Hitting it thin

[Basher]

I am afflicted with the curse of hitting my shots thin off the fairway. Be it a 4 iron or 9 iron I always seem to be topping them!

Any cures from the good people of GM please.

My confidence is at a very low ebb at the moment and it's all down to this fault.

I've heard of positioning the ball back in my stance. Tried it and seem to slice badly, possibly due to not rotating the hands sufficiently through impact.

Could it be not transferring my weight onto the front foot? I do seem to lack the weight shift on a regular basis. Something to work on perhaps?

 

[viscount17]

for starters . . .
head up too soon
weight on the back foot - trying to lift it

 

[Doh]

Most thinned shots come from people trying to lift the ball by cupping ( flipping)their wrists so that the leading edge of the club runs up the ball.

Try practicing with Half shots ( nine o clock to three o clock)concentrate on hitting down on the ball (compressing) and taking a divot after you have hit the ball, at the same time maintaining your height, spine angle and knee flex.

 

[USER1999]

Stay looking at where the ball was, not where it is going. Head up early (unless you are Sorenstam) is a recipe for thinning shots.

 

[Nico]

Top advice Doh.

I think the clue might be when you say that weight transfer is an issue.

Hitting it ok off the tee but thinning fairway shots is a classic symptom of reverse pivot or hitting off the back foot.

 

[RGuk]

It's a common problem and extremely confidence damaging. There are lots of players who hit the ball nicely off a tee but struggle on the fairway. I've been there.
Firstly, I'm going to be controversial and say that the expression "trying to lift the ball" is mostly a complete myth....anyone who plays golf knows that you need to strike down on the ball with your irons. The reason why it looks (to a pro or on video) that golfers are trying to lift the ball is that the release moment is simply happening too early, normally coupled with poor weight transfer and all the other things mentioned by the other posts.
Last time a pro told me I was trying to lift the ball, I packed up my clubs and walked off. I felt insulted that after many years of practice this was the best way to describe my problem. The reality was that I'd developed a way of playing that meant I was hitting the ball far too cleanly (almost no divot) and my hands were behind the clubhead at impact. It's easily done (especially practicing off range mats) and I'm 100% sure you know that you need to strike down. By striking down not only will you hit it better, but you increase the chances of hitting it nicely off bad lies/rough/all sorts. Certainly the tee in front of the ball drill will help, certainly the penny under the ball will focus your mind, importantly you need to more aggressively/actively work on a downward impact REGARDLESS of the initially bad effect this will have on your swing. As you get better, you can fix your timing. It's not something you can half-heartedly approach at the range. Go and practice, mainly hit short irons and regardless of range mats or grass imagine you are trying to plough the ball into the turf....sure, you'll hit some shockers, but gradually the feel will come back. Personally, I try (with a wedge) to imagine I'm delofting the face to the max by getting my hands way in front and starting out with a stronger grip, so the release timing is less of an issue...most players who struggle to get the face square on time tend to suffer with an earlier and earlier release. My pro showed me this way to practice and within 100 balls my 9 iron was going about 160 yards and the topping disappeared too!

 

[theeaglehunter]

Go and practice, mainly hit short irons and regardless of range mats or grass imagine you are trying to plough the ball into the turf....sure, you'll hit some shockers, but gradually the feel will come back. Personally, I try (with a wedge) to imagine I'm delofting the face to the max by getting my hands way in front and starting out with a stronger grip, so the release timing is less of an issue...most players who struggle to get the face square on time tend to suffer with an earlier and earlier release. My pro showed me this way to practice and within 100 balls my 9 iron was going about 160 yards and the topping disappeared too!

Clearly being someone who has been through the same thing as I am currently going through, out of interest how long was it until the 'feel comes back'? I am really struggling with trying to make sure I do this and like you said it is not because I am trying to hit up on the ball but a problem with releasing too early meaning I am striking the ball 'too cleanly'. And my game is in tatters because I can't get to grips with it. How long did it take you to crack it? Im getting tired of it!

 

[TonyN]

Been there, but with out complicating matters further, I had to unhinge the wrists alot later in the swing and really whip the club with my right hand.

I find if I am topping the ball its because I am not looking at the ball for long enough.

I have spent all day playing golf today, 27 holes and 150 balls at range. I know this seems alot but I have spaced it out all day and the results where astounding. I spent all day concentrating on taking a divot. You should practice this your self with out a ball a few times before each shot and then just replicate it with the ball there.

Out of interest eagle, where is your ball position for short irons and mid irons?

 

[theeaglehunter]

I was told by a pro recently Tony that the theory of having your 7 iron in the middle of your stance is 'old hat' now and that I should be working with the 7 iron more off of the left heel (right handed golfer) so I have been trying this recently but with limited success. I do however continue to hit the shorter irons (for me 9 iron through my wedges) more off of my right heel. I am not sure how else to describe it so basically 8 iron just further forward than centre and then each of my 7, 6, 5 etc further forward. And then my 9 iron about a foot away from my right heel and then graduated back for the more lofted clubs.

Do you think you might be able to help ?!

 

[RGuk]

out of interest how long was it until the 'feel comes back'? I am really struggling with trying to make sure I do this and like you said it is not because I am trying to hit up on the ball but a problem with releasing too early meaning I am striking the ball 'too cleanly'.

Temporary fix, could be under 100 balls. If you are prone to this creeping back in.....you may need to build some time into every practice session to remind yourself. As always, worth a lesson to see what's going on generally. If you discover you have bad weight transfer/reverse pivot/weight too much on heels etc.etc. then put this right and then re-assess.

 

[TonyN]

Wow eagle, I am no pro but seriously your 7 iron off your left heel, no wonder your thinning everything. How can you strike down on it there?

We play our drivers off our left heel because we want to sweep the ball away and catch it on the up swing.

6,7,8 middle of your stance so the club head is slightly behind. With your left hand in line with your left pocket so the hands are ahead of the club head.

9,pw,sw an inch or two further back so you strike down and get the ball to pop up out of the loft of the club.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Agree with TonyN. No way should you play it that far forward. As a kid I played every iron from in front of my left nipple but after having lessons when I re-started the pro got me to move 6,7,8 to the middle of my stance and the shorter club about 1/2 a ball further back than that.

If you playing your shots from there I think it is the basic reason you a thinning everything

 

[theeaglehunter]

I think I explained it pretty poorly, I thought at the time people might not understand it/ what I meant! What I meant is I play it forward of centre towards the left heel. In reality I play the ball about 2-3 inches forward of centre (hence the MORE off the left heel (poor explanation though granted)), with my hands in front of the ball so I get a down strike. My problem currently is not hitting it thin though, it is hitting it fat, because as a result of a lesson I was told to practice taking more of a divot after I had hit the ball (to stop me hitting it thin!) and now I am either hitting the ground behind the ball or just taking too much ground afterwards in my quest to try and do this. I may well go back to trying to play my mid irons out of the middle which to be honest I am more comfortable with anyway, but even when I did this I was still striking it too cleanly. I think a video lesson is on the cards.

 

[TonyN]

I wouldnt worry too much about the vid lesson at the moment, just practice taking the divot from the middle of your stance. Make sure you concentrate on looking at the point in which you want to take the divot, and after hitting the shot, watch how the grass dissaperes(sp) to reveal mud. It will encourage you to keep ya head down through the shot.

Have you got a grass range or is it all matts?

IMO its paramount that you practice off grass because you just cannot get a feel for divots off a matt.

With regard to playing your shot forward of centre, makes no odds really that your hands are ahead, you will still (probably) be on your upswing when you strike the ball. Also this may encourage you to slice because as you push the hands forward, the club face will open!

 

[theeaglehunter]

Tony I am fortunate enough to have a grass range at my club which is all I use so I will try and do as you say. When you say focus on where you want to take the divot does that mean looking in front of the ball? Because you want to hit the ball before you take the divot.

 

[TonyN]

If that's what helps you, but to be honest I just look at the middle of the ball but after the ball has gone I keep looking at the turf.

It helps if you just spend 5-10 minutes making nice relaxed swings taking the divots with out a ball. Always take 1 or 2 before a shot and when you get it right, dont spend ages behind the ball thinking about it, just do it, as soon as you get settled behind the ball!

Its just all about practice.

Thinking about when I had this problem, I used to slide my hips into the shot, now I rotate properly its less of a problem.