What Causes a Top in Golf?

There's nothing more frustrating than the sound and feel of a topped golf shot. You execute what feels like a decent swing, only to see the ball scoot helplessly a few yards ahead, never even getting a chance to fly. Topping the ball isn't a sign of being a bad golfer, it's a sign of a very specific, and very fixable, problem in your swing sequence. This article will break down the four most common reasons you're topping the ball and give you simple, actionable drills to eliminate it from your game. Your days of hitting worm-burners are numbered.

What Exactly is a Topped Shot?

Before jumping into the fixes, let's get on the same page about what's actually happening. A topped shot occurs when the leading edge or bottom grooves of the golf club make contact with the an area at or above the equator of the golf ball. Instead of compressing the ball against the clubface for a great strike, you're essentially hitting down on the top half of it. It’s what sends the ball diving into the ground or screaming along the turf with way too much topspin.

The core issue behind every top is that the bottom of your swing arc is in the wrong place. Either the arc lifts up before it reaches the ball, or it bottoms out too early and is already on its way up at impact. Let’s look at the main culprits.

Cause #1: Lifting Your Head and Body

This is, without a doubt, the number one reason amateurs top the ball. It’s often disguised as "lifting your head," but that's just a symptom. The real issue is that your entire upper body - your chest and shoulders - is rising up through the downswing. Golfers often do this instinctively, thinking they need to "help" the ball get airborne. But our clubs are designed with loft to do that for us. When you stand up, your swing's low point rises, and your arms have no choice but to lift with your body, causing the club to catch the top of the ball. It’s a move called early extension, where your hips thrust toward the ball instead of rotating.

The Fix #1: The Golf Bag Drill

This drill gives you instant, undeniable feedback on whether you're standing up. You can't argue with it.

1. Set up to a golf ball as you normally would.
2. Place your golf bag (or a chair) so that it is just barely touching your glutes.
3. Take a few practice swings, focusing on one single feeling: keeping your backside in contact with the bag all the way from the top of your swing through impact.
4. When you do this correctly, you will feel your hips and body rotating around, rather than standing up and thrusting forward. This keeps your chest down and over the ball, allowing the club to swing down and through the ball at a proper angle.
5. Once you get the feel, try hitting some half-speed shots with the bag there, really ingraining the sensation of maintaining your posture.

The Fix #2: The "Keep Your Chest Over the Ball" Swing Thought

For a less physical fix, try this simple swing thought. As you swing, imagine you have a logo on the center of your chest. Your goal is to keep that logo pointing down at the golf ball for as long as possible through the hitting area. This thought prevents your torso from lifting up too soon and keeps your swing arc low through the impact zone, promoting ball-first contact.

Cause #2: Your Swing Bottom is Too Far Back

A good iron shot requires a downward angle of attack. This means the low point of your swing should happen just after the golf ball, taking a divot on the target side of the ball. Many golfers who top the ball have their swing bottom out behind the ball. When this happens, by the time the club reaches the ball, it's already on its upward path. This upward swing path can result in either a "fat" shot (hitting the ground first) or a topped shot (catching just the top of the ball).

The Fix: The Front Line Divot Drill

This is a an all-time great drill for teaching your body where the swing should bottom out.

• On the driving range, find a clear patch of turf. Draw a line in the grass with a tee or lay down an alignment stick parallel to your target line.
• Place your golf ball directly on the back edge of the line or stick.
• Your one and only goal is to hit the ball and create a divot that starts on the line or, even better, just in front of it (on the target side).
• Seeing your divot start behind the line is immediate proof that your swing is bottoming out too early. This is usually caused by your weight staying on your back foot instead of shifting toward the target on the downswing.
• To get your divot in front of the line, feel your lower body initiate the downswing with a slight shift of weight to your front foot. Then, rotate your body through. This shift forward naturally moves the swing's low point forward, ensuring you hit the ball first and then the turf.

Cause #3: The Dreaded "Chicken Wing"

A 'chicken wing' describes the look of the lead arm (the left arm for a right-handed player) when it bends and folds through impact instead of staying relatively extended. When your lead arm bends like this, it dramatically shortens the radius of your swing. Imagine a pendulum: if you shorten the string, the end of it pulls in and goes higher. The same thing happens in your golf swing. The club head pulls in and up, which is a classic recipe for topping the ball. This is often an avoidance move, done because the golfer is afraid of hitting the ground hard.

The Fix: The Headcover Under the Arm Drill

This drill forces your lead arm to stay connected to your body's rotation, preventing it from flying away and shortening the swing arc.

1. Take a driver or fairway wood headcover and tuck it into your lead armpit (left armpit for righties).
2. Take slow, three-quarter practice swings. The goal is to keep the headcover tucked in place throughout the swing, especially as you move into the impact and follow-through positions.
3. To do this successfully, your body has to rotate through the shot. You can't keep the headcover in place if you just swing with your arms. By turning your chest and hips open towards the target, you create space for your arms to extend without separating from your torso.
4. After a few practice swings, try hitting some balls at 70% speed while keeping the headcover secure. You’ll feel a much more "connected" and powerful motion, producing a much lower and more stable swing bottom.

Cause #4: Incorrect Ball Position

Finally, we have the simplest potential cause: a setup flaw. If the ball is positioned too far forward in your stance for the club you're hitting, you're making life harder for yourself. Every club has a slightly different ideal ball position because the low point of the swing arc is pretty consistent relative to your body. As the clubs get longer, their arc is wider, so the ball needs to be further forward.

Topping is common when golfers play their shorter irons (like a 9-iron or wedge) too far forward, similar to where they'd play a driver. The club easily bottoms out before it reaches the ball and is on the way up at impact, clipping the top.

The Fix: Simplify Your Ball Position

You don't need a different ball position for all 13 clubs in your bag. Simplify it to this:

• Short Irons & Wedges (PW, 9-iron, 8-iron): Ball in the absolute middle of your stance, right underneath the buttons on your shirt.
• Mid Irons (7-iron, 6-iron, 5-iron): Ball about one ball width forward of center.
• Long Irons, Hybrids & Fairway Woods: Ball about two or three ball widths forward of center, or just inside your lead heel.
• Driver: Ball lined up with the heel of your lead foot.

Double-checking your ball position is an easy first step. Use an alignment stick to confirm where the ball is relative to your feet. Sometimes, the easiest fix is the right one.

Final Thoughts

Topping the golf ball is rarely caused by one single, mysterious error. It’s almost always a symptom of a flaw in posture, swing bottom control, arm structure, or setup. By using these simple drills to identify and feel the correct motions, you can retrain your swing to produce the solid, ball-first contact you're looking for.

We built Caddie AI to be your personal coach, designed to catch these problems and give you simple, personalized guidance right when you need it. On the course, if you’re suddenly topping all your shots, you can describe your issue and get an instant drill or swing thought. If you're stuck on a tough lie that might cause you to alter your swing and make a mistake, you can take a picture, and our AI will offer a smart strategy to get you back in play. It takes the guesswork out of your game and helps you build the confidence to hit every shot like you mean it.