Stop Hitting Thin Shots: Effective Strategies & Drills for Improved Golf Shots
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 major 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.
How to 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.
Contents
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.
- 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
Standing upright in golf is good as long as you are stable in your setup and feel comfortable. The problem, however, is that you can sometimes straighten your spine angle too much and cause yourself to hit thin shots.
Combine that with a golf ball placed too far forward in the stance, and now you are hitting the ball on your upswing and way too far away from it.
Here’s a great video to help you get the perfect setup position that should eliminate some thin shots. You’ll quickly see how common advice like “bend your knees” can lead you to hitting a thin shot.
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
To generate power in golf, you need extension in your swing. Your arms should be extended from your body to create a wide arc. If this arc gets smaller as you approach the ball, the clubhead comes up a little, and you strike the wrong part of the golf ball.
The best way to fix this is to take some practice swings with a towel in your hand.
Take a look at this video, and you’ll see how this simple drill can help you feel that extension through impact.
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.
Work Up to Full Swing Drill
This drill will help you fix your thin shots and any issues in your swing.
Start with a club like a pitching wedge or sand wedge. Hit some short shots where the club just brushes the ground and gets the ball up in the air. When you have that down, increase the length of your swing.
Start taking a slight pause at the top of the swing and focus on using your legs to swing through the shot. You’ll see in this video that the ability to use the legs helps bring the golf club down to the ground for impact.
Trail Hand Drill
One issue that many amateur golfers struggle with is keeping the golf club in the impact zone long enough.
Sometimes, your hands try to pull out, and you may get stuck with very quick contact that creates a thin shot.
Take a look at this drill from Ttitleist that will help you hit more consistent iron shots.
Stance Width Drill
Some golfers find that adjusting the width of their stance to a slightly narrower stance can help promote a more vertical swing plane and eliminate some of the thin shots you hit.
Start with your standard shoulder width apart stance, and mark the position of your feet with alignment sticks to have something you can reference. If you hit this shot thin, move the alignment sticks in about ½ inch.
Try again.
Another concept is to hit shots with your feet completely together, see if that helps you get better contact, and then work your way out to full stance width. Plenty of great players have a narrower than traditional stance and strike the ball well.
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.
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