Ger, Ireland
Handicap: N/A; age: 19-49

opping the ball means that you hit the top half of the ball and it squirts 20 or 30 yards (or feet) forward.
WRISTS
If your wrists are not breaking before impact it could be ball position.
FIX
Keep the ball in the middle of your stance at address so you strike the ball when the club is at the bottom of its swing arc. When the ball is too far forward in your stance you are hitting the ball on the upswing (and you are trying to lift the ball into the air) or after the club head has past the bottom of its arc and is on its way up.

Nick, Australia
Handicap: 10-20; age: 19-49

You'll often hear people say after someone has topped the ball "keep your head down". This is in actual fact not very good advice, and it can cause further confusion with your swing. All you need to do is to have the feel for the right swing, and whilst practicing on the range, work on your follow through. A good follow through can erase several flaws in your swing, and hence eliminate some negative swing thoughts. Also check to see if your ball position and address is right for each club, if you are confused about this, seek some advice from a coach or any other golfer that plays off a low handicap.

Derek, Wisconsin
Handicap: N/A; age: 18 or under

I used to top the ball a lot... but all I had to do was move the ball a little to the left ( I'm right handed ) and I was cured after 2 years of topping.

Jon, Georgia
Handicap: 10 or below; age: 19-49

If you can't see it, you can't hit it...or at least can't hit it squarely...a lot of players top for a lot of different reasons...a big part most of the time is to keep your head in the same place...one of the biggest reasons that is a problem is because they straighten their back leg on the back swing...that forces your body to lean forward slightly, but just enough to through off your line...so that when you come back down on the ball, your swing line has changed, and you can't line it back up well enough to make solid contact...keep your eye on the ball, and keep a little flex in that back leg.

Daniel, The Woodlands, TX
Handicap: scratch golfer

My wife used to be an expert of topping (I am glad that she was not an expert of hooking). She topped the ball so much that she declared that golf was her most hated sport (oh, boy....) But what we discovered was that her topping was really caused by the scooping action that she was so inclined to engage in at impact. So our solution was that INSTEAD OF SCOOPING UP THE BALL, SHE SHOULD TRY TO HIT DOWN AT THE BALL...it certainly helped her and golf now moved down a couple of places on her most hated sports list.

Harold, Orlando
Handicap: 30+

The age old teaching "keep your head" down should cure this problem! It sure helped me.