Get into the Tray Position for Accurate Shots!

Golf Tips

Sep 7

Written By

Hi, I’m Mel Sole, Director of Instruction at the Mel Sole Golf School, headquartered at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club in Pawleys Island, SC. We conduct 1, 2, and 3-day golf schools, hourly golf lessons, and senior golf schools—any golf instruction program your heart desires. Give us a call at 800-624-4653 or 843-237-4993. We will be happy to book a commuter school or a package that contains accommodations, golf, and golf school.

I have covered this subject in earlier tips. However, golfers still seem to be confused about how to prevent an "over the top" move. Today, hopefully, I will make this much easier to understand. This is a drill you can do both on the driving range and at home.

Get into the Tray Position for Accurate Shots!

An "Over the Top" swing is when the backswing plane is lower than the downswing plane. The club is thus coming "over the top" of the backswing plane. To correct this there are two keys.

Get your rear elbow into the "tray" position. This is the same position as a waiter carrying a tray. The forearm of the arm carrying the tray is perpendicular to the ground. This is the correct position of the rear arm at the top of the backswing.
The elbow drops straight down to the rear hip, thus keeping the club path below the backswing allowing the club to approach the ball from the inside, and thus allowing the club to move more down the target line. This is your move improving your accuracy.

When you are on the range, get your arm into the tray position at the top of the backswing and stop. Then feel the rear elbow drop gently into the rear hip and swing through. The secret here is to do this drill

slowly at first. Maybe for the first hour. Then slowly let the swing get faster bit by bit until the swing is at full speed. Check your divots (if you are hitting an iron) to see if the divot is either going directly at the target or slightly inside out.