This is the second part of my “over the top” swing problem series. In these videos I share with you the BIGGEST swing difference between amateur golfers and professional golfers.
Now here is the first part of the solution:
Here is the second part.
Ask me any questions or simply post your gratitude for me giving you this. 
* * *
The Golf Swing Test
You could have one serious swing fault costing you up to 50 yards in distance. But now you can take this swing test and see if you have this swing fault or not: http://www.yourgolfswingtest.com
Tags: Golf, over the top, secret, videos
May 29th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Dear Nick,
Thanks for the excellent suggestions regarding over the top moves. My wife does this move big time and I’m going to try getting her to use the Loop Drill. I’ll keep you posted
May 29th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Great stuff I have come over ot hit from the top all my life now that I’m getting older my scores refleck it. I will try this move. What would be wrong with rolling the hands or arms on the back swing I tried this yesterday by accident and it seem to help??? Les
May 29th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Thanks, Nick.
May 29th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Nick, Great job as usual. I have some of that very same problem. I will try the drill today and see what happens.
My computer crashed and I will need a new one. I want an viewable outdoor screen model what do you know about these. I am currently using V-1 pro to capture swings and would like to create a CD when I am done. Somehow V-1’s format keeps this from happening in the usual manner. Do you know anything about this?
Thanks in advance,
Mike “myKey” Phelan
PS I have been taking a Whey portein supplement and creatine for about a week or so. So far no marked results.
May 29th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Type your comment here.
very interesting,i will let you know!
May 29th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Type your comment here. Nick,
A sincere thanks for a very informative and thorough explanation for curing “over the top”.
May 29th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Really good tips, Nick. – I appreciate your videos and I’ve learned a lot from them. I’ll give these latest ones a try tomorrow at the range and on the course.
May 29th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Your audio/video lessons are so very
much appreciated. You impart a wealth of information whic I practice diligently. I put what you
have taught me to use on the course. My game improvement, even at my age, is a testimonial to your golf knowledge and teaching proficiency.
Thanks Nick,
Denny
May 29th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Hi Nick,
I bought your cure your slice program and your putting program.
I’ve never cured the slice because I only marginally get my path correct.
I’ll try the loop drill.
Thanks!
Lloyd
May 30th, 2008 at 12:24 am
The Loop drill could also be called “The Furyk” drill.
Thanks for tips.
May 30th, 2008 at 12:26 am
Nick, you are the golf guru!!
i’ve been waiting with baited breath for you to post this.Wish i could duck off work now to try the loop drill.I’ve had a hideous over the top swing since i took the game up 5 years ago and NO-ONE has explained it like you have
FAB – U – LOUS!!
Thanks for taking the time
May 30th, 2008 at 12:42 am
Type your comment here.the drille you show in your video are for a 2 piece swing if i’m correct,but what about a single plane swing for power,or a tip to begin the down swing
May 30th, 2008 at 1:09 am
Type your comment here.Very helpful. The line on your jacket helped me to visualize the concepts you set forth.
Thanks.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:29 am
Thanks Nick, I appreciate your suggestions on eliminating the “over the top” move. I’m going to try the loop drill so thanks for the warning about not being concerned about shot results.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:10 am
I can see my problem and your solution, but without an instructor present to position the moves I’m not having any luck on my own. Thanks for the video.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:41 am
Hey Nick,
Thanks for the help. It’s always nice to know the proper way to practice. I have esperimented with this a little, and it does seem to improve my ballstriking and accuracy.
Thanks again,
Danny J.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:41 am
Hey Nick,
Thanks for the help. It’s always nice to know the proper way to practice. I have experimented with this a little, and it does seem to improve my ballstriking and accuracy.
Thanks again,
Danny J.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:31 am
Thank You,it seem helpful,and. I want to try it out on the driving range
May 30th, 2008 at 6:36 am
Thanks Nick. This drill should help me when I get into the over the top mode.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Thanks Nick,
It’s 7.31 am and I’m off to give it a go.I notice that the start of the swing should begin with the forward leg movement.This important move could be called the ‘Elvis’ Leg Start.Watch the movie scene when he sings ‘Jailhouse Rock’ and you’ll see what I mean.
many thanks from DarnallDavid.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:28 am
Just a small question. Can you explain when to use a stiff shaft or regular shaft on a driver. My old driver is Callaway big bertha with a stiff shaft and my new driver is the K1 from Slazenger with a regular shaft. With the new driver at the end of the ball flight it tails off into a little slice. I am 65 years old and reasonably fit so is it a stiff shaft or regular for me?
regards
Wallace Hunter
May 30th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Greetings Nick:
I had a terrible over the top swing, which was caused by a faulty model of what the swing was, and in particular the backswing. I came across a video by Steven Bann on Golfspan.com (Now Golflink.com) which really revolutionised my thinking – it was:
Steven Bann – Backswing Arm Movement.
The link is:
http://www.golflink.com/tipsvi.....sp?v=55434
I hope that people find it helpful. It would be interesting to know your thoughts Nick.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Nick,
Thanks for the videos and comments. The slice was once my worst enemy, now with your continued instructions, it has been eliminated. My shots are either a nice fade, straight, or a draw. (If only I could chip and putt!)
The one thing that has helped me the most is having a routine for my set up. I am convinced that a bad set up equals bad balance equals bad shots. I’ll work on the secret move in your video, I don’t know if I can do the drill, or if I do it, I’ll do it when no one is watching! Thanks again!!
May 30th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Type your comment here.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Type your comment here.
Nick;
Thanks for the video instruction. It’s interesting that your solution is so similar to the swings of Jim Furyk and Sergio Garcia. The loop is obvious. You have helped me with fundamentals that are critical to consistency. (much appreciated)
May 30th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Thanks Nick. Excellent tip. Can you relate this to a one plane and two plane swing?
May 31st, 2008 at 12:16 am
Thanks Nick, a little unorthadox but as I followed along, it made sense!
I’m off to the range to try it, i’ll keep you posted.
May 31st, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Type your comment here.
Unable to open videos( my computer) Is there any chance for a written response with diagrams?
Thanks
May 31st, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Nick,
Thanks for the tips. I am a late blooming golfer. Started at age 50, am now 62. Bad lead knee, (lefty,) Ruptured discs. However I am doing pretty well. Handicap about 14. Laying off the club on the downswing was mentioned by one of the Pros who gave me a lesson. Didn’t register until you showed the illustrations. I have tried the Furyk loop to move me on the right plane. I still come over the top a bit. Fades. occaisional slice. Thanks again. I’ll try to send some business your way what do you have that might be of use.
Frank Laird New Jersey USA
May 31st, 2008 at 8:34 pm
thanks for your comments and ideas,this has explained alot to me.
May 31st, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Type your comment here.best piece advice u have shown me have tried it and it works more distance and straighter
thank u so much
June 1st, 2008 at 2:50 am
I can not open your Vedios as it allwats say—’The Vedio is currently not available, try later’.
Please help,
THomas
June 1st, 2008 at 3:07 am
Nick,
Thanks for the anti-slice drill. I have sliced the ball all my life and now that I’m nearing 70 yrs. old I think you may have shown me how to cure that dreaded swing. Thanks so much.
June 1st, 2008 at 11:36 am
Type your comment here.
This video makes so much sense. I am off to practice it now,and I will let you know of my progress. I am an avid “golf nut”, and this really could be the missing link to enable me,with practice, to put it all togeather.Thank you.I will let you know th results.
June 1st, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Thanks nick
i’ve been waiting for this video.
it has been worth the wait,i,ve had this problem for ages.Nobody has explained how to cure the problem.I’m off to the range to try it
Dave
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Hi Nick,
Just looked at your loop drill fix and I’m going to give it my best shot. Your video describes me to a tee. I’ve recently given up on golf, due the frustration of it all, some 5 weeks ago now. You’ve got me interested again, and I’ll do some practice on the loop drill asap.
Kind regards,
Brian
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:10 am
Nick, excellent sample videos. Working it and makes sense. Agreed – at the beginning is not easy but it gets better as you practice. thx
Raul
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:38 pm
A hearty thanks and kudos to you Nick. I truly appreciate all of your wonderful training/tips/drills – and always hunger for more. I play on a senior mini-tour and am looking forward to qualifying for the Sr.US Open. Hopefully, our paths will cross some day. All the best my friend and fairways, greens and one-putts to you. Nick P.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
I’ve read (I think in Ben Hogan’s book) that you should start the downswing by moving your hips as it gets your hands, thus your club, on the proper downswing plane. I am concerned that when I do this I slide my hips forward and create a timing issue. Could you please comment on whether moving your hips is the first move and, if so, suggest some drills to help me do it properly and more consistently?
Cheers,
Brian
June 5th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Dear Nick,
I just know i’ve had this problem for years. I go to the local pro for lessons but it’s never been explained so well as you’ve managed to do it here.
Congratulations and thankyou.
Gordon.
June 5th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
I’m glad everyone has enjoyed this little over the top series. Now to answer Brian’s question about starting the swing with the hips like Ben Hogan.
I have tried doing what Ben Hogan suggested and all I got was a lot of pulls. I believe that the transition should start with a shifting of the weight back to the left leg. That makes sense to me and works for me.
The bottom line is you’ve got to find what works best for you.
-Nick
June 6th, 2008 at 7:01 am
Thanks for three great videos. As with many of the other comments, the fault of “coming-over-the-top” has been my major frustration.I tried over many years to find my reason/s for doing this. I never seemed to be able to find anyone who could explain to me what I could do to solve my problem. Your videos have, at last, really given me something tangible to work on to stop pulling my approach shots. As is necessary with any golf swing-change I will keep practicing your suggested moves for the next few weeks and I am positve that my game will improve.
Thanks for your help.
June 8th, 2008 at 12:44 am
Super, Super interesting. I will be trying that move next time I hit some balls. I have no slice problem but it seems to me that move would give me a little more power. Is it what you experience Nick?
June 9th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Nick,
I doubt seriously you invented or created the loop drill. I don’t know how old you are, but Lee Trevino played that way (an outside backswing and looped or dropped it in or down on the downswing)and published an article in Golf Digest approximately 20 years ago with the same components in his drill. Troy mentioned it could also be called “The Furyk” drill.
The late great instructor Babe Bellagamba recommended to his students to use the techniques from Tommy Armour, Seve Ballesteros and Ben Hogan. Babe’s belief that traditional left-sided trigers, such as ‘Guide the club back in one piece with your left arm and shoulder,’ together with the tip, ‘Pull the [golf] club down and through with your left hand’ actually was more harmful than helpful. These left-sided tips could be the root causes of swinging outside the target line on the backswing then directing it across the target line in the hit-zone Babe emphasized using the right hand for right-handed players on the back and downswings, believing that the right-sided way is more natural, player-friendly, and better suited to golfers. Tommy Armour stated, ‘And with Hogan, Snead, and every other star, it is the right sided smash that accounts for mastely execution of the shots. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” By the way, Tommy Armour is known for hitting a high percentage of fairways and greens.
I will agree with keeping the triangle of the arms, chest and club in tact on the backswing. I also agree that most players, if told to start the backswing by setting the wrists early, are predispositioned to set the club too far to the inside and setting themselves up for a flat backswing and compensating on the downswing by coming over the top.
Regarding Brian’s question about Ben Hogan’s lateral shift at the initial start of the downswing, this is to get the weight somewhat moving forward to add power and distance to the shots. Keep in mind Hogan had a little lateral shift and then rotated the hips. This put the hands and club in “the slot” on the downswing to swing from the inside.
A tip from many years ago was to look at the ball and mentally divide it into four quadrants or quarters. When you swing trough the ball swing through the bottom right quardrant. Another way of thinking about this is to picture a clock face on the ball. Try to swing through from about 3:30 to 9:30 or 4:00 to 10:00. This can help swing from inside to square.
Do your best not to steer the ball which could also be a cause of swing from over the top. And as one person said in a previous blog, try not to kill the ball.
Seth
USGTF Certified Instructor
June 18th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Nick –
I’ve seen similar drills like the “figure 8,” but for some reason your visual demonstration resonated better than anything I’ve ever seen before. I went to the range last night with my camcorder and was blown away by the changes. It took a few shots to get used to the over-exaggerated move (which becomes less severe when there’s an actual ball in front of me to hit), but once I did my ball flight was pretty consistent. The move I’ve been fighting for 10 years went away in 10 minutes. I have always been obsessed with this game, but last night got me more excited about the game than I’ve been for some time now. I hope this lasts and isn’t just a honeymoon period.
Thanks,
-Chad
June 19th, 2008 at 1:12 am
Hey Nick,
Very interesting. I went through your draw system and this reinforces the drills you had for bringing the club back upright against the fence. I think I really undrstand how to drop the club into the slot now. Seth pointed out that you you should try to hit the ball at the lower quadrant of the ball from the inside. Not sure why he said 3:30 to 9:30 unless he is left handed. One thing I have been working on is the lateral shift with my lower body. This has really helped as long as I don’t rush the swing. It seems if I allow for a delay I am ok. If I try to get that little extra on it I blow it and lose all my timing. Anyway, thanks again.
Rick
June 19th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Very informitive and a good explaination for coming over the top.
June 21st, 2008 at 11:07 am
So. I purchased your ebook, and read the whole thing in no time flat.
I do this because I am obsessed by the parts and pieces of the golf swing.
I am a one handicap but continue to think that there is more I can do to improve.
the one thing that has always breen tough is to get the club inside on the downswing. I am not a slicer, but I have a hard time hooking the ball if I want to or need to.
That first move on the down swing or getting the club more flat on the downswing has never been better explained than with this blog, even your e-book falls a tad short … perhaps it would be useful to include this blog as part of the explaination for this one move..
I went to the range for a few hours and tried the move… you are right, it is not easy. it actually takes some time in the swing ,,,,,,, time that I usually don’t have.. so I found that if I push the club away staight back with my left hand . keeping the club head outside of my hands on the moveaway, then I can use a mini loop drill to accomplish this more flat downswing..
Good stuff thanks.
Paul
July 1st, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Nicely done.
Jim
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:53 pm
cheers Nick, Thank you very much . This drill helps greatly
July 14th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
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Great suggestions especially the loop drill……………… makes a lot of sense to me…………. where were you 20 yrs ago??????
July 21st, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Type your comment here. Nick Thanks for the golf Infronmation I will work on this. You are the best.
October 6th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
This is the best analysis and instruction regarding this malady I have ever seen. I battle with this problem and have my entire golfing life; I feel like now I have the information to begin addressing the problem.
I’ll post about my progress as I work through the drills.
October 13th, 2008 at 1:21 am
Solution? Simple – Take the club back in one piece, keeping your elbows pointed to your hips and keeping the connection between your left bicep and left peck (not allowing your arms to cross your chest) and you will make the right back swing.
The reason why people make the wrong backswing is that they don’t turn with their chest. They make a false turn with their arms. If you swing with your arms you are toast.
Also, if you make the right backswing and transition you should never have to think about the downswing. It just happens.
With all due respect to Nick, this looping drill will just cause people to swing more with their arms.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:57 am
best site of its kind
January 31st, 2009 at 1:23 am
Hello Nick
Thanks for the advice in going over the top, this is exactly what i have been doing and hopefull that will now be a thing of the past. I must compliment you on your instruction technique, you are the first instructer (I have had many) who has given me the confidence in believing my game will improve using your teaching methods.
Brilliant stuff and thanks again.
Mike Court
February 1st, 2009 at 10:11 pm
You’re welcome Mike. Glad to have helped.
-Nick