Why Do I Hit the Ball Thin? How to Stop Skulling It

Updated October 12, 2026 · Written by the Your Golf Plan team · Written for right-handed golfers; if you play left-handed, flip left and right.

A thin shot is the low one that screams along the ground or flies on a flat line off the leading edge. The club caught the ball above its middle. It is one of the most frustrating misses because it often feels like a good swing.

It almost always comes down to the club rising, or your body rising, before it reaches the ball.

What "thin" means

On a thin shot the leading edge of the club meets the ball at or above its equator. The club is already travelling upward, or has stopped descending, when it gets there. A fat shot is the opposite: the club hits the ground first. Both are a problem with where the bottom of your swing is. See our guide to finding the low point.

The usual causes

Standing up: the hips and chest move toward the ball and your spine angle straightens. See our guide to early extension.
Weight stays on the back foot, so the bottom of the swing is behind the ball and the club is rising at contact.
Trying to help the ball into the air: the hands flip up and scoop at impact instead of letting the loft do the work.
Ball too far forward in the stance with irons, so the club has started rising by the time it arrives.
Lifting the head early to see where the ball went.

How to see it

Hit a few short irons from grass. With a good strike the divot starts at the ball or just past it, on the target side. If you see no divot, or a scrape that begins at the ball with nothing in front of it, you are catching it thin.

On video from the face-on angle, compare the height of your head and chest at address and at impact. From down the line, compare where your hips sit at address and at impact. If your hips move toward the ball, that is early extension.

Drills that help

Line drill

Draw a line on the turf, or lay a club or alignment stick across the target line.
Place the ball on the line.
Make swings that brush the turf on the target side of the line. If you are thin, the grass is not touched in front of the ball.

What you should feel: The club keeps moving down and through, and the turf is brushed after the ball.

Step drill

Start with your feet together and make a short backswing.
As you start down, step your lead foot toward the target and make the swing.
Hit small shots with a short iron. Keep your chest over the ball through the strike.

What you should feel: Pressure moves onto your lead side and you stay down through the shot.

Not sure this is your problem?

Drills only work if you are fixing the right thing. Film your swing from down the line and face-on, and a PGA coach will tell you what is actually happening and give you one drill to work on.

Get a coach to look at your swing · $35

What a coach looks for on video

Spine angle at address, the top of the swing, and impact
Where the hips are at impact compared with address
Weight on the lead side at impact
Ball position for the club
Whether the hands flip or stay ahead of the club through impact

That is the difference between guessing from a guide and knowing from your own swing. Two short videos are enough for a coach to check all of this.

Keep going

Common questions

Is a thin shot the same as a topped shot?

They are close. A thin shot is struck with the leading edge, low on the ball, and flies low. A topped shot catches the top of the ball and often rolls or bounces along the ground.

Why do I hit thin shots with my wedges?

Short clubs invite scooping, because players try to help the ball up. Trust the loft, keep your weight forward, and let the club descend.

Can I fix this alone?

Often, once you know whether you are standing up, hanging back, or flipping. A coach can tell you from two videos which one it is.

Have a coach look at your swing

Send two short phone videos and tell us what you are working on. A PGA coach sends back a video review and a drill built around your swing, usually within 24 hours and always within 48.

Get your swing analysis · $35