What Is a Loop in Golf?

Ever heard a golf announcer mention a loop in a player's swing and wondered what they really meant? It's one of those bits of golf jargon that sounds complex, but the idea behind it is actually quite simple. Understanding your own swing's shape is a huge step toward more consistent ball striking.This article will break down exactly what a golf swing loop is, show you the two ancommon types you'll see, and help you figure out if yours is helping or hurting you. Most importantly, you'll walk away with clear, actionable drills to make your swing path more efficient and powerful.

What Exactly Is a Golf Swing Loop?

At its core, a golf swing loop is a difference between the path your club takes on the backswing and the path it takes on the downswing. Think of it like a racetrack. In a perfectly "on-plane" swing, the club comes down on the exact same “road" it went up.

A loop occurs when your club changes roads. It might go up on a certain arc and then come down from a steeper, higher road (an "over the top" loop) or drop onto a flatter, lower road (an "under" loop). When you see those swing tracer lines on TV broadcasts, you're seeing a visual representation of this path. A loop simply means those lines for the backswing and downswing don't overlap perfectly.

Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. Some of the best players in the world have distinct loops in their swings. However, for most amateur golfers, an uncontrolled loop is the root cause of the most common and frustrating shots in golf: the slice and the hook. The key is understanding your loop and whether it's an intentional move into a good position or an unintentional flaw leading to chaos.

The Two Main Types of Loops: "Over the Top" vs. "Under"

While every swing is unique, loops generally fall into one of two categories. Figuring out which one you have is the first step to finally understanding your ball flight.

The "Over the Top" Loop (The Slice-Maker)

This is, by a wide margin, the most common swing fault among amateur golfers. If you fight a wicked-slice or pull your shots left (for a right-handed golfer), you almost certainly have an over-the-top loop.

What It Looks Like

An "over the top" loop happens when your club and hands come down on a path that is steeper and more outside the original backswing path. Your downswing begins with a move out and away from your body, causing the club to travel from "outside" the target line to "inside" through impact. This path across the golf ball is what imparts that dreaded slice spin.

Why It Happens

• The Impulse to Hit: The downswing starts with an aggressive throw of the hands and right shoulder from the top. Many golfers rightly associate power with speed, but they incorrectly apply that speed with their upper body first. This lunge toward the ball forces the club onto that steep, outside path.
• Limited Body Rotation: A very common cause is an incomplete backswing turn. If you don't fully rotate your hips and shoulders away from the ball, you often end up just lifting your arms to complete the swing. From this high, lifted-arms position, the most natural way down is... well, over the top.
• Trying to Help the Ball Up: The mental image of "hitting down" on the ball can trick golfers into taking a steep, chopping motion at it, which is the exact over-the-top move we want to avoid with irons and woods.

The "Under" or "Shallow" Loop (The Hook-Machine)

This loop is the opposite of coming over the top. While less common, it can be just as frustrating, leading to big hooks, pushes, and blocks.

What It Looks Like

The "under" loop happens when the club drops significantly behind you at the start of the downswing. It gets "stuck," in golf lingo. From this position deep behind your body, your only choice is to swing severely from "inside" the target line to "outside," often causing the clubface to shut down rapidly through impact.

Why It Happens

• A Reaction to the Slice: Many golfers who work hard to fix their slice overcompensate. They hear they need to swing from "the inside" and take it to an extreme, intentionally dropping the club way behind them and getting it stuck.
• Too Much Slide, Not Enough Turn: Often, this happens when the first move in the downswing is an aggressive slide of the hips toward the target without any rotation. This lower body slide leaves the upper body and arms behind, a classic cause of a "stuck" club.
• Bad 'Lag' advice: Creating 'lag' is a good thing, but many golfers interpret that as just passively letting the club fall behind them. Without the proper body sequence to support it, this can over-done and leads to the "under" look and its associated problems.

Do All Loops Need Fixing? The Professional vs. Amateur Loop

This is where things get interesting. Spend a Sunday afternoon watching professional golf and you'll see loops everywhere. Jim Furyk has perhaps the most famous loop in golf history, taking the club way above the plane on the way back and then dropping it dramatically underneath on the way down. Matthew Wolff uses an incredible looping action to generate jaw-dropping clubhead speed. Even stars like Jon Rahm have a subtle, powerful loop.

So what's the difference?

Intent and Function. The pros' loops are highly functional. They serve a purpose, which is usually to "shallow" the club into an ideal impact position. They move the club from one plane to a better one. Because they practice for thousands of hours with world-class feedback, their body knows how to time this complex sequence perfectly. Their loop is a repeatable asset.

For most amateurs, a loop is an unintentional flaw. The "over the top" loop, in particular, almost never serves a positive purpose. It robs you of power and makes a square clubface nearly impossible to achieve consistently. It’s an error that leads to compensation, which leads to another compensation, and ultimately, a swing you can't trust under pressure. So, while you don't need a perfectly "on plane" swing, you do need to eliminate the dysfunctional loop that's causing your bad shots.

How to Identify and Fix Your Loop: Drills and Feels

The first step toward building a better swing is seeing what's really happening. Trying to diagnose a loop based on ball flight alone is just guesswork.

Step 1: Get Video of Your Swing

This is non-negotiable. You can't fix what you can't see. Have a friend film your swing, or get a simple tripod for your phone. The most important angle is "down-the-line." Set your phone up at about waist height directly behind you, so the camera is looking down your target line over your hands. This angle will clearly show the path your club is taking on the backswing and downswing. You'll see immediately if you're coming over the top or getting stuck under.

Step 2: Drills for the "Over the Top" Loop

Fixing this is all about changing the sequence of the downswing - getting your lower body to lead and the club to approach the ball from the inside.

• The Headcover Gate Drill: Take an empty headcover or place a water bottle on the ground outside and slightly in front of your golf ball. If your typical bad shot is a slice, you will be terrified of hitting the headcover. Your only option is to swing "under" it, forcing the club onto the correct inside-to-out path. Start with small, slow swings to get the feeling of missing the headcover before building up to full speed.
• The Pause-and-Drop Feel: Take your normal backswing and pause at the very top for a full second. From this complete stop, your first thought should be to let your trail elbow (right elbow for right-handers) drop down toward your stomach. Feel like you are dropping the clubhead down behind you before you even think about rotating. This simple "pause and drop" feel trains you to engage your lower body and helps prevent that lunging motion from the upper body.

Step 3: Drills for the "Under" (Stuck) Loop

If you're getting stuck, you need to feel the opposite. The goal is to feel the club staying more in front of your body as you rotate through the shot.

• The "Move the Grass" Drill: Take your setup without a ball. Swing to the top. From there, initiate your downswing by trying to brush the grass with your clubhead well behind where the ball would be. The only way to do this is to keep your back facing the target for a fraction of a second longer as you unwind. This encourages you to properly "cover" the ball with your chest through impact, preventing the club from getting trapped behind you.
• The Step-Through Finish Drill: This is a wonderful drill for improving sequencing. Set up to the ball, and as you begin your downswing, let your trail foot (right foot) step forward and through, so you finish walking toward the target. It's almost impossible to get the club stuck behind you when your body's momentum is moving so actively toward the target. This helps sync up your arms and body rotation beautifully.

Final Thoughts

A golf swing loop simply describes how your downswing path relates to your backswing path. While amateurs often struggle with an inconsistent "over the top" move that causes slices, some of the best pros in tennis use a deliberate loop to generate power in a similar way the pros do in golf. Identifying your loop's direction and cause is the first a powerful step toward owning a repeatable swing.

Understanding concepts like a loop is one thing, but getting specific, personalized advice when you need it is different. This is where Caddie AI acts as your on-demand coach. Instead of guessing if you're coming over the top based on a slice or snap a photo of where your ball ended up in the trees and get a custom strategy for how to recover. Play smarter to navigate around your swing faults as you master how the club moves so that you have fun. Period.