Stop Hitting Thin Shots – Causes, Fixes & Drills for Solid Iron Contact

If you gave me the choice of hitting a golf ball thin or hitting behind it, I would choose thin all day.

However, as you become a better golfer and ball striker, hitting thin is still a problem.

Thin shots often go past the target because they have very little spin. Additionally, with the lower ball flight of a thin or bladed shot, you may find yourself in more trouble.

I’ll show you why you hit thin shots, but most importantly, we’ll dive right into how to fix them.

Stop Hitting Thin Shots (Key Takeaways)

If you want to read through all of our reasons and fixes later, here are the most important takeaways right now:

• Your setup is very important when trying to hit the golf ball solidly. If the ball’s position and stance are not correct, you can hit it thin.
• Too much movement on the backswing will move you away from the golf ball; focus on better weight transfer toward the inside of your feet when you swing.
• Swing arc is incredibly important – maintaining that width ensures the club strikes the ball first.
• Wrist action can be measured with HackMotion to determine what is causing the issue and how to maintain the proper wrist action through impact.

If you prefer to learn through video, here is everything you need to know about hitting thin shots.

What Causes Thin Shots in Golf?

Thin golf shots, also called sculling or blading, happen when the leading edge of the golf club strikes the ball in the center of the ball. The clubface makes proper contact when it strikes the bottom of the golf ball.

Here are the reasons why you are hitting thin shots:

• Standing too upright when set to hit the golf shot.
• Poor weight distribution or shifting in the swing.
• Excessive head movement on the backswing.
• The ball position is too far forward.
• Not maintaining the width of your swing arc throughout the swing.
• Casting or early release of the clubhead.
• Incorrect wrist flex as you approach impact.

How to Stop Hitting Thin Golf Shots

Some of the best ways to fix hitting thin shots include working on drills where you can feel that solid, flush shot again and repeat it.

Work through these solutions in order; the top ones are the easiest (and quickest) fixes.

Get Your Posture Right and Ball Position

Thin shots often start before the swing even begins. If your spine angle is too straight, you’ll end up reaching for the ball instead of swinging through it. Add in a ball that’s too far forward in the stance, and the club makes contact on the upswing, right in the middle of the ball.

The fix is simple: maintain a comfortable spine tilt, keep a slight athletic bend at the hips, and position the ball correctly for the club you’re using. These small adjustments help the club bottom out in the right place and make it much easier to strike the ball cleanly.

Ensure the Weight Transfers the Right Way

Weight transfers in the golf swing.

You’ll feel it mostly even between your feet when you set up to hit. Then, it transfers to the trail side.

On the downswing, it transfers to the lead leg. If your weight moves back towards your heel on the backswing, you will actually move a little further from the ball, making it easy to hit the shot thin.

In addition, some golfers slide their weight to their trail foot and then leave it behind on the downswing.

Keep the Width Throughout the Swing

One of the biggest reasons golfers hit thin shots is that they lose swing width as they come down. When your arms start pulling in too close to the body, the clubhead rises and catches the ball too high.

The goal is to keep your arms stretched out from your chest so the arc of the swing stays wide all the way through impact. A simple way to feel this is with the towel drill—place a towel across your chest and hold each end, then make practice swings while keeping your arms extended.

This creates the feeling of staying wide and sweeping through the ball instead of collapsing and pulling in at the last second.

Learn Correct Wrist Angles

If you are still struggling with thin shots even after fixing your posture, weight shift, and width, then you likely have an issue with your wrists.

There are two ways in which the wrists can cause you to hit a thin golf shot.

The first is an early release or unhinging of the wrists that we often call casting; the second (closely related) is having the wrists too extended through the impact position.

We have analyzed more than 1,000,000 swings of professional and amateur golfers to determine the ideal wrist position throughout the golf swing.

Players who hit their golf shots thin often move towards more extension in their lead wrist as they approach the golf ball.

In addition, the wrist starts to unhinge early, causing the club to rise and then strike too high up on the golf ball.

You can fix this by wearing the HackMotion, measuring your wrist angles, and changing their position through impact to promote better contact.

Additional Drills to Stop Hitting Thin Shots

If you’re still struggling with thin shots and need a few more effective techniques, try these additional drills.

I’ve always found that focusing on the short game can help you develop the feel needed to fix thin shots without requiring a lot of extra effort.

Elbows-Together Smart Ball Drill (Arm Structure + Wrist Support)

Thin shots love a “chicken wing.” This drill keeps the elbows together so the club stays down through impact instead of rising into the ball.

A smart ball (or small inflatable ball) makes the feel obvious.

HackMotion Casting Fix (Top-to-Impact Guided Reps)

Thins and fats share a root cause: losing wrist angles too early. Use HackMotion’s guided Casting/Release Drill to keep the handle leading and the clubhead down through the strike.

What it helps: impact wrist conditions, shaft lean, low-point control.

Weight-Forward Bump & Brush (Low-Point Control)

If your weight hangs back, the club bottoms out early; you either hit behind it or pull up and thin it. This drill teaches weight forward at impact and a ground-then-ball brush.

What it helps: weight shift, strike location, consistent turf contact.

Optional: HackMotion “Impact Check” Between Sets

Use this as a quick calibration between drills.

What it helps: keeps the wrist pattern honest as you add speed.

Final Thoughts

At this point, you should feel more confident in solving this thin-shot problem.

Work your way down our list step by step and knock off the easier issues first.

As you move towards more difficult concepts and issues with the wrist, use the HackMotion wrist sensor to get more accurate information and effective practice.