Eliminate Thin Iron Shots

4 min
Added on September 02, 2021
Sometimes even the best golfers in the world need a second set of eyes to help them get out of bad swing patterns. That goes for instructors, too, and in this video Titleist staff member Jennifer Hudson seeks some help from her fellow Titleist instructor and PGA 2020 Teacher of the Year, Mark Blackburn.

Jennifer had been struggling with thin iron shots – a common problem that can gradually creep into anyone's swing. In Jennifer's case, the thins were a result of her hanging back a bit through impact. As Mark explains, when your head stays back and doesn't have the freedom to move a bit towards the target during impact, you have to flip the club at the bottom in order to make contact with the ball.

A more ideal impact condition is to "cover" the ball, where your head moves slightly closer to the target as pressure shifts into your lead leg. This allows you to turn your trail shoulder down and towards the ball. The club shaft leans forward during the strike and your chest feels like it's facing and on top of ("covering") the ball.

To get a feel for this sensation, Mark uses his foot as a barrier in front of the ball and asks Jennifer to envision pinching the ball under his foot (vs. scooping the ball up into the air). Next, he has Jennifer hit a few pinch shots while she swings through to an abbreviated finish. In a few short reps of the drill she begins to hit the ball out of the center of the clubface (vs. the lower-most grooves) and compressing the ball again.

Instruction

32 Videos

  1. Categories
  2. Long Game
  3. Iron Game
  4. Wedge Game
  5. Putting
  6. Mental Game
  7. Course Strategy
  8. Golf Fitness
  9. At Home
  1. Instructor
  2. Brad Faxon
  3. Dr. Mo Pickens
  4. Me and My Golf
  5. Peter Finch
  6. Cameron McCormick
  7. James Sieckmann
  8. Mark Blackburn
  9. Michael Breed
  10. Trillium Rose
  11. Jonathan Yarwood
  12. Dave Phillips
  13. Brandon Stooksbury
  14. Justin Parsons
  15. Phil Kenyon
  16. Joe Plecker
  17. Layne Savoie
  18. Dr. Rob Neal
  19. Dr. Greg Rose
  20. Skip Guss
  21. Jason Baile
  22. John Kostis
  23. Jennifer Hudson
  24. Ryan Hager
  25. Corey Lundberg
  26. Tom Patri
  1. Drill
  2. Speed and Power
  3. Fundamentals
  4. Swing Biomechanics
  5. Clubface Control
  6. Turf Interaction
  7. Consistency
  8. Trajectory
  9. Shot Shaping
  10. Bunker Play
Clear All Filters
Dial in Your Distance Wedges
user icon
7 min

Dial in Your Distance Wedges

Distance wedge shots (shots inside 120 yards or so) require three ingredients. First, you need to know how far away...

How to Hit Full Shots from Fairway Bunkers
user icon
4 min

How to Hit Full Shots from Fairway Bunkers

In this video, Titleist Staff Member Mark Blackburn shares some of his keys to success for hitting full shots from...

Short Game Secrets for Different Lies Around the Green
user icon
8 min

Short Game Secrets for Different Lies Around the Green

From a ball sitting down in the rough to tight fairway lies, Titleist Staff member Mark Balckburn shares some...

Eliminate Thin Iron Shots
user icon
4 min

Eliminate Thin Iron Shots

Sometimes even the best golfers in the world need a second set of eyes to help them get out of bad swing patterns....

Thin, Shallow Divots For Crisp, Consistent Irons
user icon
3 min

Thin, Shallow Divots For Crisp, Consistent Irons

One of the most challenging nuances of golf is learning how to hit the ball crisply when it's sitting on the...

Control Flight with Axis Tilt
user icon
2 min

Control Flight with Axis Tilt

Axis tilt, the angle of your spine (as seen from face-on, relative to 90° vertical) is a crucial, but frequently...

Trust Bounce, Embrace Loft and Spin
user icon
4 min

Trust Bounce, Embrace Loft and Spin

High, soft shots with lots of spin. As Titleist staff member Mark Blackburn shares in this video, the ability to...

Fix Your Driver Slice
user icon
2 min

Fix Your Driver Slice

If you suffer from a slice (a shot that starts left for a right-handed golfer and curves wildly to the right) you...

How to Draw the Golf Ball
user icon
2 min

How to Draw the Golf Ball

A draw, a shot that curves right-to-left for a right-handed golfer, is a great weapon to have in your arsenal. It...

How to Fade the Golf Ball
user icon
2 min

How to Fade the Golf Ball

A fade, a shot that curves left-to-right for a right-handed golfer, is a great tool to have in your arsenal. It...

Why Your Golf Grip Matters
user icon
3 min

Why Your Golf Grip Matters

Have you ever taken a golf lesson? Or attended a golf clinic with a trained PGA Professional? If you have have,...

Warm-up vs. Practice
user icon
2 min

Warm-up vs. Practice

What do you do right before you play a round of golf? Unfortunately, for many of us, the minutes leading up to a...

Results loading...
No results