How to cure hitting from the top

Most errors in golf are caused by hitting from the top and coming into the ball from outside the line. Proper coiling and uncoiling will prevent this. Most average golfers, however, don't have a clear picture in their minds as to what they should be doing to get into position on the backswing. Their hands and club move in one direction, so consequently they are never in a position to make a coordinated inside-out downswing with the club, hands, arms and body fused together. Quite the reverse, in fact. At the finish of the backswing, in a poor position which permits them no balance or feel, they have to hit from the top. This they do by moving the right shoulder and arm to the outside, for, although this is a wrong source of power for golfers to use, it is the only one they can summon.

Developing a proper coil on the backswing with the hands, arms and body working together is not the easiest thing in the world for average golfers. The best short cut I have found is getting them to picture and feel that their heels remain in the same position from the time of address until long after the ball is contacted. If they can remember this, it is remarkable how quickly the entire pattern of their swing changes and they start building a good swing which delivers maximum speed at the bottom of the arc, and from the inside.

JOE KNESPER, Mayfield CC, Lyndhurst, Ohio

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