Hi Alan

When my friends ask me why they come over the top, and I'm not a teaching pro, I say they have too much upper body movement i.e. The first movement in their downswing is from the upper body.

The downswing should be a chain reaction - the legs pull on the hips, the hips pull on the torso, the torso pull on the arms and the arms pull on the hands. The hands holding the club should be the last link of the chain.

I always advise people to try and leave their hands at the top of the backswing whilst they try and turn their legs towards the target, remember, the hands should be the last link on the chain.

When you practice, swing a club to the top and stop. Ask a friend to hold the clubhead in the place where it rests at the top and tell them not to let it move. When they have gripped the club head with both hands( a firm grip too ) Try turning your legs towards the target or prefably left of it. For a left handed person, you should feel your left should drop way down inside when you turn. Don't consciously try to drop your shoulder, it should feel natural - it's a weird feeling if you're not used to it.

When playing or practicing swing slow and easy to start with and ignore your distance, you need to get the feeling right. Swinging like that also makes it easier for you to maintain the wristcock right up to impact too because the upper body is left stiff and it reduces the temptation to hit with the hands.

Shorther shots like pitching and chipping are more armsy. The feet are placed closer together restricting lower body movement thus making you use the upper body slightly more.

Paul