Checkpoints for Practice
- Hitting the ball low on the club face prevents you from making solid contact - this is a thin shot
- It's almost always caused by losing the spine angle through impact, which moves the club away from the ball
- To correct this problem, work on staying in the shot and driving through with your body
How to stop hitting the golf ball fat?
Improve your golf swing weight shift and strike ball before ground using this classic drill:
- With any club shorter than a 5-iron, take your usual address with the ball positioned at or near the middle of your stance.
- Lift your right heel off the ground, balancing on the toes.
- Make your normal golf swing.
- From this position, the club will travel downward through impact. Your divots should start just in front of where the ball was sitting.
How to stop hitting the ground behind the golf ball?
Why am I hitting Behind the Ball?
- Your position over the ball.
- Movement during your swing.
- Improper weight distribution and/or transfer.
How to hit the ball low in golf?
- Square and solid. Before we even talk about the position of your hands, we should say that your stance should be both square and solid. ...
- Hands where you would like them at impact. The best way to set your hands at address is to place them where you would like them to land when you ...
- Comfortable ball position. ...
How to hit the golf ball on a downhill lie?
How to handle a downhill lie and hit the green
- SET SHOULDERS PARALLEL. Your normal iron setup won’t work for this lie—the clubhead will bottom out too soon and you’ll make contact with the ground behind the ball.
- MOVE YOUR WEIGHT TO YOUR DOWNHILL FOOT. It’s critical to make ball-first contact from this lie, so play the ball in the middle of your stance (or at least slightly ...
- TRACE THE SLOPE. ...
How do you fix hitting the ball thin?
9:2411:30GOLF: How To Fix Topped And Thin Shots - Three Sure Fire FixesYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd if we're going to put that together i would feel i set the radius at address lead shoulder downMoreAnd if we're going to put that together i would feel i set the radius at address lead shoulder down head on the wall. Trail shoulder down head on the wall as my arms extend.
What is hitting fat and thin in golf?
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 happens when you hit it thin?
1:467:11HOW TO STOP HITTING THIN GOLF SHOTS - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo a thin shot is when the bottom edge of the club is too much against the ball or up high on theMoreSo a thin shot is when the bottom edge of the club is too much against the ball or up high on the ball like that that's what that is now. Listen there's no na benefit to hitting way down on the ball.
How do I stop hitting thin in golf?
7:2015:12[SIMPLE FIX ] Stop Hitting Thin Shots During Your Golf Game - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou just lower the lean arm as you rotate. And get it away from your right shoulder.MoreYou just lower the lean arm as you rotate. And get it away from your right shoulder.
How do you avoid fat and thin shots?
4:267:32How to stop hitting topped, thin and fat iron shots - 3 Causes - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd make sure it's it's not too weak and over in this position here make sure you've got at least aMoreAnd make sure it's it's not too weak and over in this position here make sure you've got at least a neutral grip or even slightly strong and that way they should help square the club face.
What does hitting a golf ball fat mean?
The opposite of a thin shot, a fat shot is a shot in which the club (typically an iron) makes contact with and digs into the ground before it reaches the golf ball. This normally does two things: it slows the club down immensely and it throws up a layer of sod/turf between the clubface and the ball.
Why do I hit my driver well but not my irons?
There is a myriad of reasons why you hit your driver better than your irons. However, the root cause for most golfers stems from posture, the position of the ball in your stance, and your swing plane. Plus, the optimal ball speed and forgiveness produced by a driver make it easy to launch.
Why do I skull my irons?
Skulling the ball often results from a golfer lifting up just before impact - raising his hands, or raising the upper body which in turn lifts the hands. And that can be caused by a feeling of trying to help the ball get into the air - a sense that you need to "scoop" the ball up to get it airborne.
Why am I hitting the ground first with my irons?
Instead of keeping their upper body over the ball (where the sternum is directly above the ball at impact), they lean back through the contact. This causes the sternum to move away from the target and the lowest point in the swing arc moves back too - causing the player to strike the ground before the ball.
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 my iron shots stay low?
Low shots are the result of a faulty impact position (the position of the clubface as it strikes the ball) that de-lofts the clubface. Impact is the moment of truth in golf. Ben Hogan said, "The ultimate judge of your swing is the flight of the ball," and impact determines ball flight.
Why do I hit behind the ball with my irons?
A common problem is to whip the club inside on the takeaway and over rotate the hips. When this happens the backswing becomes flat and inside and it's very easy to hit behind the ball. To avoid this, feel as though the hands, arms, and club move away as one piece during the takeaway.
How to stop hitting a golf ball thin?
Start with the easiest things to check: your basic setup positions. Make sure you aren't positioning the golf ball in your stance way off normal; make sure you aren't setting up with your shoulders aligned well right or left. These things can throw off where your swing bottoms out.
Why do golfers thin the ball?
Thin shots happen when the golf club impacts the golf ball too high on the ball - near or a little below the ball's equator. But what causes that ? Golfers thin the ball when our swing bottoms out in the wrong place. If your swing bottoms out behind the ball, the result is a fat shot. If the swing bottoms out ahead of the ball, ...
What is a thin shot in golf?
Updated April 29, 2019. A "thin shot" in golf is one in which the clubhead strikes the golf ball too high (near the midpoint of the golf ball, or slightly lower or higher), which typically results in a low, sometimes slicing shot. A thin shot also often produces much more vibration that is felt in ...
Why does my golf swing thinning?
Another common cause of thinning it is when the golfer raises up just before impact, lifting his or her head and torso. This pulls your arms up, too, which raises the club. In that case, even if the bottom of the swing is in the right place, the club will contact the golf ball too high on the ball's surface.
What happens if you hit a thin shot?
If you're hitting from the fairway with a short iron or wedge and hit a thin shot, the ball might wind up way over the green. A thin shot is the opposite of a fat shot (in which the golfer's club hits the ground before contacting the golf ball). Thinning it is preferable to hitting it fat.
What is a ball that hits the top of the ball called?
A ball that is first struck above its equator and particularly closer to the top of the ball is a "topped shot," and hitting such a shot is called "topping the ball.". A low screamer than spends most of its time very close to or on the ground is a " wormburner .".
How does a thin shot affect golf?
A thin shot also often produces much more vibration that is felt in the golfer's hands. It's impossible to predict how a thin shot will turn out. If it's a low screamer but one that stays up in the air and then gets lots of roll-out, the ball can overshoot the target by a lot. If it's a ball that barely gets off the ground and then drops, ...
Checkpoints for Practice
Hitting the ball low on the club face prevents you from making solid contact - this is a thin shot
Video Transcription: Hitting Shots Thin
Another common miss in the one plane swing is for golfers to hit it thin. What I mean by "thin" is that as they're coming through impact they'll hit it a little bit low on the club face, so rather than catching it more in the center of the club face they'll actually hit it a bit low so the club face can't hit it and make solid contact.
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.
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.
Why do golfers thin their shots?
Here are the 11 reasons why golfers thin their golf shots. 1. You raise up during your backswing or downswing. During your backswing or downswing it is important not to raise your body otherwise you will be likely to thin the ball.
Why does the leading edge of an iron thin a ball?
The leading edge of an iron will thin a ball if a player slightly straightens their hips during their swing. Refrain from lifting up during the backswing because in doing so you pull your swing arc up a fraction and this is enough to significantly alter the point at which the ball is struck.
How to avoid flat swing plane?
If you are tending to hit thinned golf shots due to a flat or rounded golf swing you should consider using this drill. Tee the ball up with a seven iron and about four inches behind it place another tee into the ground.
What is the driving force for a solid downswing?
The natural tension you build up in your backswing should be the driving force for a solid downswing. Overriding this with an emphasis on starting the downswing with your arms and hand is recipe for disaster and is known as hitting from the top. This leads to a number of common swing faults including thinning the ball.
How to make your clubhead impact in the same position?
1. Keep a constant body height during your golf swing. As mentioned above raising your downswing or upswing will lead to you thinning the ball.
How to hit a golf ball with a descending blow?
By learning to hit down on the ball with a good angle of attack you will quickly be able to say goodbye to your thinned shots. Try this drill.
How does tension affect golf swing?
Tension will cause you to shorten your swing arc resulting in the club being pulled away from the ground by a matter of a few millimeters. This is enough for you to thin the ball. As tension creeps in we begin to lose our tempo and start to rush our golf swing. By rushing we swing too hard and too quick. This leads to the arms bending at impact and in effect contracting them and narrowing the width of the swing arc. You will find yourself swinging with your grip behind the ball, thus increasing the chances of the ball being hit below its equator but above the ground.
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.
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).
