Instruction
Fixes for thin shots and topping
Many golfers fight “thin” shots, “skulled” shots and “topped” shots at some point — even the best golfers in the world.
All of these shots occur when the face of the club doesn’t “get down” to the bottom of the ball. There are various degrees of this of course, which is why we have three different names. But for clarity in this article, I’m going to call them all “thin shots.”
Thin shots often occur as a reaction to a previous “fat” shot. In technical terms, they happen because of a shortened radius of the left arm and club extension into impact.
There are plenty of reasons why golfers hit thin shots. A common reason (pictured above) is “the chicken wing,” or that golfers raise their “swing center.” If you watch an elite level player swing, you’ll notice that their left arm reaches a fully extended position into impact (Note: Lee Westwood is an exception). Many amateurs shorten their left arm to avoid hitting the ground, a make-up move that is often needed because of a golfer’s too steep plane or angle of attack.
Another common cause of thin shots is a very flat swing, which is characterized by the arms swinging too much around. Since the arms are swinging so much around, they cannot swing down to hit the bottom of the ball. Also, a path that is too much from the inside will cause the club to bottom out too soon and force golfers to RAISE their hands and handle of the golf club into impact.
A swing that is too flat (left) and a swing that approaches the ball too much from the inside. These are both causes of thin shots.
But the most frequent cause of thin shots that I see, especially for better players, is what I call a “late” hit.
Late hits cause more thin shots than any of the moves above. If any part of the upper body moves “out” (pictured below) on the downswing before the arms come down or are dropped onto a lower plane, the golfer will rarely get to the bottom of the golf ball. Very often, the reaction to getting ahead is to try to throw the club at the ball at the very last second in a last ditch effort to get the arms extended. At that point some well-meaning, but not always well-informed friend will tell the golfer, “You’re casting!”
It is my belief that a golfer must get their arms down, period. That’s why many golfers struggle when they are given advice to “get off the right side” or “get through the ball.” It is often misunderstood, because the interpretation of those tips is to move the body ahead in the transition, which puts them into the LATE position I described. Many golfers simply haven’t been taught that they have to drop their arms, which brings the golf club with them as they try to “get through” the ball.
I teach many new players and many mid-to-high handicap players to “get their arms down first.” A great drill to help golfers learn this is to have them put their feet together and swing, which allow them to feel the arms and club coming up and down. Now at some point, learning to get the arms down will lead to fat shots and some hooked shots. When that happens, golfers need to start working on adding some body turn through the ball, which I will cover in a future article. But not until they learn to swing the arms!
I have seen more good results from this progression — getting the arms down and then adding turn — than any other. Certainly the full golf swing is a combination of the vertical (the arms and club) and the horizontal (the body rotating), but if you are hitting a lot of “late” thin shots, start thinking about an earlier release and getting the club down sooner.
Often, the way to detect your own fault here is the direction of the topped shot. A thin shot that starts left of the target is late one, and a thin shot that starts to the right is due to a path that comes too much from the inside, which forces the lifting of the hands.
I know this change in thinking will help many get to the bottom of the golf ball more often.
One final note: Check your posture. Another leading cause of thin shots is a posture that is too bent over, which can cause golfers to “bail out” at impact. Make sure you’re standing tall so that your arms have room to swing.
As always, feel free to send a swing video to my Facebook page and I will do my best to give you my feedback.
There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.
And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.
But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.
When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.
Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.
For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!
Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.
Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.
If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.
1. Cultural mindset
What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!
It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.
2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling
Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.
3. Learning theory basics
It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.
As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.
So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!
Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.
The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).
But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.
Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)
Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.
What Woad did:
• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances
• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins
• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets
• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”
Why most golfers mess this up:
• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”
• Distance becomes more important than accuracy
• They try to be heroic instead of smart
ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.
The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire
Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.
How she responded to pressure:
• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th
• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys
• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th
• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked
What amateurs do wrong:
• Get conservative when they should be aggressive
• Try to force magic when steady play would win
• Panic when someone else makes a move
ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.
Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game
Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.
Her mental approach:
• Focused on her process, not the competition
• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)
• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”
Her physical execution:
• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)
• Methodical iron play
• Steady putting
• Everything effective, nothing spectacular
ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.
Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built
The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”
Her winning mindset:
• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself
• Focused on playing well and contending
• Made winning a byproduct of a good process
• Built confidence through recent experiences:
- Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
- Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
- Each experience prepared her for the next
What this means for you:
• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up
• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine
• Commit to every shot
• Stay present in the moment
ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.
The Real Lesson
Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.
The fundamentals that won:
• Hit more fairways
• Find more greens
• Make the putts you should make
• Stay patient under pressure
That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.
FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!
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Feb 5, 2019 at 8:20 am
So you don’t need to contribute the image authors manually
ToMaHaWK
Jul 8, 2017 at 10:20 am
if you are hitting a lot of “late” thin shots, start thinking about an earlier release and getting the club down sooner. <—- These Tip Fix Thin Shot For Me!
ToMaHaWK
Jul 7, 2017 at 9:26 am
Thank you for sharing these Tips, Very Helpful
I have suffer from thin shot for along time and i got injured (left elbow – Backhand) because of “Late Hit”
I find many way to fix it but I can’t, I had consulted with Professional but can’t fix my problem. Until I found your article!
Now I have fun with golf again! Thank you so much!
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doej
Apr 20, 2014 at 9:49 pm
This is one of the best tips I’ve heard in a while. As 4cap, my miss is that I get late, get stuck, etc…
I feel like my arms are always trailing.
Thanks Dennis.
leftright
Apr 16, 2014 at 8:48 pm
If you top the ball a lot..quit. You have no talent and should take up something else. You are holding up the golf course.
nobogeyshere
Apr 17, 2014 at 6:06 am
@leftright – great attitude. This is a site for people to learn. People like you are the entire issue with the world.
By the way, how long have you been on tour?
leftright
Apr 17, 2014 at 11:24 am
It is not about wanting to play, it is about can you play. Too many people take up the golf course, playing when they should not be playing because they have money, know someone and in turn we have 5-6 hour rounds. If someone has little or no talent for the game then not unless they want to play later afternoons or by themselves or “with their wives” then don’t show up on Saturday morning with true golfers. Yes, this is the issue with the world and probably why you are some progressive/liberal ideologue that think everyone deserves everything, no matter what. If that guy who tops the ball frequently can play Saturday morning and not hold up play (which he cannot) then more power to him…but he has not earned the priviledge (it is not a right like you liberals think)to tee it up at those time no more than I deserve to tee it up in the US Amateur at my ripe age. Golf for the masses may sound good but it undermines the integrity of the game which is being destroyed by people like your guy Obama playing and paralyzing golf courses while paralyzing America in the process.
lco21
Apr 17, 2014 at 11:33 am
If it bugs you that much, join a private club and stop playing on public courses.
Double Mocha Man
Apr 18, 2014 at 7:10 pm
RightRight… you almost had me until you got to the part where you rant on a sitting president. Some of your points were mildly valid but you spoiled it by going all political.
Anne
Mar 22, 2013 at 1:13 pm
This is what you taught me to do @Nemacolin! So helpful… Thanks
Dennis Clark
Mar 21, 2013 at 10:10 pm
something easy until you get the sequence…7/8 iron. The thing to do is gradually widen your stance after you feeel the arms swinging down and gradually add some turn through
Cody
Mar 19, 2013 at 5:37 pm
Do you recommend a certain club when practicing the feet-together drill?
michael
Mar 22, 2013 at 2:15 pm
as long as its a covert the drill will work just fine.