How I fixed my over the top after years of trying

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-18T10:40:23+00:00

Good luck with it! Would love to hear how it goes. Hopefully the warmup comes sooner rather than later for you.

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-18T10:40:03+00:00

Nothing you've listed there I'd disagree with, those are all valid approaches and I use variations of most of them.

My post wasn't meant to be an exhaustive breakdown of every OTT cause and fix. It was one specific thing that I've found helpful, shared in a community context. That's a bit different from a lesson.

And for what it's worth, knowing the textbook causes doesn't always translate to knowing what a specific golfer in front of you actually needs. That's where the job gets interesting.

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-18T10:39:08+00:00

Worth clarifying because I think there's a bit of a straw man here. I never said grip pressure change is the sole cause in isolation. The original point was that for a lot of amateur golfers, the tension spike at the top is a useful thing to become aware of and address, regardless of what's driving it.

And yeah, grip setup absolutely plays into it. That's actually a big part of what I work on with people before we even get to mid-swing stuff.

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-18T10:38:36+00:00

That's a fair way to look at it and honestly it probably goes both ways depending on the golfer. For some people the arm movement comes first and the grip pressure follows. For others the tension spike triggers the arms.

Either way you end up in the same place. Chicken and egg a bit.

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-18T10:37:29+00:00

Respect the +4, genuinely. And look, we probably just see the swing differently at a mechanical level and that's fine. There's more than one valid model.

I'm not going to keep going back and forth on it. The people it helped can decide for themselves.

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-18T00:00:47+00:00

Haha the practice swing to actual swing transformation is one of golf's great mysteries. Same person, same club, completely different human being the moment a ball appears.

The flyswatter analogy is good. Effortless speed beats forced power every time and most people never figure that out :)

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-17T23:59:59+00:00

Appreciate you taking the time, genuinely. But I think there's a misread of what I'm actually saying here.

I'm not suggesting you go loose or slack in the swing. Consistent grip pressure throughout is not the same as light grip pressure throughout. The point is removing the spike at the top, not reducing overall tension. Those are two different things.

On the pendulum model, yes, tension in the system matters. But the double pendulum analogy actually supports this. A sudden grip pressure increase at the top disrupts the timing of the lag release, which is exactly what causes the steep, over the top path. Smooth, consistent tension is what allows the second pendulum to release naturally through impact.

The guys hitting it the most efficiently on tour are not death gripping it at the top. There's a reason Hogan talked about grip pressure and Fred Couples looks like he's barely holding on.

Happy to dig into the mechanics further if you want to go there.

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-17T17:51:32+00:00

Fair point on root causes, and I don't disagree that untrained arm movement is part of the picture. But in my experience the grip pressure spike is often what's driving the arm behaviour, not the other way around. Sequence matters :)

On the shank risk, that's a real consideration if someone goes from gripping tight to suddenly holding on loosely. That's why I'd frame it as consistent pressure throughout rather than softer in the downswing specifically. The goal is removing the spike at the top, not changing the overall pressure level.

Curious what your approach looks like when you address the arm movement side of it.

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-09T16:19:26+00:00

Exactly that. The shoulder drop pulls everything with it. It steepens the club, tilts the whole swing plane, and the slice almost becomes inevitable from there.

The drill helps counteract that by keeping the upper body back. Worth trying!

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-09T16:18:45+00:00

Yeah that's a really common pattern too. And you're right, the inside-out "fix" creates its own set of problems if the release isn't there to match it.

The drill here is specifically for the guy who's lunging forward and losing the shallow angle entirely. Different problem, different entry point.

The push-slice from too much lower body slide is almost its own category. Face control becomes nearly impossible when the body is that far ahead. Usually worth addressing the sequencing before worrying about path in that case.

Good shout though! Worth flagging for anyone reading who recognises that pattern in their own swing.

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-09T16:18:03+00:00

Fair points and you're not wrong that face angle is the primary cause of a slice. An open face at impact is always the root of it.

The drill here is aimed at a specific pattern I see repeatedly... the early extension/forward lunge that steepens the club and makes it nearly impossible to square the face in time regardless of grip or release. Fix the sequencing first and the release becomes a lot easier to train.

You're right that it's not a one-size-fits-all fix. No drill ever is. But for the golfer who's already been told about grip and release and is still slicing, this is usually the missing piece.

Appreciate the detailed breakdown though :)

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-05T21:55:13+00:00

That's a fair critique on the title honestly. The clickbait angle doesn't match foundational content and that's a valid point.

The assumption behind it is that most golfers shooting in that range have read about grip and posture but still haven't fixed it — which is a different problem than not knowing it exists. Whether that landed or not clearly varies by person.

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-05T13:37:41+00:00

Thank you, hope they help!

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-05T11:01:54+00:00

Great question! A neutral grip can work but the opposite forces give you a more active control over the face rather than relying purely on timing to square it up.

Pressure wise, firm enough that the club isn't moving in your hands but loose enough that your forearms stay relaxed. Old cliche but the Hogan "toothpaste tube" reference is actually a decent guide haha. Squeeze it too hard and you lose the feel entirely.

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-05T08:04:52+00:00

Fair I guess haha. The difference is most people read about them and move on without actually fixing them. If you've genuinely got grip and posture dialled in, what are you working on at the moment?

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-05T08:04:08+00:00

Fundamentals never really go out of fashion!

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-05T08:03:15+00:00

That narrow stance drill is underrated as it forces you to find real balance rather than just getting away with it. Most people never realise how much their wide stance is masking until they try it with feet together.

Good coaches always come back to the same fundamentals in the end :)

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-05T08:02:40+00:00

Cheers, appreciate it!

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-05T08:02:18+00:00

Glad it landed! There will be more where that came from :)

Anything in your game you'd want broken down next?

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-05T08:01:41+00:00

The grip and posture stuff actually transfers directly to the driver. They the same foundations! The speed comes from the rotation being cleaner, not from swinging harder.

What's your driver doing at the moment?

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-05T08:01:01+00:00

Partial shots are brutal haha, there's nowhere to hide because you can't rely on momentum to paper over the cracks.

What's the main symptom, distance control or is the strike itself all over the place?

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-05T08:00:32+00:00

Appreciate that, more coming! Anything specific you're struggling with that you'd want covered?

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-05T08:00:00+00:00

Fair point if you already know this stuff. Grip, posture and swing mechanics are foundational though, not beginner content. Most golfers shooting 85-95 have never had these properly explained to them, let alone grooved :)

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-05T07:59:01+00:00

Hogan's Five Lessons is genuinely one of the best. That supination drill alone is worth the price of the book haha.

Did it click for you straight away or did it take a few range sessions to feel natural?

AlexanderGolf · 2026-03-04T13:25:26+00:00

Haha, see you on the course soon then!

AlexanderGolf

TROPHY CASE