This major-winner’s drill can help fix an over-the-top swing

WEST CALDWELL, N.J. — Coming over the top is an ailment that plagues tons of golfers. Players suck the club inside early and then reroute to the outside from the top. The result is weak, glancing contact that robs players of power and produces a weak fade or, in the worst cases, a slice.

This swing fault isn’t just reserved for weekend hackers though. Coming over the top is an issue that is seen at all levels of the game — including the professional ranks. And while I was walking the range at the LPGA’s Founders Cup Tuesday afternoon, I saw a major champion working on ironing out that exact flaw.

Cristie Kerr is among the best women’s golfers of her generation, but an over-the-top move can seep into her swing from time to time. And on the range at Mountain Ridge Country Club, I saw Kerr using an alignment stick to correct her club path.

As you can see in the video above, Kerr has jammed an alignment stick into the turf and put a pool noodle as padding on the end of it. Then she simply goes through her bag hitting balls and tries not to hit the pool noodle.

When she swings with the alignment stick above her intended plane, it forces her to shallow her swing to avoid the noodle. If Kerr hits any part of the aid, she knows her swing is coming over the top.

This is a drill that any golfer who struggles with a steep swing can use to shallow out their plane and make more solid contact.