Stop Hitting Thin Shots: Effective Strategies & Drills for Improved Golf Shots

Britt Olizarowicz

Apr 23, 2024 . 8 mins read

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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. You also will find that with the lower ball flight of a thin or bladed shot you may get yourself in more trouble.

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

With these tips, tricks and drills you will have no trouble getting the ball in the air and hitting well struck iron shots.

How To Stop Hitting Thin Shots (Key Takeaways)

There are a variety of reasons why you can hit a thin golf shot. 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 solid. 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 towards the inside of your feet when you swing.
• Swing arc is incredibly important – maintain 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.

Why do I Hit Thin Golf Shots?

Thin golf shots, also referred to as 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 Golf Balls Thin

Now that we have some of the reasons for your thin shots straightened out let’s look at how you can start fixing these issues in your game.

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. You may find that your problem is actually quite simple.

Get Your Posture Right and Ball Position

Standing upright in golf is good. As long as you are stable in your setup and you 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 you are 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 actually lead you to hitting a thin shot.

Feel the Weight on the Insides of Your Feet

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. However, some golfers struggle as to where in the foot you should feel this weight.

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.

Try some swings focusing on keeping your weight on the insides of your feet.

It still transfers. You just feel it on the inside of the feet instead of toe to heel, and it will make a big difference in the quality of the strike.

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 (which is very 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 still want to work on the thin shots and need a few more good techniques, try these additional drills.

I have always found that focusing on the short game helps you get the feel for how to fix thin shots without having to work all that hard.

Work Up to Full Swing Drill

Not only will this drill help you with fixing your thin shots it can help with any issues you have 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.

Continue to do this until you start hitting the ball thin.

When does that happen?

For many golfers, it happens because of the wrists and poor wrist action in the golf swing. Wearing the HackMotion can help you dial in exactly where your wrist positioning starts to cause problems.

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.

Stand 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 from there 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 your ability to solve 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.