Thin / Skulled Shot
A low, screaming line-drive that comes off the leading edge and flies much further along the ground than intended.
Why it happens
A thin shot happens when the swing's low point arrives before the ball, or the body rises out of its posture, so the leading edge catches the ball's equator (or above) instead of gliding through just beneath 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.
1Standing up through the downswing (early extension)
Losing your hip hinge and rising up raises the swing's low point above the ball.
2Ball too far forward
Catching the ball after the swing has already started to rise leads to thin contact.
3Overcorrecting for a previous fat shot
Fear of hitting it fat again often causes an instinctive pull-up through impact, leading straight to a thin shot instead.
4Tension and a jerky tempo
Gripping too tight creates a rushed, uneven swing that's hard to time consistently.
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.