Let’s all face it.. We all top the ball at times. It’s actually a pretty common problem, especially with iron play. Topping the ball is when your club face hits the ball somewhere on the top half of the ball, and you end up with a very flat shot. You can fix this with a few changes in your game!

One main reason for topping the ball is standing a little too tall when you address the ball. Luckily there is a drill that can help you with this. Get a mid-iron, and tee up a ball. Then you sit another tee into the ground about four inches back. Now address the ball and slowly start your back swing. Your club should barely tap the tee that’s four inches back. Now try it again, but this time, lift your club enough so that it misses the back tee. Perform and full swing and see which tees you hit. If you hit both, you are coming in too flat. You should be coming in at an angle that will make you hit the front tee only.

This drill will help you come in at the angle which you need to in order to not top the ball. It will also improve your iron play as you start trying more complex shots with backspin.

Another quick tip to avoid topping the ball is to bend your knees while addressing the ball. This will help with weight transfer as you turn your hips, which will give you more power and more control over your shots. If you are coming to the sport of golf from baseball, you may top the ball often. You may want to take a lesson with a local golf pro to help with your swing. It will take some time and lots of practice to get used to a golf swing.

In conclusion, topping the ball can be fixed if you put in the time and effort!