Pro Golf Now
Fansided

Golf Tip of the Day: Thin Shots Explained

By Pete Kelbel

SPRINGFIELD, NJ - JULY 25: PGA of America signage is seen in front of the clubhouse during a practice round prior to the 2016 PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club on July 25, 2016 in Springfield, New Jersey. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
SPRINGFIELD, NJ - JULY 25: PGA of America signage is seen in front of the clubhouse during a practice round prior to the 2016 PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club on July 25, 2016 in Springfield, New Jersey. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Thin shots can wreak havoc on your score. In today’s golf tip, we’ll show you how to eliminate them.

Today’s golf tip addresses a tendency that is all too common among amateur players: hitting thin shots.

Thin shots are shots where the clubface makes contact with the ball below the equator (halfway height) and above the bottom of the ball. This can feel like a topped shot, where the ball is hit above the equator, but there is a big difference between the two!

Any shot where the clubface edge makes contact with the ball below the equator will be airborne! The equator of the golf ball has a lot to do with your “fun meter.” If you hit the ball a hair below the equator, you will get a hair of air. Remember, any time a ball is airborne, you know you hit “most” of it! If you hit a ball well below the equator, you will be rewarded with much higher shot, particularly if the clubface wasn’t closed, or de-lofted.

More from Golf Tips

Thin shots can be the result of a number of different problems. Some players simply play the ball too far forward, so the swing bottoms out and meets the ball somewhere below the equator during the upswing. You may even top the ball if you play it too far forward. I see this when players play their hybrids too far forward like a longer fairway wood. Look at a video or even a picture of your swing to see if you make this mistake.

Standing too far away is another common cause of thin shots and tops. The downswing is too shallow when you stand too far away. Remember: knees flexed, fanny out and arms hanging down from your shoulders. Don’t reach forward with the arms!

Pulling up the arms is another sure way to hit the ball below the equator but above the bottom of the valley, or what I call the “stem” of the dandelion. Be a stem wrecker. The arms will extend as you accept your new job of clipping the “stem”. Take a swing video and see if your arms are extended in a nice “Y” shape with the shaft, or if they are “bunched up”. If something doesn’t look right, this is the golf tip for you.

Players often stand too tall at the top of their backswing. Their knees are no longer flexed, and their fanny is no longer out at the top of the swing. Now they have to hope they can flex the knees again and attempt to bend from the waist in order to return to their original height. This is rarely successful. If you “grow” four inches in height in your backswing, you need to “shrink” four inches on your downswing in order to have a chance at hitting the entire ball. If you shrink 3.75 inches after growing four, you will hit it thin! Take a video of your swing with a line at the top of your head. It will be easy to see if this is your issue.

Learn which issue is yours and put this golf tip to good use today!

Next: PGA Championship Fantasy Picks

What’s the best golf tip you’ve ever received? Let us know by reaching out on Twitter or Facebook, and keep it here for our next golf tip.

Home/Golf Tips