How to Stop an Outside-In Golf Swing

That weak, glancing slice that peels off to the right (for a righty) is one of the most frustrating shots in golf, and it almost always comes from an outside-in swing path. If you’re tired of losing distance and watching your ball sail OB, you've come to the right place. This guide will help you understand why you swing over the top and give you practical, actionable drills to start hitting draws and forging a swing you can trust.

What Exactly Is an Outside-In Golf Swing?

Imagine a straight line drawn from your golf ball directly to your target - this is your target line. An ideal, neutral swing path would have the clubhead travel straight down this line through impact. An inside-out path, which produces a draw, travels from inside the target line, strikes the ball, and then moves to the outside of the line.

An outside-in swing is the opposite. It’s a path where the clubhead approaches the ball from outside the target line and then cuts across it to the inside after impact. This is often called coming "over the top" because the movement originates from the shoulders and arms throwing the club out and over the ideal swing plane during the transition from backswing to downswing.

Why it Leads to Slices and Pulls

This outside-in motion imparts a sidespin (or "glancing blow") on the golf ball. Let's look at the two most common results:

• The Slice: This is the famous a banana-ball that costs you distance and accuracy. It happens when the clubface is open relative to the outside-in path. The ball starts left (or straight) of the target and then curves weakly to the right. The glancing contact fails to compress the ball, resulting in a significant loss of yardage.
• The Pull: This is a shot that starts left of the target and stays left, flying in a straight line. This occurs when the clubface is square (or even closed) to your outside-in swing path. Since the path is already heading left, that's where the ball is going. It's a slightly better miss than a slice, but still far from your target.

How to Tell If You Have an Outside-In Path

Before you start changing your swing, you need to be sure this is your actual problem. Many golfers misdiagnose a slice that could come from another fault, like a wide-open clubface. Here are two simple ways to confirm your swing path.

1. Use Your Divots as a Guide

Your divot is a direct imprint of your swing path through impact. After you hit an iron shot from the fairway or a practice mat, take a close look at the divot's direction.

For a right-handed golfer:

• A divot that points directly at the target indicates a neutral path.
• A divot that points to the right of the target indicates an inside-out path.
• A divot that points to the left of your target is the clear sign of an outside-in path.

If you consistentently see your divots aiming left, you are swinging over the top.

2. The Headcover Diagnostic Test

This is a fantastic way to get immediate feedback without having to analyze anything. All you need is a golf ball and a spare headcover (an empty water bottle or shoebox also works).

1. Place a golf ball on the turf.
2. Set your headcover on the ground on the outside of your target line, about a foot behind the ball and a few inches out. It should be positioned where your club would absolutely hit it if you came over the top.
3. Take a few practice swings, and then try to hit the ball.

If you smash into the headcover, you have a very direct, hard-to-ignore confirmation that your club is coming from the outside. If you can cleanly strike the ball without touching the obstacle, your path is likely not the issue.

The Fix: Start the Downswing From the Ground Up

Stopping an outside-in swing isn't about wildly trying to swing to the right. It's about fixing the sequence of your downswing. The "over the top" move happens when the first action you take from the top of your backswing is an aggressive rotation of your shoulders and chest. This throws your hands and the club outward, making an outside-in path inevitable.

The solution is to retrain your body to start the downswing from the ground up: hips first, then torso, then arms. When your lower body initiates the transfer of weight and rotation, it gives the club time and space to "drop" into the correct inside position, often called the "slot." From there, it can naturally approach the ball from the inside, generating power and a square strike.

The following drills are specifically designed to retrain this sequence and give you the feeling of a proper, powerful swing path.

Drill #1: The Pump Drill to Feel the Slot

This is a feel-based drill focused on that critical transition moment. You'll do this in slow motion to build the correct muscle memory.

1. Take your normal setup with a mid-iron, like a 7-iron or 8-iron.
2. Make a full backswing and pause completely at the top. Everything should be still.
3. From the top, the very first move is to let your arms simply drop an inch or two straight down toward the ground. Don't turn your shoulders. Just let gravity work. You should feel your trail elbow (right elbow for a righty) start to move closer to your hip. This move "drops" the club onto the inside plane.
4. Push a little off your back foot to shift your weight slightly toward the target as you perform this drop.
5. After the "drop," return the club back to the top of your backswing.
6. Repeat this "pump" motion three times: backswing, pause, drop, return to top, pause, drop, return to top, pause, drop, and on the third one, continue the motion by rotating through to hit the ball.

The goal isn't to hit a perfect shot. The goal is to deeply ingrain that feeling of the club dropping before your upper body unwinds. This stops the over-the-top move right in its tracks.

Drill #2: The Gate Drill with Two Headcovers

If the diagnostic headcover drill gives you a clear "don't," this drill gives you a clear "do." It creates a physical gate that your club must pass through, forcing an inside-to-square-to-inside path.

1. Take your regular stance.
2. Place one headcover on the ground a few inches outside your target line and about a foot behind the ball. This is your back-gate.
3. Place a second headcover a few inches inside your target line and about a foot in front of the ball. This is your front-gate.
4. The goal is simple: swing the club through the gate, hitting the ball without touching either headcover.

This will feel strange at first. To miss the back headcover, you have no choice but to let the club drop to the inside. To miss the front one, you must extend through the ball toward the target instead of pulling across your body. Start with slow, half-speed swings. Notice how to succeed, your lower body has to get active to create space. As you get comfortable, gradually increase your swing speed.

Drill #3: The Step-Through Swing

This drill is exceptional for developing a proper downswing sequence and shifting your weight correctly, two things that are foundational to an inside path.

1. Set up to the ball, but with your feet completely together.
2. Begin your backswing as you normally would.
3. As the club reaches the top of your backswing, initiate your downswing by taking a step with your lead foot toward the target, placing it in its normal stance position.
4. Let this "step" pull your hips and torso through the shot, and swing completely to a full, balanced finish.

By stepping forward, you are physically forcing your lower body to lead the downswing. It’s almost impossible to spin your shoulders first when your lower body is in motion toward the target. This ingrains the "ground-up" sequence and helps you feel the powerful sensation of your body pulling the club through impact rather than your arms throwing it.

Building a Better Swing Path

Be patient with yourself. You've been swinging over the top for a long time, and your brain and muscles are programmed for that motion. It won't change overnight. The key is consistent, focused practice.

At the range, dedicate the first half of your bucket to these drills. Begin with slow-motion, feel-based reps, then hit a few balls with each drill. For the second half of the bucket, try to replicate that same feeling in your normal swing. It's a process of transferring the feeling from the drill to the real thing. Before long, that slicer's motion will be a memory, and a powerful, inside path will be your new normal.

Final Thoughts

Stopping an outside-in swing comes down to retraining your downswing sequence. By prioritizing a lower-body lead and consciously feeling the club drop to the inside, you can replace that weak slice with a strong, consistent shot shape you can rely on hole after hole.

Breaking old swing habits can be tough without the right feedback, which is precisely why Caddie AI comes in so handy. By analyzing your swing and making recommendations on course management, our app helps reinforce the changes you’re working on. If an outside-in swing sends you into a tricky lie, for instance, you can snap a photo of the ball and we will analyze the situation to give you the smartest, unemotional advice to escape trouble and save your score.