The pursuit of golf is a lifelong passion. Many golfers start young and play well into seniority. In this respect, golf has an advantage; it is one of the few athletic pursuits you can continue to enjoy long past the prime of youth.
And yet, many basic shot errors plague golfers, even experienced golfers, well past the period of “amateur” development.
So let’s take a look at what some of these are and what causes them.
Thin Shot
Thin shots occur when the leading edge of the club face, rather than the sweet spot, contacts the golf ball beneath its equator.
Thin shots result in greater unpredictability of the shot because golf ball flight is typically lower than it would be if the sweet spot contacted the ball properly.
What’s Causing It?: Often, a thin shot is caused by a swing arc that bottoms out too soon, before contacting the ball. Often, adjusting the setup position can solve this error.
Fat Shot
Fat shots occur when the club head strikes the ground before contacting the ball, or digs in too deeply before contacting the ball.
Fat shots constitute a grievous error that will result in a substantial loss of yardage because energy is wasted striking the ground. Therefore, the ball will not travel as far as it could.
What’s Causing It?: Like a thin shot, a fat shot is often caused when the swing arc bottoms out ahead of the ball; except, in a fat shot, the club face hits the ground instead of too low on the ball. Setup adjustments can fight this error.
Sky Shot
A sky shot occurs when the top edge of the club face strikes the ball. A skied ball, as the name might suggest, will shoot straight up into the air. This makes the problems associated with sky shots effectively self-explanatory.
What’s Causing It?: Sky shots are caused by swing arcs that fall too low, causing the wrong part of the club face to contact the ball. Stance and ball lie-setup inconsistencies can cause sky balls, as can playing with a golf shaft that is improperly sized.
Top Shot
Topped shots occur when the club face contacts the ball too high – above its equator. That is, the literal top of the ball.
Just like the other shot errors here, topped shots will not travel as far as they could. Severely-topped shots may not travel very far at all.
What’s Causing It?: Topped shots will happen when the swing arc does not bottom out low enough, even if it bottoms at the proper portion of the swing. Adjusting the setup can solve this problem.
Whiff Shot
A shot is “whiffed” when the clubhead does not contact the ball at all. Even though the ball remains in its position, the golfer must still record the stroke. So, even though the golfer gets a “redo,” which in some ways is beneficial to these other errors, there is still a hiccup in the score.
The consequence of the error here is self-explanatory.
What’s Causing It?: Whiffed shots are caused by the same factor that causes top shots, only magnified: a swing arc that bottoms out too high, to the point that the arc passes completely over the ball. Adjusting the setup can solve the problem; it is also possible that the shaft is too short.
Can Custom Golf Shafts Help?
If you’re wondering whether the problem could be your gear, and not you, it is possible. Custom golf shafts, custom in the sense that you work with a fitter to determine your measurements and needs before buying them, can help.
For more information on custom club fitting services, visit DallasGolf.com or pay them a visit in their store in Dallas, Texas. They offer golf club fitting services as well as a wide selection of iron and driver shafts that may be able to help you improve your game.
