, keeping your left arm fairly straight. You will probably find that your right arm swings much farther back than the left. You need to restrict the motion of your right arm to match the range of motion of your left arm. Once your right arm and hand force the left arm to go beyond it's natural range the right hand will dominate the downswing." - David Balbi, Teaching Professional South Carolina "Kim: The role of the right forearm dictates the "over the top" move. At the start of the downswing the right forearm must drop down vertically until the elbow hits your side, then complete the swing with a good body rotation. You can check this out at http://www.ritson-sole.com/golftips/2002/march2002.htm." - Mel Sole, Teaching Professional