How to Stop Hitting Fat or Thin Golf Shots – 5 Quick Tips
- Check Your Setup. A vast majority of the issues amateur golfers face can be traced back to a poor set up. If you’re...
- Watch for the Hip Sway. You may have the perfect set up, but you still hit fat or thin golf shots. This could be...
- Shallow Out Your Swing Arc. A steep swing causes fat or thin golf shots...
How do I deal with thin shots in golf?
If you are using the ball forward positioning option and are struggling with thin shots, move to a positioning mechanism that sees the position of the ball vary according to the club in hand.
Why do I keep hitting thin shots in my golf swing?
If you feel like the rest of your swing is in good shape but you keep hitting thin shots, try adjusting your ball position and see if you improve. The early release in the downswing is an extremely common problem among amateur players.
Does not bending your knees enough make your golf shots thin?
Not bending your knees enough – sometimes referred as standing tall – can raise the bottom of the swing arc just enough to make thin shots more likely. Just make sure you are not overdoing it, which could instead set you up for fat shots.
Are You hitting thin iron shots?
If you are hitting thin iron shots, your first checkpoint is with your posture. While the golf swings of the best players in the world differ greatly, one thing they all have in common is a good posture at address. This lies at the heart of consistent ball striking.
How do I stop my golf ball from thinning?
3:1610:34How to Stop THINNING Your Irons! (Simple Drill) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipShot is the leading edge contacting. Too far up the golf ball essentially. The golf club is not lowMoreShot is the leading edge contacting. Too far up the golf ball essentially. The golf club is not low enough as it reaches arrives at the golf ball.
How do I stop hitting fat and thin golf shots?
0:467:33How to stop hitting topped, thin and fat iron shots - 3 Causes - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd at the same time you want to make sure that we've got the shaft leaning forward. So if we canMoreAnd at the same time you want to make sure that we've got the shaft leaning forward. So if we can get the the shallow path with the club leaning. Forward we'll eliminate all of those fat thin.
Why am I hitting thin shots?
Golfers who hit a lot of thin shots tend to swing the club too steeply into the ball. That's because they slide past the ball on the downswing and have to force the club down to make contact. When they slide too far, they catch only the top half of the ball, hitting it thin.
Can a strong grip cause fat shots?
Fat shots. One of the other signs of an overly strong grip is the tendency to hit the ball fat, especially on short iron shots. As mentioned above, a strong grip makes it easy to release the club on the way down, and an early release could cause you to stick the club in the ground behind the ball.
Why do golfers keep their heads down?
There is a reason that ‘keep your head down’ is such common golf advice – many players fail to do so. You don’t necessarily want to focus on keeping your head down and still during the swing, as doing so can restrict the freedom of movement you need to make a great turn.
Why do golfers use their right hand?
Many golfers use their right hand to fire the club head at the ball long before they should, and they lose both power and accuracy in the process. If you are letting your right hand play too much of an active role in the downswing, you might be promoting the very thin shots you are trying to eliminate.
What does it mean when you miss hit the ball?
There are a few ways you can miss-hit the ball, and one of those is the thin shot. In the vocabulary of a golfer, a ‘thin’ shot is one which is struck low on the face. Hitting the ball just a bit thin might mean hitting it only a single groove below the sweet spot. On the other hand, you could hit your shot extremely thin ...
What is the goal of a golf swing?
February 27, 2019 Golf Instruction, Swing Coach. Leave a Comment. One of the main goals you should have on any golf shot is to strike the ball solidly. Achieving a solid strike doesn’t mean the ball is going to wind up near to the target, of course, but it certainly is a good start. If you can combine a clean strike with other elements like proper ...
Can you hit a golf shot thin?
On the other hand, you could hit your shot extremely thin and barely make contact at all. In that case, the leading edge of the club would strike somewhere around the middle of the ball, and the shot would struggle to get off the ground. Moving away from thin shots and toward clean strikes is a powerful way to make yourself a better golfer.
Should you pull your head up early in golf?
Make sure the ball is gone before allowing yourself to look up. If you follow this simple rule of keeping your eyes on the ball, it’s almost certain that you won’t pull your head up out of the swing early. And, if your head doesn’t come up early, the rest of your upper body shouldn’t make that mistake, either.
Is thinning the ball bad for amateur golf?
It might be that if you are thinning the ball regularly it is actually your tempo which is to blame. Poor tempo is not uncommon in the amateur game. If you watch the average driving range on a busy weekend afternoon, you’ll see players with all sorts of poor swing tempos. Most of those are rushed, and that is frequently ...
How to fix a thin shot in golf?
Moving the ball slightly back in your stance may solve the problem. For golfers hitting thin shots, check to ensure you’re not putting the ball too far behind your breast bone (center of the chest). You may not need to adjust your feet, but you may need to adjust your weight to distribute more onto the back leg. 2.
What does it mean when you hit a fat golf shot?
A fat golf shot happens when you hit the ground before the ball. It’s most common with short irons and wedges but can also happen with fairway woods and long irons. Even on occasion, you might hit a fat golf shot with your driver, but this is not as common.
How to shallow out a golf swing plane?
One of the best drills for shallowing out your swing plane is the roll the ball backward drill. This drill is exactly what it sounds like. Start with the normal golf ball you plan to hit and place second golf ball about 12 to 18 inches directly behind the ball.
What is the difference between a fat golf shot and a thin golf shot?
Fat golf shots end up with an impact position with less weight on the front leg, the hands may lag behind and the ground will be struck before the ball causing the golfer to hit the ball towards the top of the clubface. A thin golf shot will be the opposite.
Why is my golf ball so far forward?
You can have the ball place perfectly when it comes to your feet, but your weight distribution is off, which puts the ball too far forward in your stand. When the golf ball is too far forward in your stand, you’re more likely to hit a fat golf shot. A fat golf shot happens when you hit the ground before the ball.
How to turn your body with a golf club?
Tee the ball up higher than normal and lay a towel down on the ground where you will put your knees. Swing around your body and hit the golf ball with the club. When done properly, you will learn how to turn your body with a quiet lower body.
Why is my golf club so thin?
Posture Makes a Difference. A common cause of thin golf shots is lifting up during the swing. In other words, you could start with perfect posture and a good spine angle, but by the time you get to impact, you’ve straightened your spine some causing the clubhead to strike the top half of the golf ball.
How to hit a tennis ball with your back?
First, make your initial move from the top a little bump onto your front foot. Feel like you’re shifting toward the target, so your chest is over the ball. Second, get to impact with the back of your top hand facing the target (left), not pointing upward. A good image is that you’re back-handing the ball, like a tennis stroke.
What is a good image for a tennis player?
A good image is that you’re back-handing the ball, like a tennis stroke. If you get those two moves right, you’ll swing into impact with your weight forward and your wrists firm—two things every good ball-striker does.
Who were the two golfers in the 2003 Presidents Cup?
In the 2003 Presidents Cup in South Africa, two of the sweetest swingers at that time, Adam Scott and Stuart Appleby, were matched against two of the most unconventional, Jim Furyk and Jay Haas. As they warmed up, murmurs from the crowd suggested the “pretty” swings had it made. At one point, Jay said to Jim, “I bet those people don’t give us much of a chance.” Jim laughed, and the Americans went on to win, 6 and 5, one of the most lopsided victories in the history of the event. Don’t get me wrong, Adam and Stuart are tremendous talents. (I taught Adam for years.) But the only real barometer of a golf swing is the shots it produces.
Do golfers hit the ground first?
A lot of golfers never get over the instinct to lift the ball off the ground. They swing off their back foot or flip their hands through impact, both of which make the club bottom out too soon. As a result, they hit the ground first (fat shot) or catch the ball on the upswing (thin shot).
What does it mean to fat a golf shot?
That one we know for certain. Golfers might also refer to them as “fatting it”, or they may instead say “I fatted my swing”. Sometimes, they may also refer to it as “I caught the swing fat” or “That hit was fat”. So if you hear those sorts of terms from more seasoned golfers, or if you’re new and you start hearing that term around, now you know what they’re talking about!
What happens if you hit a fat shot?
If you use an iron, hitting a fat shot will result in your club digging into the turf hard. This will produce a deeper divot – and a larger one – as compared to normal. And so as you might imagine, you’ll have a fat divot. Sounds like that might be the origin for this term!
Why do I hit fat shots?
As a result, the club hits the ground before it makes contact with the ball. Which is just another way to say that you’re bottoming your swing out behind your ball.
Is golf a difficult sport?
Golf is a technically difficult sport. If you think that you are going to get into golf and be great at it right from the outset, prepare to be disappointed! Unless you’re a natural prodigy, chances are there are a ton of different ways in which you can improve your game. It’s rare for people to be immediately great at this sport, and that’s simply the truth. But hey, at least everyone starts mostly from the same spot – and you won’t need to be worried about making mistakes.
What is the first checkpoint when hitting thin irons?
If you are hitting thin iron shots, your first checkpoint is with your posture. While the golf swings of the best players in the world differ greatly, one thing they all have in common is a good posture at address. This lies at the heart of consistent ball striking.
Why does Dustin Johnson shorten his arm?
Lots of amateurs shorten or bend their arm to prevent them from hitting the ground. This is a ‘saving’ move that is often required because the golfer’s plane or angle of attack is too steep.
What is a thin shot in golf?
In golf a thin shot – or a golf shot hit thin – is one that see the club hitting the ball below its equator. But in contrast to a better shot that sees the clubface striking the ball inside the sweet spot hitting it thin will often see the leading edge of the club making contact with the ball. This results in a ball that doesn’t travel as high ...
What is flipping a golf club?
Flipping the club – or scooping the ball – involves losing the lag in the clubhead which is necessary in order to create the ideal conditions for hitting down on the ball. Specifically, it involves letting the clubhead catch up to your hands at impact instead of seeing your hands ahead of the club and ball at impact.
Why does the bottom of the swing move?
The position of the bottom of the swing arc may have moved from where it should be thanks to the swaying swing error. Specifically, a golfer who is said to sway will move his hips laterally during the course of the swing, moving them back during the backswing before bringing them forward during the downswing.
What to do if you are using the ball forward positioning option?
If you are using the ball forward positioning option and are struggling with thin shots, move to a positioning mechanism that sees the position of the ball vary according to the club in hand.
Why is my right shoulder lower than my left?
Because your right hand is positioned lower on the grip of the club than your left hand, it is natural for your right shoulder to find itself slightly lower than the right. Some golfers fight this natural stance and position their shoulders level to the ground instead. Doing so can produce thin shots.
Can the bottom of the swing arc be too high?
Alternatively, the bottom of the swing arc can also be too high in contrast to where it should be. A pure strike at the ball will see the clubface hitting the ball in the sweetspot whereas a thin shot will see the bottom of the clubface and oftentimes its leading edge hitting the ball instead. This can happen as a result ...
Can flipping a golf club cause a swing error?
Doing so, while not a swing error per se, can result in one when it is not done purposefully. Indeed, flipping the club will tend to move the bottom of the swing arc back behind the ball and will oftentimes see the club hitting the ball below the sweet spot of the clubface, or worse through the leading edge.
