- 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 with shorter clubs.
- Sliding the Hips. Sliding the hips forward before or at impact causes the body to shift forward, causing the club to drop behind the ball.
- Head Slide. During the downswing, players sometimes have the tendency to slide their head forward. This causes the upper body to slide forward, impeding a proper recoil.
- Loose Leading Arm. 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.
- Back Shoulder Dip. Dipping the back shoulder during the downswing causes the body and hands to scoop at the ball (commonly called a "chili dip").
- Improper Weight Transfer. During the backswing, the player's weight is on the back foot. ...
- Early Release. Releasing the club too quickly, commonly called "casting," throws off the swing plane, causing the club to hit across the impact area.
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 fat and thin golf shots?
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).
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.
How do I stop hitting iron shots fat?
4:208:39HOW TO STOP HITTING BEHIND THE BALL INSTANTLY (No Joke)YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThis practice swing you're gonna lift the heel. Three or four inches with irons. Five or six inchesMoreThis practice swing you're gonna lift the heel. Three or four inches with irons. Five or six inches with driver if you're drop kicking. So you've got that.
How do I stop hitting the golf ball fat and thin?
If that sounds familiar, let me give you two simple keys. 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.
Why do I hit 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.
How do I know if my golf grips are too strong?
While in the address position, count how many knuckles you can see on your left hand. If you can see three knuckles or more on your left hand, you have a strong left hand golf grip.
What happens when golf grip too strong?
1:524:16A strong golf grip is bad, and here's why! - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipPosition. Now in this position. The right hand is square to the hitting part of the clip. Face. SoMorePosition. Now in this position. The right hand is square to the hitting part of the clip. Face. So if you hold it way too much under you'll find out that the clip will be closed. As you hit the ball.
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.
What does it mean when a golfer hits the ball fat?
In addition to resulting in a terrible shot, hitting the ball fat can also be jarring to a golfer's hands, wrists and arms, depending on just how "fat" (how badly the club digs into the turf) the shot is. A fat shot is the opposite of a thin shot.
How do golfers talk about fat shots?
Golfers might talk about "fatting it," or say, "I fatted that one" or "I caught that one fat" or "I hit it fat."
How to get rid of fat shots in golf?
Make sure the golf ball isn't positioned too far forward in your stance. Check the Mishit Tip Sheets feature for a checklist of possible additional causes of fat shots.
What is a fat shot in golf?
A "fat shot" happens when the golfer's club hits the ground prior to making contact with the golf ball. That's not something the golfer ever wants to do (except with bunker shots), ...
What does it mean when you hit behind the ball?
Most people who hit an occasional (fat shot) move their heads backward as they start their downswings, which means that they hit behind the ball.". A similar approach to stop hitting the behind the ball (one using an object to block the club from bottoming out too early) is demonstrated in a YouTube videos.
Why is the golf ball traveling shorter distances?
That kills much of the energy of the shot, resulting in the ball traveling shorter distances. The more severely "fat" the ball is hit (meaning the more turf is between the club and ball), the shorter distance the ball will travel.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.