What Causes Hitting Behind the Golf Ball?
- Overview. Hitting behind the golf ball, or hitting it "fat," is a common problem, especially with high handicappers.
- Ball Position. Perhaps the most common problem for fat shots is playing the ball too close to the front foot, especially...
- Sliding the Hips. Sliding the hips forward before or at impact causes the body to shift...
What causes a fat shot in golf?
Improper weight transfer and dropping the right shoulder can lead to "fat" shots. Hitting behind the golf ball, or hitting it "fat," is a common problem, especially with high handicappers. It is a frustrating mishit that results in added strokes to the scorecard. There are several causes to hitting fat shots. Many can be remedied easily.
What causes fat on the bottom of the foot in golf?
“Swaying” (getting the swing center too far off the golf ball) is another cause of fat, as well as falling to the rear foot or “reversing the weight.” Both of these moves can cause one to bottom out well behind the ball.
Why do I hit the golf ball behind the ball?
What Causes Hitting Behind the Golf Ball? 1 Ball Position. Perhaps the most common problem for fat shots is playing the ball too close to the front foot, especially with shorter clubs. As a ... 2 Sliding the Hips. 3 Head Slide. 4 Loose Leading Arm. 5 Back Shoulder Dip. More items
Why do golfers get fat in the lead arm?
This move is invariably followed by a break down in the lead arm, holding on for dear life into impact, or any of the others… “Swaying” (getting the swing center too far off the golf ball) is another cause of fat, as well as falling to the rear foot or “reversing the weight.”
How to hit fat golf shots?
If you are hitting fat golf shots, the first place to start is with your address position. With your mid irons, the ball should be positioned slightly forward of middle in your stance so that your sternum is over the ball. Importantly, your hands should be a fraction ahead of the ball. This will encourage the downward angle ...
What is fat golf?
Hitting fat golf shots is one of the most frustrating faults in the game. It doesn’t matter how forgiving your irons are, if you are striking the ground before the ball, some technical swing changes are needed. Here, we will look at where hitting fat golf shots comes from and offer some pointers for how to improve your ball striking.
When hitting irons, should your divots start after the ball?
When hitting irons, your divots should start after the ball. For the best possible iron contact, you should aim to strike the ball and then the ground. This is a useful image to have in mind for any player who is struggling hitting fat golf shots.
Where should the bottom of the arc come?
The bottom of the arc should come just after the ball ( with your i rons). If you are hitting fat golf shots, the lowest point of the arc will be before the ball causing the club to strike the ground first.
Where should weight be in golf?
The basic key here is that your weight should move towards your back foot in the backswing and then towards the target in the downswing. For some golfers, there is a desire to lean back through impact to help the ball into the air.
Why does my golf ball get fat?
But many golfers will hit the ball fat because they address it too far forwards in their stance. If the ball is too far forwards, your swing arc will bottom out before you reach the ball meaning you’ll strike the ground too early. The quick fix is to simply move the ball back towards the central position of your body.
What is hitting the ball fat?
Updated April 26, 2021. Hitting a golf shot sweet is one of the best feelings in sport. But a lot has to go right for you to hit the perfect shot and one of the most common issues golfers suffer from is what’s known as hitting the ball fat. A fat golf shot is when a golfer miscues his swing and chunks the ground with their club before they hit ...
How to move weight in the wrong direction?
Laterally moving backwards on your downswing and pushing your hips out behind you will move your weight in the wrong direction, favouring your back leg. This will move your swing arc back a couple of inches, causing you to to come down much sooner and narrower on the ball, chunking the turf too early.
How far should the bottom of the arc of a golf swing land?
In order to connect with the ball properly, the bottom of the arc of the swing should land a couple of inches behind the ball. This means you’re striking the ball on your downswing and taking a divot after you’ve hit connected with the ball.
What is a fat shot in golf?
A fat golf shot is when a golfer miscues his swing and chunks the ground with their club before they hit the ball. Hitting your shot fat, or chunking the ball can be costly on your scorecard, as the ball will travel only a short distance after you’ve made impact with the ground, costing you vital yards on the fairway.
What is the line A in golf?
Line A shows the swing arc of a good golf shot, connecting with the ball on the downswing, and bottoming out behind the ball. Line B shows the arc of a fat golf shot which hits the ground first and bottoms out before or underneath the ball. This shallow swing trajectory can be caused by a number of factors, from where you place ...
What happens if you hit a shot thin?
If you hit a shot thin, you strike the ball too early in your downswing, usually with the butt of your clubface striking high up on the ball. The ball will then fly off at a low trajectory and much more limited trajectory than usual.
Why does swinging make you fat?
Swaying can lead to fat shots because it moves the bottom of the swing arc away from where it was set at address.
Why do fat shots occur?
The fundamental causes behind fat shots relate to the arc of the swing itself and more specifically to the position of the bottom of the swing arc. Indeed, in order to produce a shot that sees the club penetrating the ground before contact is made with the ball – such as the case with fat shots – the bottom of the swing arc needs ...
What is a fat shot in golf?
In golf a fat shot – or a golf shot hit fat – is one that sees the club penetrating the ground before making contact with the ball. This is in contrast to a better shot that sees the clubhead making contact with the ball before it proceeds to penetrating the ground, as should happen in shots made with irons and wedges.
Why do golf clubs penetrate the ground?
Another reason for why your club could penetrate the ground too deeply has to do with the placement of your hands on the grip. Certain shots require you to grip down on the club in order to shield yourself from hitting fat shots. Notably, a ball that is above your feet will require you to grip down on the club, among other things.
Why is my golf ball so far forward?
Is the ball located too much forward? One of the reasons your club may penetrate the ground before it hits the ball has to do with the placement of the ball itself in your stance , in relation to your feet. A ball placed too much forward – towards the target – can prove tricky to hit cleanly and can result in fat shots.
What is the error in golf that leads to fat shots?
A typical error that golfers make which can lead to fat shots is that they fail to keep this spine angle constant throughout the golf swing.
How to swing at full speed?
The general guideline for swings at full speed is to place the ball in the center of your stance for wedges and short irons and to incrementally move your feet back in order to find the ball forward as the length of the clubs increase.
What does it mean when you hit behind the ball?
Hitting behind the golf ball, or hitting it "fat," is a common problem, especially with high handicappers. It is a frustrating mishit that results in added strokes to the scorecard.
What is the dip in golf?
Dipping the back shoulder during the downswing causes the body and hands to scoop at the ball (commonly called a "chili dip"). Keeping the upper body upright during the swing and concentrating on leading with the front shoulder can remedy this habit.
What does it mean when your leading arm is loose?
When the leading arm (left arm for right-handed players) isn't straight, it causes a short backswing and prevents the upper body from making the proper coil. Keep the left arm straight, but not tense, and lead the body into the shot with the head and hips behind the ball.
Why does my golf club drop behind the ball?
Failure to naturally transfer the weight through the ball and onto the left commonly causes the club to drop behind the ball. The body and the club must work together in a proper weight transfer.
Who is Jim Hagerty?
Jim Hagerty is a writer and journalist who began writing professionally in 1996. He has had articles published in the "Rock River Times," "Builder's Journal" and various websites. He earned a Bachelor of Science in public relations and journalism from Northern Michigan University in Marquette.
Why is it important to shift weight in golf swing?
It is important in any good golf swing to shift your weight when transitioning from the backswing into the downswing. This will encourage a swing arc that is more forward relative to the ball, and it will increase your chances of hitting the ball first.
How to fix a fat shot?
The best way to go about fixing the fat shot is to look at your own swing and try to determine why you’re hitting the ground before the ball. You can look at your own swing recorded on video, or you can get someone else to look at your swing and try and isolate the problem. Also note that it is impossible to eliminate fat shots completely — every ...
What happens when you try to kill the ball?
Also note that when a less experienced golfer tries to force a shot or “kill” the ball, they become much more prone to making a sharp transition at the top of the backswing and coming into the ball too steep. As noted above, this will tend to cause a fat shot.
Why are fat shots called fat divots?
Fat shots are often steeper, so that the club produces a larger and deeper divot than normal. These divots are sometimes called fat divots, and that may very well be the origin of the term “fat shot”.
What happens if your swing is too steep?
If your swing is too steep, your club will tend to reach the ground quicker and your divots will tend to be larger. This problem is common in over-the-top swingers who also tend to have issues with slicing the ball.
What is a fat shot?
The opposite of a thin shot, a fat shot is a shot in which the club (typically an iron) makes contact with and digs into the ground before it reaches the golf ball. This normally does two things: it slows the club down immensely and it throws up a layer of sod/turf between the clubface and the ball. This typically results in poor contact, reduced ...
Why is my swing arc bottom out?
Cause #1: The ball is too far forward in your stance. This is fairly straightforward. If your ball is too far forward, your swing arc will bottom out before you reach the ball and you will hit it fat.
Why do fat shots lead to missed greens?
Not only do fat shots usually lead to missed greens, they can also lead to penalty strokes if there is a pond or other hazard waiting short of the target. It is hard to work on correcting the problem of hitting fat shots because there can be a number of causes at the root of the issue.
Why do golfers hit fat shots?
Most fat shots occur when: The golfer fails to transfer weight from the right side to the left (for a right-hander) during the downswing. The swing arc moves to the right and the club bottoms out before reaching the ball. The swing is too steep, causing the club to impact the turf before the ball.
Why are golf clubs fat?
Clubs that are too long can lead to fat shots simply because you won't have enough room to swing them down to impact without first catching the turf behind the ball. Golf clubs can be adjusted either longer or shorter based on your needs, so visit a professional club fitter to have your set checked.
What does it mean when you swing down toward the ball?
When you are swinging down toward the ball, you need to trust in your swing completely. When that trust starts to waver, you may slow down the movement of the club in an effort to 'guide' the club face to the ball.
What does it mean when your golf club hits the ball fat?
Hitting the ball fat is one of the worst feelings in golf. As soon as your club digs in to the turf, you know that the shot is going to come up short of your target. You don't even want to look up to watch the ball fly, because you know the end result is not going to be a good one.
Why is my golf swing so steep?
The swing is too steep, causing the club to impact the turf before the ball. The ball is too far forward or too close to your body. If the ball is to the left of the spot where your swing naturally bottoms out, you'll either hit it thin or fat. Standing too close to the ball creates an overly upright (steep) path.
Why is it important to keep your level at the same level throughout the swing?
Ideally, you would like to keep everything at roughly the same level throughout the swing, because moving up and down will make it much more difficult to achieve solid contact at impact. If you lose your level and drop your entire body down during the golf swing, hitting the ball fat is the likely outcome.
How to fix the root cause of hitting your golf shots fat
Of all the shots golfers fear, hitting the ball FAT has to be right up at the top of the list. At least it heads the list of commonly hit poor shots (let’s leave the shank and the whiff out for now). After fat, I’d list topping, followed by slicing and then hooking.
Stickney: The evolution of necessary technology in golf instruction
Over time technology has improved so that we (as teachers) can see and understand motion and forces in action during the swing.
The Wedge Guy: You can change your stripes
Over my 40-plus years in the golf industry and a lifetime in the game, I have had the opportunity to observe thousands of recreational golfers of all skill levels. I believe the common thread between all of us – from scratch player to high-handicapper – is that we all would like to get better.
Fingerprints of your swing: More thoughts from Phil Blackmar (with Tom Stickney)
One of the biggest debates in the instructional world is the “way” in which people should use technology within their lessons. Some of the older pros are dead against it and say we have gone too far (Brandel Chamblee). Other pros like to blend feels and science (Phil Blackmar).
How to beat the fats in golf?
FIGHT THE FATS. Grab your 7-iron, take your address position, lift your right foot off the ground, and then hit balls while standing on your left foot only. With all your weight forward, you’ll make a descending blow and ball-first contact. To beat the fats, strive for this front-sided feeling when you play.
What is fat iron shot?
Fat iron shots are the scourge of the average player. The club hits the ground behind the ball, turf goes flying — and the ball goes nowhere. If you can get to the fat shot’s root cause — hanging back on your right leg through impact — you’ll fix it quickly.