Irons · Drill
Move Your Low Point Forward to Stop Thin Shots
Part of our irons programs for topped or thin, fat or chunked, uneven lies. Build a program with it
Thin shots usually come from one of two things. You're hanging back, so the club bottoms out early. Or you're steep, so you lift your body to avoid digging. The fix is the same. Shift your hips toward the target while your head stays roughly in place. That shallows the club and moves the bottom forward. Start with a towel held like a club. Brush the ground past a line. Then use a short iron, gripped down. Then add a ball.
The drill
- Put a stick upright outside your lead foot as a head guide.
- Brush the ground past a line with a towel.
- Shift your hips forward, head steady.
- Repeat with a short iron gripped down.
- Add a ball and take turf after it.
Why it works
The club bottoms out where the lowest point of your swing arc sits, and that point follows your upper body's center. If your weight stays back, the club reaches the ground early and then rises into the ball, which makes thin contact. Shifting your hips toward the target while your head stays roughly still moves that low point forward and shallows the angle the club comes in on, so the club meets the ball first and the turf after it.
Common mistakes
- You slide your head and chest toward the target along with your hips.Keep your head close to the guide stick and let only the hips move, so your upper body stays behind the ball.
- You brush the ground behind the line instead of past it.Set the line first, then aim the brush mark to start at the line or just after it on every swing.
- You lift your chest on the way down to avoid digging.Hold your posture through the brush and keep your chest angle the same until after the club passes the line.
How you'll know it's working
- The towel or club brushes the ground after your line, not before it, on most swings.
- With a ball, you take a shallow divot that starts after where the ball sat.
- Your shots launch lower to mid height with a solid feel, and you stop hitting the ball off the bottom edge of the club.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Stay with the towel and skip the ball until you can brush past the line several times in a row.
Harder: Move to a longer iron with a ball and still take turf after it, keeping your head steady against the guide stick.
Common questions
Why do I keep hitting the ball thin with my irons?
Most often your weight stays on your back foot, so the club hits the ground early and then rises into the ball. Moving your hips toward the target while your head stays still shifts the low point forward.
Should I try to hit down on the ball to stop thin shots?
You want the club to strike the ball and then the turf, but forcing a steep chop often leads you to lift up to avoid digging. Focus on shifting your hips forward and brushing the ground past the ball instead.
