My 3 Go-To Drills for Fixing An Over-The-Top Golf Swing

The “over-the-top” swing is a common mistake for amateur golfers. It occurs when the club moves outside the ideal swing path during the downswing, typically resulting in slices, pulls, or weak contact. If you’ve been looking to fix your over-the-top golf swing, these are the three drills I recommend trying.

What’s so bad about “over‑the‑top”? 

Before we jump into the fixes, here are a few reasons you’ll want to invest some time in fixing your over-the-top motion.

Pulls and hooks: An out-to-in path starts the ball left; if the face is slightly closed, you’ll pull or hook it. Pull-slice combo: The same path with an open face creates a shot that starts left and slices hard to the right. Distance loss: A steep swing glances the ball, adding spin and reducing compression, which leads to shorter, higher shots. Timing issues: The amount you come over the top can change swing to swing, making your start direction and contact unpredictable. Worse with longer clubs: The longer the shaft, the more extreme the over-the-top path becomes, especially with the driver.

Headcover drill to fix over-the-top

This is the drill I would start with, regardless of your handicap or how long you have been struggling with an over-the-top golf swing. The headcover helps you visualize the correct swing path and then execute it.

How to do it:

Set a headcover in place: Put a headcover six to eight inches behind the ball, just outside your target line. Take your normal setup: Add a little more bend from the hips to make it easier to swing the club around you. Swing back: Focus on getting your lead arm to stay under the angle of your shoulders as you turn. This helps your arms move more around your body instead of lifting too steeply. Miss the headcover: On the downswing, feel like your chest stays closed while your arms and club swing under the headcover. This prevents the steep, out-to-in move.

If your club hits the headcover, you’ve come over the top. Restart with a slow-motion swing and try again. Once you’re comfortable, hit a few balls at half speed. Your goal is to avoid the cover and start the ball just right of your target.

Slightly over, slightly under

For this drill, you need two alignment sticks. Set up the alignment sticks as a practice station and then hit shots when you move away from the sticks.

How to do it:

Set up the station: Stick an alignment rod in the ground at your shaft angle at address and place another one on the ground that matches your target line. Take practice swings: Take practice swings where the club goes slightly over the stick on the way back and slightly under it on the way down. Rotate through: Get to a balanced finish position beyond the point of impact. Practice, then move away to hit: Do a few slow practice swings and then move away from the station and hit a few shots, keeping the same feel (slightly over, slightly under, rotate and finish).

“Delay the body” (5-second arm drop drill)

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAdZMsaXeQk

This is not for everyone. If you struggle with body rotation or lack of mobility in the lower body, you may want to use the previous drills instead. However, the concept behind this drill is very easy to repeat and I find it to be one of the best for feeling the proper swing path.

It’s similar to a “feel vs real” move that Justin Rose has used for years. By exaggerating arm movement and delaying body rotation, you can create the space to bring the club on an inside path.

How to do it:

Narrow stance at setup: A narrow stance encourages better balance and helps isolate the movement. Make your normal backswing: No need to manipulate the club or do anything different. Pause at the top: feel like nothing moves yet. Start the arms first: Let your arms drop straight down while keeping your shoulders and hips completely still. You should feel the trail arm staying “on top” of the lead arm, the clubhead trailing behind the body, not out in front, and the chest still pointing behind the ball. After the arms drop, rotate. Now allow your body to unwind and swing through as normal.

Practice this drill in stages. Do 10–15 slow-motion reps and try to hit 30-yard shots, then slowly increase your distance.

One: Backswing Two: Arms drop Three: Rotate through

Final thoughts

Fixing an over-the-top swing is one of those things that just has to click. Whether that takes a headcover on the ground, alignment sticks or a feeling from the top of the backswing will be up to you to figure out.

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