The Over-the-Top Move – How to Stop Pulling Your Shots and Fix Your Swing Path

If you’ve ever had the frustration of consistently pulling the ball to the left (for right-handed golfers) or noticing your ball flight cut sharply left-right (for left-handed golfers), then you’re likely dealing with the over-the-top move. This is one of the most common—and one of the most misunderstood—swing faults in golf. It can rob you of accuracy, distance, and overall swing consistency.

The over-the-top move refers to the path the club takes during the downswing. Instead of dropping the club down to an inside path, the club comes over the top and across the ball, usually leading to a steep angle of attack. This leads to pulled shots, weak fades, and all kinds of mis – hits.

Elite Golf Coach Mark Wood break’s it down so you understand why it happens and explore the best ways to eliminate the over-the-top move from your game.

What is the Over-the-Top Move?

The over-the-top move happens when the club comes down on the outside of the proper swing path, often resulting in an excessively steep angle of attack. When you begin the downswing, your trail shoulder, the arms and hands push the club away from the body instead of letting the body rotate and drop the club naturally into the proper slot.

Instead of having the club travel on a shallow, inside-to-out path, the club comes down steeply from the outside, sending the swing path left of your target. This leads to a pulled shot, where the ball starts left of your target and either stays left or hooks further left, depending on your where your clubface is at impact. If you have the clubface square to your swing path, you hit a pull and if the clubface is closed to the path you will hit a pull hook.

How to Recognize the Over-the-Top Move

Here’s how you can identify if you’re making the over-the-top move in your swing:

Ball Flight: Your shots tend to start left (for right-handed golfers) and either stay straight left or hook further left.
Steep Angle: You feel like the club is coming in at a steep angle, especially with your irons. You may even feel like you’re losing balance towards your toes, and you feel restricted with your follow through.
Loss of Power: The shots feel weak because you’re losing the optimal contact zone, and the ball often lacks the compression it needs.
Upper Body Dominance: Your arms and hands take over the downswing, pulling the club outside instead of letting the body rotate.

Why Does the Over-the-Top Move Happen?

Wood says, “there are several reasons golfers develop the over-the-top move”. Let’s explore the most common causes:

Poor Backswing Mechanics

If your backswing is too steep or your hands get too far away from your body at the top, it sets you up to come over the top during the downswing. If your club is in a poor position at the top, your instinct is to “try to put” it back in line, which results in that over-the-top motion.

Fix:
Focus on getting the club into a more inside position at the top of your backswing. Work on creating a shallow plane, keeping your hands and left arm more across your shoulder line at the top of your backswing. Your hands will feel a lot more “deeper” and behind you.

Overactive Upper Body

The over-the-top move often happens when your arms and shoulders start the downswing too early, before your lower body initiates. This causes your arms and right shoulder to push the club to the outside instead of letting the club drop in behind you.

Fix:
Start the downswing with your lower body—more specifically, with your hips and legs. This will help drop the club into the proper slot and keep the swing path more neutral.

Wood says “The best players start from the ground up. Your hips should be the first thing to move, not your hands or arms.”

Trying to Hit the Ball Too Hard

A common mistake among golfers is trying to swing harder in an effort to generate more power. This often causes the arms and hands to rush the downswing, resulting in an over-the-top motion and steep path.

Fix:
Focus on maintaining your rhythm and swinging with control. Trust that the power will come from a smooth, connected motion rather than forcing the shot.

Tension in the Hands and Arms

Tension in the hands, arms, or upper body can lead to the over-the-top move. When you’re tense, you lose your ability to rotate properly and the arms tend to “take over,” pushing the club to the outside on the way down.

Fix:
Work on relaxing your grip and arms. A relaxed grip allows the club to move naturally and helps your body rotate more fluidly through the downswing.

Mark Wood’s Go-To Drill: The “Inside-Out Cane Drill”

This drill is one of the most effective ways to eliminate the over-the-top move. It helps you feel the proper path and keeps the club inside the target line during the downswing.

How to do it:

Place an alignment cane at an angle of a 5 iron, just outside your target line, a couple of feet behind the ball.
As you take the downswing, focus on swinging the club inside the cane, avoiding the path that would send it over the top.
If you’re coming over the top, you’ll hit the cane with the club. If you’re swinging correctly, the club will travel on an inside-to-out path, avoiding the cane and producing a slight draw.

Wood says “The cane drill is a simple, but powerful way to correct your swing path. When you focus on keeping the club inside, you instantly feel the difference in your contact and ball flight.”

Bonus Drill: The “Slow Motion Swing”

This drill helps you feel the correct transition and allows you to visualise the club getting into the right slot.

How to do it:

Take your club to the top of your backswing and pause.
From here, make a slow-motion swing down into impact a few times while keeping it on an inside path.
As you gain confidence with this drill, release the club with more speed through the ball, focusing on keeping the clubhead on an inside-to-out path.

Wood says “The slow-motion drill helps you learn the right sequence of movements. It eliminates the urge to push the club away on the outside and gives you that smooth, in-to-out path you need.”

Swing Thought: “Feel the Rotation”

One of the best mental cues to help eliminate the over-the-top move is to think about keeping your back facing the target as you start down with your arms. This gets the club coming down behind you on a nice inside to out swing path.

Final Thoughts

The over-the-top move is a swing fault that many golfers struggle with, but it’s one that can be fixed with the right awareness and drills. By focusing on a smoother, inside-to-out path, relaxing your grip, and initiating the downswing with your arms whilst keeping your back to the target, you’ll eliminate the steep, over-the-top motion that causes pulled shots and weak fades.

Wood says “A good golf swing is a connected swing. If your body and arms work together, the club will follow in the right path naturally.”

So, the next time you’re on the range or the course and notice yourself pulling shots to the left, remember to focus on that inside path, rotate properly, and trust the rhythm of your swing. Your ball striking will improve, and you’ll have more fun on the course.

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How to Crush the Ball 20 Yards Further >> https://mybook.to/yBLlmSt