Topped Chip Shots..51

Sep 07, 2023

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No, topped shots are not from “looking up”, “taking a peek”, or “raising up”. Those aren’t the problem and they are not the cure.

I’ve watched thousands of golf shots and many topped shots. 99% of these skulled, worm-burners are the result of one of two problems.

Here they are the problems:

The golfer shifts their weight to their back foot on the backswing. This results in the bottom of the swing being shifted rearward and therefore the club is ascending when it reaches the ball and makes contact above the ball’s equator.
The golfer effectively shortens the club which delivers the leading edge into the ball instead of under the ball. This shortening occurs when the player cocks their wrists either forward (this hits a thin shot forward) or rearward (this hits a thin shot to the right).

Here are the solutions:

The weight in each foot should be equal at address and remain equal on the backswing and forward swing. The solution to the first issue is simply to maintain your balance until impact (photo 1).
At address, a tee inserted into the butt end of the grip is about an inch from your left forearm. Maintain that tee-forearm relationship throughout the swing and you’ll never shorten the club (photo 2).
Photo 1 Photo 2

BTW, these fixes apply to full swings as well.

Swing to the target,