Thin / Skulled Chip
The leading edge catches the middle of the ball and it rockets across the green, well past the hole.
Why it happens
The club is still rising, or the body has come out of its posture, catching the ball's equator with the leading edge instead of gliding underneath it.
Possible causes in your swing, and how to fix each one
Tap any cause to see its fix. Work through them one at a time, usually one or two are the real culprit.
01
Hanging back on your right foot
"Hanging back" raises where the club is in its arc by the time it reaches the ball.
Keep your weight forward and stable throughout the stroke, avoid any backward sway.
02
Trying to help the ball into the air
Scooping or lifting through impact is a common instinct that leads directly to thin contact.
Trust the loft of the club you've chosen and focus on a descending strike, letting the club do the lifting.
03
Standing up during the stroke
After hitting one fat, many golfers overcorrect by rising up on the next attempt, leading straight into a thin shot.
Maintain your spine tilt through the stroke, a good check is keeping your head steady until you hear the strike.
04
Ball too far forward in the stance
Catching the ball after the stroke's low point, since it's sitting further forward in the arc than it should be, sends it thin.
Recheck your ball position, moving it back toward the center of your stance, or slightly behind center, for a standard chip.
Recommended video
If You Fat or Thin Chip Shots You Need To Watch This - Live Golf Lesson
Danny Maude
How do you compare to the pros?
Scrambling (up-and-down rate after missing the green)
A Thin / Skulled Chip is exactly the kind of miss that turns a routine up-and-down into a bogey or worse.
Sources: PGA Tour scrambling stats, 2022-23 season (about 59%); amateur short-game data aggregates, mid-handicap band (about 38 to 40%).
When to stop self-diagnosing
If you've genuinely worked through two or three of these causes over several range sessions and the miss keeps showing up, that's not a failure since it usually means the real cause is something you can't feel or see in your own swing. A single 30-minute lesson with a certified instructor, who can watch you hit balls, will find it faster than any website. Bring this page along and tell them what you've already ruled out; it'll save you both time.