How to Fix a Steep Golf Swing

A downward, chopping motion that digs trenches in the fairway and sends the ball slicing weakly to the right is the tell-tale sign of a steep golf swing. If you're tired of these powerless shots, high ball flights that balloon in the wind, and inconsistent contact, you're in the right place. This guide will help you understand why your swing gets steep and give you clear, actionable drills to get the club back on a powerful, shallow path for purer strikes.

What Exactly Is a Steep Golf Swing?

Imagine a giant pane of glass angled from your shoulders down through the golf ball. The ideal swing plane has the club head traveling along the underside of this glass during the downswing. A steep swing, however, sees the club move from outside this plane a break right through the glass from above. It’s an "over-the-top" move.

Think of it like this: an ideal golf swing is a rotational action, much like hitting a baseball. You swing the bat around your body. A steep swing is more like chopping wood - an aggressive, up-and-down motion. While great for splitting logs, it’s a recipe for disaster in golf.

This steep angle of attack causes a few notorious problems:

• The Slice: The classic out-to-in swing path cuts across the ball, imparting left-to-right sidespin (for a right-handed golfer). The steeper the swing, the more pronounced the slice.
• Pulled Shots: If you manage to close the clubface while swinging over-the-top, the ball will start left and often stay left.
• Deep, "Bacon Strip" Divots: A steep swing drives the club head down into the turf at a severe angle, taking a huge chunk of grass and soil before it even gets to the ball.
• Fat or Chunked Shots: Because the low point of your swing is so far behind the ball, you'll often hit the ground first, resulting in a fat shot that goes nowhere.

If you're nodding along to any of these, don't worry. This is one of the most common issues in golf, and it is entirely fixable.

The Root Causes: Why Your Swing Got Steep

understanding why your swing is steep is the first step toward fixing it. It’s almost never about one single thing, but rather a chain reaction that begins at setup or the start of the swing. The main culprit is a swing dominated by the arms and upper body instead of being powered by the rotation of the lower body.

1. Your Arms Command the Downswing Too Soon

This is the big one. At the top of the backswing, the average golfer's first instinct is often to hit the ball with their hands and arms. This impulse makes them throw the club head forward and outward - the classic "over-the-top" move. This action immediately pushes the club onto a steep, downward path toward the ball. The correct sequence starts from the ground up: your hips begin to unwind, which pulls your torso, arms, and finally the club into the "slot" on a much shallower plane.

2. A "Lift" in the Backswing, Not a "Turn"

A great golf swing is a rotational action. You turn your shoulders and hips away from the target to a coiled position. A steep swing often starts with a poor backswing where the golfer simply lifts the club with their arms and hands. There’s very little body rotation. If you purely lift the club to get it to the top, your only option is to bring it straight back down in a steep chop. It’s not a full-body action, it’s an isolated arm movement.

3. Improper Posture at Address

Your setup dictates a huge part of your swing plane. If you stand too close to the ball or too upright, with very little tilt from your hips, you make a rotational backswing feel awkward. Your body’s natural response is to pick the club up vertically. Proper posture involves leaning over from your hips, pushing your backside out, and letting your arms hang naturally underneath your shoulders. This athletic stance primes your body to turn and swing around itself, not up-and-down.

4. A Disconnected Lower Body

The downswing should be a graceful unwinding of the power you built in the backswing. For this to happen, the lower body has to lead the charge. Many players with a steep swing keep their lower body almost passive. They finish their backswing, and their upper body immediately takes over, spinning out toward the target. When your hips don’t lead the transition, the arms have no choice but to be thrown over the top.

The Fix: Step-by-Step Drills to Shallow Your Swing

Fixing a steep swing isn't about thinking through a dozen positions. It’s about building a new feeling. These drills are designed to retrain your body's sequence and help you feel the sensation of the club dropping into the slot and swinging from the inside.

Drill 1: The Headcover Under the Arm Trick

This is a classic drill for a reason: it promotes a connected, body-led swing and physically prevents the "over-the-top" move.

1. Tuck a headcover (or a small towel) under your trail armpit (your right armpit if you are right-handed). It should be snug, but not so tight that it tenses you up.
2. Take a few easy half-swings, maybe just up to hip-high on the way back and through. Your goal is to keep the headcover from falling out.
3. To keep it in place, you are forced to turn your torso away from the ball rather than lifting your arms. Your trail elbow will naturally stay closer to your side.
4. Now, the important part. As you start the downswing, you must keep that headcover in place. This forces your trail elbow to lead the hands, dropping the club onto a shallower plane from "inside" the target line. The only way to swing is to rotate your body through the shot. The headcover hsould naturally fall out after you have made contact.
5. Start with chip shots, then move to 9-iron half-swings, gradually working up to a full swing as the motion feels more natural. This Drill helps reconnect your arms with your body rotation.

Drill 2: The Step-Through Swing

This drill exaggerates the feeling of a proper downswing sequence and shifting your weight correctly. It’s incredibly effective at getting your lower body to fire first.

1. Set up to the ball as you normally would, but bring your feet closer together, about shoulder-width apart.
2. Start your backswing. As you feel the club reaching the top of your swing, just before you change direction, take a small, deliberate step toward the target with your lead foot (your left foot).
3. This forward step automatically initiates your downswing with your lower body. It forces a weight shift and a hip turn before your upper body and arms have a chance to jump the gun.
4. You’ll feel how your arms and the club are "left behind" and lag, naturally dropping into a shallow position as your lower body opens up.
5. Hit shots this way at 50-60% power. The feeling might be strange at first, but it makes the proper sequence crystal clear. You'll feel the club approach the ball from an entirely different, shallower angle.

Drill 3: The "Towel Snap" Feeling

This drill is less about mechanics and more about a swing thought or visualization. It helps you understand lag and how to deliver the club with speed at the bottom, not from the top.

1. Hold a golf club and take your position at the top of your backswing. Now, feel the weight of the club head.
2. Imagine your hands are holding a heavy, wet towel. To snap the water out of that towel, you wouldn't just throw your hands forward stiffly from the top. You would let it lag behind by initiating with your lower body, and then use your wrists to create a "snap" at the bottom to generate speed.
3. Try to replicate this feeling in your golf swing. At the top of the backswing, instead of firing your hands at the ball, feel like the club head gets "heavy" and drops or "falls" slightly behind you as your hips begin to turn toward the target.
4. This sensation is the act of shallowing the club. When you can feel the club drop passively while your lower body leads, you've conquered the root cause of a steep swing. Practice this feeling with super slow-motion swings, and then build up speed.

Putting It All Together: From the Range to the Course

When you first take these drills to the driving range, start slow. Use a short iron, like a 9-iron or pitching wedge, and make swings at 50% speed. What you're looking for is a feeling, not a perfect position. The objective is to replace the harsh, chopping feeling with a smoother, more rounded, rotational motion.

Taking a video of your swing can be a great help. Film yourself from a "down-the-line" perspective before you start drilling, and then again after 15-20 minutes of work. You should begin to see the club tracing a different path on the way down, coming more from behind your body instead of from outside the ball. Be patient - you’re undoing a long-held habit. Consistent, focused practice on these new sensations will gradually bake them into your permanent swing.

Final Thoughts

Fixing a steep swing boils down to one core concept: transitioning from an armsy, up-and-down chop to a rounded, rotational swing powered by your body. Drills focusing on body connection, proper sequencing, and the feeling of the club "shallowing" will re-educate your muscles and build a more powerful, consistent motion.

Developing a cleaner swing path can feel like a solo effort, but it doesn't have to be guesswork. We designed Caddie AI to act as your personal, on-demand coach through these very changes. You can describe your bad shots or ask specific questions like, "How do I feel the club drop into the slot?" and get clear, simple guidance in seconds. It allows you to analyze your swing faults and get actionable advice, helping you practice smarter and with more confidence.