- Secrets of the pros. The professionals are able to avoid hitting fat shots all the time because they focus on a few key details when they play.
- Change your grip. While many people think about changing their stance but don’t think about how it impacts where their hands go on the club, this is a big ...
- Stop hitting from a tree. When people play golf, they often have trouble avoiding fat shots when hitting out of trees, tall grass, or other spots where there isn’t ...
- Keep it level. Regardless of whether you are hitting from underneath a branch or not, all players need to remember to keep their shoulders level before they swing back ...
- Don’t rotate too fast. Another common cause of fat golf shots is that people get anxious about taking their time in order to make sure that they compensate for ...
- Know when to be patient. While there are times when you need to hurry up your follow-through, most of the time players just end up trying to hit shots ...
- Get in line with the target. In addition to thinking about taking your time during the follow-through, players also need to think about getting their bodies lined up properly ...
- Don’t lean too far forward either. If players get too much knee bend during their follow-throughs then they open up the possibility of hitting fat shots.
How do you stop hitting golf balls fat?
How to Stop Hitting Fat or Thin Golf Shots – 5 Quick Tips 1. Check Your Setup. A vast majority of the issues amateur golfers face can be traced back to a poor set up. If you’re hitting fat golf shots, make sure the ball is positioned properly in your stance by using your breast bone (middle of the chest) instead of your feet.
What causes you to hit a fat golf shot?
What Causes a Golfer to Hit it Fat?
- Ball Position This is the most common mistake I see among amateur golfers. Fortunately, it’s also the easiest to fix. ...
- Pressure Shift I talk about pressure shift a lot. It may seem overly simple, but trust me: When my students get the pressure shift right, they see major improvement ...
- Angle of Club Shaft
How to stop hitting a fat golf shot?
Video Drill To Stop Hitting The Ball Fat
- Have a friend take a video or record your own (preferably a slow-motion video if possible) of you hitting a golf ball.
- Then, draw a circle around your head at address, using a free app like “Hudl Technique.”
- As you watch the video, focus on your head. ...
- Be sure to notice your biggest tendencies. ...
How far do average golfers really hit the ball?
The average distances an amateur golfer drives a ball is 200 yards. A pro golfer on the PGA tour hits the ball further, with an average distance of 270 yards off the tee. It’s no surprise that golfers can be a very competitive bunch of people. Many golfers like to see who can hit the ball the furthest.
How do I stop hitting the golf ball fat?
The other thing to look out for here is your weight distribution - you should have a little more weight on your lead foot. Again, this will encourage the angle of attack you are looking to create later in the swing. Above all, if you are hitting fat golf shots - make sure the ball isn't too far forward in your stance.
What causes you to hit a golf ball fat?
Hitting the ball fat is when you hit the ground before the ball and as a result you have grass and dirt get between the club and the ball. The result to your performance is you lose distance. Angle of attack: The farther back the steeper the club will come down on the ball.
How do I stop hitting fat pitch shots?
0:452:38Stop Hitting Fat/Heavy Pitch Shots - Simple Tips - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipGo back along your shoulder. Line down your toe. Line. And that's going to get you really shallowingMoreGo back along your shoulder. Line down your toe. Line. And that's going to get you really shallowing that wedge. Out on the way.
Why am I hitting fat shots with my irons?
One of the main reasons that golfers hit fat shots is they are desperately trying to get the ball in the air. Instead of keeping their upper body over the ball (where the sternum is directly above the ball at impact), they lean back through the contact.
Can a strong grip cause fat shots?
Fat shots. One of the other signs of an overly strong grip is the tendency to hit the ball fat, especially on short iron shots. As mentioned above, a strong grip makes it easy to release the club on the way down, and an early release could cause you to stick the club in the ground behind the ball.
Why am I hitting the ball fat and thin?
Generally speaking, a thin or fat shot is caused by having your swing center too far behind the ball at impact. This error causes your club to bottom out too far behind the ball and will cause you to hit the ground first (a fat shot) or hit the top of the ball (a thin shot).
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.
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.
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.
What causes a golf club to hit the ground before the ball?
Putter. One of golfs most deflating mishits is the “fat” golf shot, when the club strikes the ground before the ball. Fat shots typically occur with an iron in hand and may be rooted in any number of swing faults. A poor weight shift is a common culprit.
What happens if you put weight on your right foot after a golf swing?
If you have a significant amount of your weight on your right foot after the swing is over, there is a problem. Work on getting more of your weight onto your left side in the finish position and the fat shot issue might just take care of itself. Trying to lift the ball.
How to reduce frustration on the golf course?
To reduce your frustration on the course, and reduce your scores at the same time, striking the ball cleanly should be something that is high on your priority list. Following is a list of three swing mistakes that could be leading to your problem with fat shots. Weight moving the wrong direction.
How to improve your swing weight shift?
Improve your golf swing weight shift and strike ball before ground using this classic drill: 1. With any club shorter than a 5-iron, take your usual address with the ball positioned at or near the middle of your stance. 2. Lift your right heel off the ground, balancing on the toes. 3.
What happens if you hit a bunker shot?
If you are trying to hit over some kind of trouble on that particular shot, such as a pond or a bunker, your ball is likely going to come up short and land in the hazard .
What happens if your center of gravity doesn't move left?
The bottom of your swing arc will almost always match up with the position of your center of gravity during the swing – so if your center of gravity doesn't move left far enough to reach the ball, the club will bottom out too soon and strike the turf before the ball.
Why is confidence important in golf?
As you already know, confidence is a big part of playing good golf. Not only does confidence help you hold up under pressure, but it also helps your swing perform better when you have to face a challenging shot – such as an iron shot over water to the green.
How to hit a tennis ball with your back?
First, make your initial move from the top a little bump onto your front foot. Feel like you’re shifting toward the target, so your chest is over the ball. Second, get to impact with the back of your top hand facing the target (left), not pointing upward. A good image is that you’re back-handing the ball, like a tennis stroke.
What is a good image for a tennis player?
A good image is that you’re back-handing the ball, like a tennis stroke. If you get those two moves right, you’ll swing into impact with your weight forward and your wrists firm—two things every good ball-striker does.
Who were the two golfers in the 2003 Presidents Cup?
In the 2003 Presidents Cup in South Africa, two of the sweetest swingers at that time, Adam Scott and Stuart Appleby, were matched against two of the most unconventional, Jim Furyk and Jay Haas. As they warmed up, murmurs from the crowd suggested the “pretty” swings had it made. At one point, Jay said to Jim, “I bet those people don’t give us much of a chance.” Jim laughed, and the Americans went on to win, 6 and 5, one of the most lopsided victories in the history of the event. Don’t get me wrong, Adam and Stuart are tremendous talents. (I taught Adam for years.) But the only real barometer of a golf swing is the shots it produces.
Do golfers hit the ground first?
A lot of golfers never get over the instinct to lift the ball off the ground. They swing off their back foot or flip their hands through impact, both of which make the club bottom out too soon. As a result, they hit the ground first (fat shot) or catch the ball on the upswing (thin shot).
What are Fat Golf Shots?
Technically, a fat golf shot is any time you hit the ball into the ground before it gets out of your swing. However, most people also use it to describe shots that don’t go anywhere near their target or have a lot of sidespin on them (which sends them veering off to one side).
Tips to Never Hit Fat Golf Shots Again – Conclusion
There are many things that golfers can do to avoid hitting fat golf shots. Hopefully, the above tips will help you the next time that you are on the course.
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.
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.
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 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 ...
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.
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.
