How to fix your “over the top” golf swing — dodgeball memories

Let’s talk about the classic golf disaster: swinging “over the top.” If you’re not familiar, this is when your club flails out like an angry seagull dive-bombing a French fry, cutting across the ball in a way that produces shots so violently sliced they should come with a lemon wedge.

Golf instructors will feed you the same dry toast explanation: You’re coming over the plane, your club path is outside-in, your body’s not sequencing properly. Let’s skip the technical babble and get to the real issue—this isn’t a golf problem. This is a you problem. And it all traces back to that fateful day in fifth grade.

Yeah, you know the one.

Let me paint the scene. You’re ten years old, brimming with the fragile confidence of someone who thinks cargo shorts are high fashion and that maybe you could beat your dad in an arm-wrestling match if the stars aligned. It’s gym class. Dodgeball. And you’re locked in a face-off with Jimmy “The Elbow” Thompson, a kid whose throwing arm had the velocity of a NASA rocket launch.

You wound up for your throw like a hero in a movie. But instead of triumph, what followed was a catastrophic airball—a gentle lob that could’ve been caught by a distracted sloth. Jimmy, sensing weakness like a shark sniffing out a drop of blood, returned fire. You never saw it coming. One second you were upright; the next, you were tasting floor tile and regretting your life choices.

That humiliation burrowed into your psyche, built a cozy little nest, and laid eggs of self-doubt.

Fast forward to today: Every time you stand over a golf ball, somewhere deep inside, that same ten-year-old version of you is screaming: Don’t mess up! Don’t be weak! Kill the ball before it kills you!

So what happens? You rush the swing. You force it. You attack like it’s a life-or-death dodgeball rematch with Jimmy “The Elbow” Thompson. Your club comes flying over the top in a frantic effort to dominate the ball… and instead, you slice that poor little Titleist into a neighboring zip code.

The Fix? Heal the Fifth-Grade Wound.

This isn’t about swing planes—it’s about emotional closure. Next time you’re on the range, pause for a moment. Close your eyes. Picture that ten-year-old version of yourself. Tell him it’s okay. Say, “We’re not in gym class anymore, buddy. Jimmy’s probably balding and selling crypto now. We’re safe.”

Then—and this is crucial—let the club drop from the top naturally. Trust gravity. Let it fall gently back into the slot, like lowering a child into a ball pit. No need to Hulk-smash the ball into oblivion. The more relaxed you are, the less that inner dodgeball trauma will hijack your mechanics.

Swing smooth. Swing free. And remember: This isn’t fifth grade anymore.

But hey, if you do see Jimmy Thompson out there? Maybe then it’s worth slicing a ball right into his windshield. You know, for closure.