Topping the golf ball is brutal. Here’s just one thing to fix it

You’ve gone through your pre-shot routine, confidently stepped up to your golf ball, locked in your aim and alignment, and now have one thing left to do: Hit your shot.

Unfortunately, despite doing everything right on paper, you end up topping the golf ball, and frustratingly watch your ball roll a few yards in front of you.

All of a sudden, that chance for par is gone, your confidence is crushed, and you begrudgingly take the short walk up to where your ball stopped to try and regroup.

Look, we’ve all experienced this at some point in our playing days — and it’s never fun.

It’s one thing to add a stroke because you were a little too aggressive, but it’s another thing to see higher scores because of topping the golf ball.

GOLF Top 100 Teacher Kellie Stenzel shares 10 different tips to stop topping your golf ball and start seeing better ball-striking
10 ways to stop topping the ball, according to a Top 100 Teacher
By: Kellie Stenzel, Top 100 Teacher

But don’t let the mishit get you down, because there are easy solutions to prevent it from happening again. And in the video above, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Trillium Rose shares just one thing to do in order to avoid topping the golf ball.

“Take a step back, take some half-swings that are slow, look over your trail shoulder as you’re doing it, and see the grass come flying,” says Rose. “See the club hit the ground where the ball would’ve been.”

It may sound simple, but just by seeing the clubface brush the grass, you’ll help yourself feel the proper swing sequence. It will also help you regroup, putting your mind at ease before taking your next shot.

So feel how your weight should be and where your hands are positioned, then go hit a great shot!

“That’s a way for you to really make sure you don’t hit the top of the ball, and, instead, you make good contact,” adds Rose.

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Nick Dimengo

Golf.com Editor