“Tom, I’m coming over the top and hitting big slices! Help!”

Nothing can ruin your score quicker than hitting three off the tee after you pump one out of play. And nothing is more frustrating than catching one solid, only to see it put on the blinker and slice hard to the right while losing big distance.

The over-the-top move that causes this ball flight most often stems from poor sequencing of the body. When your body gets out of sync, it often forces the rear shoulder to ride outward on the downswing, shifting your swing direction in toward your body. Slice city.

There are a few very common reasons that lead to poor sequencing. I’ll highlight them below, and provide the best drills that will help you eliminate your over-the-top issues with some time and effort.

Problem #1: Arm Lift to the Top

Cause and Effect: The arm lift is caused when the shoulders aren’t the lead source of power in the backswing, leaving the arms to lift to the top independently of the torso’s actions. This places the arms in an overly upright position and one that makes it hard to return the club down to the inside during the transition.

The Fix: Practice from an uphill, sidehill lie.

How to Do It: Find as drastic of a slope as you can. If you lift your arms to the top from an uphill, sidehill lie, you will stick the club into the ground on the way down. The only way to hit the ball with any success from this kind of lie is to allow the club to follow the slope and work around your body to the top, which will help you discover the feeling of how the arms follow the shoulders to the top, not the other way around.

Problem #2: Getting Way Inside on the Takeaway

Cause and Effect: When you get the club way inside on the takeaway, it forces your body to make drastic recoveries to be able to return the club properly at impact. This move is often caused by an over-rolling of the lead forearm, or the over-turning of the torso during the start of the swing. This places the arms, hands and club into a position where they have no choice but to transition over the top in the downswing.

The Fix: Use the Stick drill.

How to Do It: Place a small stick (as shown in the photo above) a few feet behind the golf ball and a little outside of the target line. Practice taking the club head OVER the stick on the backswing, and then deliver the club on the inside of the stick on the way down.

This “looping” feeling will help you to understand the role of the arms back and through the swing, and will ultimately encourage a draw.

Problem #3: Reverse Weight Shift

Cause and Effect: When someone has a reverse weight shift, their spine tends to be too centered and not tilted enough behind the ball at address. This causes their weight to move toward their forward foot on the backswing and then rapidly reverse directions to their rear foot on the way down, violently thrusting their right shoulder out and over the swing plane.

The Fix: Use the Tilt drill.

How to Do It: To start, feel like you set up behind the ball with your rear shoulder lower than your front shoulder and your weight favoring your rear foot. Exaggerate this tilted position throughout the swing, and you will feel how the weight should move into the backswing.

When you’re doing this drill your swing will feel drastically different, and you’ll see some weird shots at first. You’ll likely hit the ball fat to start, which is due to your swing becoming more shallow. Then you’ll start to hook the ball. Those are good signs, and your ball flight will straighten out with practice.

Problem #4: Quick Hips from the Top

Cause and Effect: Anytime the hips race out from under the torso or “spin-out” from the top, the club is usually thrown over-the-top. The longer the club, the more detrimental this move becomes.

The Fix: The Rear Foot Back drill.

How to Do It: Whenever you pull your rear foot behind your front foot at address, you will encourage a deeper hip turn to the top and a more delayed spinning of the hips on the way down. The Rear Foot Back drill gives the arms freedom to “drop” under the plane during the transition, putting you into a better position to deliver the club head into the ball.

Remember, there are many things that can cause an over-the-top motion, but these are far and away the most common ones I see from most golfers. Take your time to understand each of these issues, and make sure you are not making one of these crucial mistakes. If you are, it’s OK. You can practice and engrain these new feelings, and eventually your banana ball may just turn into a tight draw.