Thin Shot/Top shot Help

Hi all golf seniors here!

I have been playing golf for almost 3-4 months now.
I have been quite consistent in hitting my PW and 7 iron on the range.
But when i am going to the course, i would say i am hitting 70% of the ball. The other 30% i am hitting it or missing my shots.
It seems that my impact position is wrong as the 30% i will tend to hit before the impact position of the ball.

For hybrid and driver, i am getting thin shots. It is just not taking flight.

Any advce for a newbie like me?
Thanks in advance.

I guess its normal. i do tend to play sometimes badly on the range but ok on course.
Think just get more games under your belt, or go NSRCC executive course to tune your iron game. it really helps! Cheers! good luck to your quest!

Bro,

No worries, I m still like you not impacting the ball properly. Like our says; go down the green more often n you will slowly get the shot right. Another way is to go to ranges where you can hit off the green instead of mat.

NSRCC is the cheapest EC to practice your short game ($16.05 for SAFRA member) while the next place will be Mandai EC but remember to bring a lot extra used ball.

If you are keen to play weekday (am), feel free to pm me.

I also have this problem. I find going to range on grass helps a lot. Try to create a divot in the grass and you will immediately have feedback if you are doing correctly. Another way is to put a paper or object about 10-15cm behind the ball on the range and try to avoid hitting it while striking down on the ball.

stay off the driver n hybrid when on course....

whats wrong with using just your irons to hit???



u can practise your driver n hybrid during range time...

until u feel u are CONFIDENT to hit them on the course...

dun force what u are not able to achieve....

be realistic abt your expectation...

rome isnt build in a day...

slinger wrote:

stay off the driver n hybrid when on course....

whats wrong with using just your irons to hit???



u can practise your driver n hybrid during range time...

until u feel u are CONFIDENT to hit them on the course...

dun force what u are not able to achieve....

be realistic abt your expectation...

rome isnt build in a day...

Thanks for the advice slinger.
I'm staying off the hybrid and driver on course.
Just using my irons to play.

I just would like to know why i am hitting with the irons but not with the hybrid and driver.
Would like to know the causes that this is happening so that i can correct myself.

thanks guys for the advice.
seems like i'm not the only one facing the same problem.

think i just need to get more practise on the green and range.

willytan wrote:

Bro,

No worries, I m still like you not impacting the ball properly. Like our says; go down the green more often n you will slowly get the shot right. Another way is to go to ranges where you can hit off the green instead of mat.

NSRCC is the cheapest EC to practice your short game ($16.05 for SAFRA member) while the next place will be Mandai EC but remember to bring a lot extra used ball.

If you are keen to play weekday (am), feel free to pm me.

hey bro,

can't PM you. haha
yes hitting on the mat does not gives me a real indication of whether i am hitting correctly.

i go to the range at punggol.
But i do go to Mandai at times too or even to nearby Malaysia for my green game.
i'm usually available on the weekends....weekdays are a little difficult for me

a1m3r wrote:

willytan wrote:

Bro,

No worries, I m still like you not impacting the ball properly. Like our says; go down the green more often n you will slowly get the shot right. Another way is to go to ranges where you can hit off the green instead of mat.

NSRCC is the cheapest EC to practice your short game ($16.05 for SAFRA member) while the next place will be Mandai EC but remember to bring a lot extra used ball.

If you are keen to play weekday (am), feel free to pm me.

hey bro,

can't PM you. haha
yes hitting on the mat does not gives me a real indication of whether i am hitting correctly.

i go to the range at punggol.
But i do go to Mandai at times too or even to nearby Malaysia for my green game.
i'm usually available on the weekends....weekdays are a little difficult for me

No worries.

Maybe u can try looking at your address again when on the green.

You may want to travel to JB, permas jaya. only RM55 on sunday after 12pm tee off including buggy n 2 rounds of 9 hole. =)

a1m3r wrote:

slinger wrote:

stay off the driver n hybrid when on course....

whats wrong with using just your irons to hit???



u can practise your driver n hybrid during range time...

until u feel u are CONFIDENT to hit them on the course...

dun force what u are not able to achieve....

be realistic abt your expectation...

rome isnt build in a day...

Thanks for the advice slinger.
I'm staying off the hybrid and driver on course.
Just using my irons to play.

I just would like to know why i am hitting with the irons but not with the hybrid and driver.
Would like to know the causes that this is happening so that i can correct myself.

what u are asking is similiar to u asking the doctor over the phone why u are having chesty coughs.....

slinger wrote:

a1m3r wrote:

slinger wrote:

stay off the driver n hybrid when on course....

whats wrong with using just your irons to hit???



u can practise your driver n hybrid during range time...

until u feel u are CONFIDENT to hit them on the course...

dun force what u are not able to achieve....

be realistic abt your expectation...

rome isnt build in a day...

Thanks for the advice slinger.
I'm staying off the hybrid and driver on course.
Just using my irons to play.

I just would like to know why i am hitting with the irons but not with the hybrid and driver.
Would like to know the causes that this is happening so that i can correct myself.

what u are asking is similiar to u asking the doctor over the phone why u are having chesty coughs.....

understand what you mean.
maybe should really look for a coach to help me out.

With most cases on GR, especially without any sort of video it's impossible to diagnose the right cure for your problem.
However from my experience I would say that poor grip pressure is the most common reason for a new golfer to 'top' the ball on the course. A simple practice to explain so.
Try gripping the club lightly with the club head resting on the ground. Now if you try 'squeezing' your hands or gripping it tighter, it will cause the club to lift off the ground.
This is usually caused by the anxiety a new golfer faces when he steps on the course, anxiety causes tension, tension causes poor shots.
I might be wrong to assume but it sounds anxiety could be a result in the lack of confidence you have in your longer clubs?

It could be from loss of lag as well. Meaning more specifically if the golfer throws, casts, or loses the lag angle from the top of the backswing instead of increasing the lag on the start of downswing and maintaining that lag deeper in the downswing to impact, the golfer will primarily have to rely on hand/eye/body coordination to get the club to the proper position on the through swing and in the impact zone. This reliance on feel and timing, versus sound mechanics, can be a contributor to inconsistent ball striking.

By maintaining a flat left wrist, an optimal aim point (and resulting divot that starts at the ball and extends out 4 plus inches after impact) of somewhere close to 4 inches in front of the ball, and good quality and quantity of lag....the golfer should be able to improve inconsistencies in their ball striking. It is not as easy as just reading this little blurb. It will take a good amount of time and practice to ingrain these ideas and learn how to properly load the club and deliver quality lag to the impact zone. Training aids that focus on this would be ones that I would recommend. For example the tour striker, impact bags, and the pure ball striker (which will help give you the feeling of what JHAN18 was conveying in his post about grip pressure).

By seeking the help of trained and qualified teaching professional coaches you should be able to help expedite the process and improve your inconsistent striking relatively quickly.

Don't flex your knee too much at address as you are likely to straighten it during the downswing to impact position. Once you straighten your knee, the reach from the club head and ball will be different.

Importantly try to maintain the same height level, from the address, backswing, at the top of the swing, downswing and impact. Take a test, get someone to video your swing using your smartphone...

Hope this helps.

thanks guys!
all the advice has been indeed very helpful.

Will get down to range and work it out.. hopefully in the next few months i can see some improvements.