Time and again you will hear that amateur golfers have an outside in or over the top swing that causes a slice or a duck hook. Those that come over the top or hit the ball from the outside in lose a great deal of distance because they are putting side spin on the ball. They are also much more erratic with their driver, rarely being about to hit more than 50% of fairways. Below is a photo of me with an outside in or over the top swing right before impact:

Notice how my driver head is “outside” the ball right before impact. I have to flip my hands over to try and save the swing which puts a ton of spin on the ball. This particular drive was a high fade that ended up going about 250 yards which is much less than when I hit the ball from the inside. The only reason I got any distance out of this drive was the fact that I saved it at impact with a flip of the wrists. On this day I only hit 6 of 13 fairways which is horrible for me. I am usually much closer to 11 or 12 of 13 fairways hit. I had trouble hooking the ball and actually hit a drive OB which is extremely rare for me.

Now, let’s look at an inside out swing that ends up going dead straight or with a little bit of a draw.

Notice that my driver club head is “inside” the ball. This particular drive ended up going about 275 yards and was dead straight. I was able to go for a par 5 in two after this drive and had an eagle putt opportunity. On this day I hit 11 of 13 fairways.

If you are having trouble getting any distance out of your driver or consistently keeping it in the fairway try to keep your lead arm, my left arm (as a right hander) tight to your chest. If you can keep your left bicep tight against your left chest muscle throughout the entire backswing you are going to find you are in a perfect position to come into the ball from the inside. This will give you a ton more distance and you will feel as if you are hitting the ball further.

Here are the Vine videos for each of these swings:

Over the top, outside in:

Inside out, correct swing plane:

Video credit: Mark Thomas

What made me think about these two different swings was the Amanda Boyd bikini Instagram picture that is floating around the Internet right now. If you haven’t heard, there are rumors that her and Tiger Woods are now dating. That is another story for another time. Here is the picture:

With Amanda at this position on the down swing she has to come over the top and hit a fade or a slide. She needs to keep her left arm much closer to her “chest” on the back swing as this will put her at the correct position on the down swing.

Give it a try and let me know what you think. Maybe we can give Amanda Boyd a golf lesson with her wearing this outfit.