Why am I hitting fat shots? You hit a fat shot because you hit the ground before you hit the ball. This means your low point in the swing is ahead of the ball. To stop hitting fat shots, you must learn to hit the ball first. This post gives you clear steps and drills to fix this common golf problem fast.
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The Core Problem: Misplaced Low Point
Hitting fat shots is one of the most frustrating things in golf. A fat shot happens when your club hits the turf well before it touches the ball. This steals your distance and ruins your shot shape. It feels like you are trying to move a mountain instead of hitting a small white ball. The main reason this happens is simple: your low point is too far forward.
Deciphering the Low Point in Your Swing
In a perfect iron swing, the lowest point of the arc should occur just after the ball. Think of your swing like a pendulum. The ball needs to be on the upward or just slightly descending part of that arc when contact happens.
When you hit fat shots, the pendulum swings too far down before reaching the ball.
What causes the low point to move forward?
- Over-the-Shoulder Movement: Many golfers shift their weight too hard toward the target during the downswing. This forces the hands and club to drop too far ahead.
- Casting or Early Release: Throwing the clubhead too early in the downswing causes the hands to get ahead, pushing the low point forward. This is often called “casting.”
- Poor Setup: Standing too far from the ball or having a very upright posture can encourage the body to lunge forward to find the ball.
- Trying Too Hard: Aggressive swings often lead to trying to help the ball up, which causes the body to stall and the arms to dump the club early.
Essential Setup Checks for Fat Shot Prevention
Before even thinking about the swing, your setup must be correct. A good setup sets the foundation for solid contact golf tips. If your posture is off, your body will try to correct it during the swing, usually by making a fat shot.
Foot Placement and Ball Position
Where the ball sits in your stance matters a lot for iron play.
- Mid-Irons (6, 7, 8): The ball should be close to the center of your stance. This gives you enough room for the downward strike necessary for irons.
- Longer Irons (4, 5): Move the ball slightly forward of center. This encourages a slightly shallower attack angle, which is better for these longer clubs.
Table 1: Ideal Ball Position for Iron Strikes
| Club Type | Ball Position (Relative to Stance) | Desired Attack Angle |
|---|---|---|
| Wedges/Short Irons | Center to slightly back | Steep (More descending blow) |
| Mid-Irons | Center | Slightly descending |
| Long Irons | Inside the front heel | Shallow (Less steep, more sweeping) |
Weight Distribution
For better iron striking, your weight needs to favor the lead side, even at address.
- Check Your Feet: Feel about 55% to 60% of your weight on your lead foot (left foot for a right-handed golfer).
- Hips Aligned: Ensure your hips are square or slightly closed at address. If your hips are open, you will naturally shift too far forward to compensate during the swing.
Hand Position
Your hands should sit slightly ahead of the ball at address, especially with irons. This encourages a slight forward shaft lean. This lean is vital for fat shot prevention because it naturally positions the club’s low point correctly behind the hands at impact.
If your hands are behind the ball at address, you are already inviting a steep, digging motion or a topping motion.
Swing Mechanics to Eliminate Fat Shots Golf
Once the setup is solid, we look at the movement itself. The goal is simple: keep the low point behind the ball throughout the swing.
The Importance of Spine Angle Maintenance
This is a huge key to avoiding chunky golf shots. Many players stand up or squat down during the downswing.
- Standing Up (Early Extension): If you stand up, you raise the bottom of your swing arc. If the arc raises above the ball, you will hit the top half (a thin shot). However, if you stand up and shift forward, you often dig into the ground too early (a fat shot).
- The Fix: Feel like your sternum (center of your chest) stays the same distance from the ground from start to finish. Imagine a piece of tape connecting your shirt button to the ground. Do not let that tape break or stretch.
Controlling the Transition
The transition—the moment between the backswing and the downswing—is where many faults begin. To eliminate fat shots golf, you need a smooth, sequenced transition.
- Start with the Lower Body: The downswing must initiate from the ground up. Feel your lower body start moving toward the target while your arms and hands lag behind.
- Shallow the Club: This lower body action naturally helps shallow the club. Shallowing means the club shaft moves slightly away from the target line as it approaches the impact zone. This prevents the club from coming “over the top,” which often leads to heavy contact.
Stopping the Forward Slide
The most common cause of fat shots is sliding the lower body too far toward the target before the rotation begins.
- Feel: Instead of sliding, feel like you are “squatting” slightly onto your lead side hip socket during the transition. This stores energy and keeps the mass centralized, allowing the arms to drop vertically.
- Result: When your weight anchors properly on the lead side, your body can rotate around that stable base, promoting the correct sequence.
Practical Fat Shot Fixes: Drills You Must Try
Theory is great, but practice makes permanent. These drills are specifically designed to retrain your muscle memory for solid contact golf tips.
Drill 1: The Towel Drill for Low Point Control
This is a classic drill for fat shot fixes.
Setup:
- Place a small towel or a headcover about 6 inches behind the golf ball.
- Set up to the ball as normal, aiming to hit the ball cleanly.
Execution:
- Take half or three-quarter swings.
- The goal is to strike the ball without touching the towel.
- If you hit the towel, your low point is too far back, or you have aggressively shifted your weight without unwinding properly, causing you to dig.
- If you miss the ball entirely (a top shot), you are likely releasing too early or not shifting enough weight.
This drill forces your body to find the precise timing needed to hit the ball first.
Drill 2: Hitting Off a Tee (Ball Elevated)
This drill specifically helps you learn how to hit the ball first in golf by reducing the margin for error on the ground.
Setup:
- Place a golf ball on a tee, elevated about half the height of the ball (or slightly higher for wedges).
- Use a mid-iron (like a 7-iron).
Execution:
- Focus entirely on making clean contact with the tee. You are trying to knock the tee out cleanly.
- If you hit fat, you will likely hit the ground hard before the tee, knocking the ball off the tee without launching it.
- If you hit thin, you might miss the tee altogether.
This drill teaches the necessary descending blow required for irons while reinforcing the priority: ball first.
Drill 3: The Step Drill for Weight Transfer
To stop that aggressive forward slide, practice proper weight transfer.
- Start with your feet together, holding your club across your shoulders like a yoke.
- Begin your backswing. As your hands go up, step your left foot out toward the target (for right-handers) to establish your stance width.
- Now, begin the downswing by pivoting around the left foot, letting your right foot slide slightly forward as you rotate through impact.
This drill emphasizes that the weight shift establishes the base before the arms drop. It builds rhythm crucial for improving iron striking.
Advanced Concepts: Fathoming Clubface Control and Angle of Attack
Simply hitting the ground behind the ball is not enough. You need to hit it with the correct angle of attack and a square clubface.
Angle of Attack (AOA)
To achieve compression and distance, irons need a descending blow—the clubhead should be moving down at impact.
- Low AOA (Shallow): More common with drivers or when trying to sweep the ball (often leading to fat shots).
- High AOA (Steep): Necessary for irons to compress the ball against the turf.
How to Ensure a Descending Blow:
Focus on keeping your chest relatively quiet until after impact. When you rotate too early, your chest lifts, and the club path flattens out, often leading to topping the ball or fat contact as the hands get out of position. Maintain that spine tilt established at address throughout the downswing.
Understanding Lag and Release
Lag refers to the angle between your lead arm and the club shaft during the downswing. A proper release utilizes this lag.
The Fat Shot Trap: If you lack lag, you probably try to “help” the ball by releasing early (casting). Early release pushes the low point forward, guaranteeing a fat shot.
The Solution: Trust your setup and the lower body initiation. If you start the downswing correctly with your hips, the lag will naturally be maintained until the right moment to release. When you feel the swing “unwind” naturally through the hitting area, you know you are not forcing the release too early. This is key to solid contact golf tips.
Self-Diagnosis: Why Am I Hitting Fat Shots Today?
Sometimes the issue isn’t a long-term flaw but a temporary one related to fatigue or course conditions. Ask yourself these questions before your next shot:
| Symptom Observed | Likely Cause | Immediate Adjustment Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Ball is fat, and the divot starts very early. | Over-shifting weight forward during transition. | Focus on squatting onto the lead hip first. |
| Ball is fat, but the hands feel stiff. | Casting or premature release. | Feel the weight of the clubhead pulling the hands down later. |
| Shot distance is poor, and the turf interaction is heavy. | Standing up out of posture (early extension). | Keep the sternum down and fixed until impact. |
| Hitting fat on one side of the course but solid on the other. | Inconsistent setup or bad visualization of the target line. | Re-check alignment and ball position before every swing. |
Equipment Checks That Can Sabotage Your Swing
Even with perfect technique, the wrong equipment can make avoiding chunky golf shots nearly impossible.
Shaft Flex
If your shaft flex is too stiff for your swing speed, the clubhead will lag excessively and then “kick” too far forward at impact, pushing the low point ahead of the ball. This is a very common reason for amateur golfers to hit fat shots, especially when they swing harder.
Lie Angle
If the lie angle of your iron is too upright (toes pointing too far off the ground at address), the club will sit slightly open at impact. Your body might try to overcorrect by flipping the hands, which can lead to digging or scooping, often resulting in heavy strikes. A club that is too flat can cause you to swing slightly over the top, leading to poor turf interaction.
Action Step: Get a proper club fitting. Incorrect lie angles force compensations that lead directly to poor contact.
Integrating Practice: Fat Shot Drills for Consistency
To truly stop this issue, you must incorporate specific movements into your practice routine.
Drill 4: The “Hold the Finish” Drill
Many players rush the follow-through after a poor strike, which reinforces the bad feeling.
- Hit 5-10 shots focusing only on tempo and sequence.
- After each solid strike, hold your finish position until the ball lands.
- This trains your body to complete the rotation after impact, ensuring the body stays back enough to let the club work through the ball. This helps stop topping the ball too, as it prevents premature body rotation.
Drill 5: Small Divot Placement Practice
This drill focuses on precise turf removal—the hallmark of great iron play.
- Place two tees in the ground forming a narrow gate where you want your divot to start (about 2 inches in front of where the ball is sitting).
- Your goal is to take a divot that starts between those two tees.
- If your divot starts before the first tee, you are hitting too far behind the ball (fat).
- If your divot starts after the second tee, you are hitting too far ahead (thin/top).
This trains the eyes and body to register the exact moment of ground interaction, vital for improving iron striking.
Final Thoughts on Developing Solid Contact
Stopping fat shots is not about brute force; it’s about sequencing and geometry. When you consistently hit the ball first, you are achieving compression. Compression requires a descending blow where the low point of the swing arc is just past the ball.
Focus on these three non-negotiables:
- Setup: Ensure slight forward shaft lean and balanced weight distribution.
- Transition: Initiate the downswing with the lower body to shallow the club.
- Finish: Hold your finish posture to confirm you didn’t stand up or slide excessively.
By applying these techniques and diligently practicing the fat shot drills, you will quickly move from chunking shots to achieving that satisfying, crisp sound of solid contact.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the single biggest cause of hitting fat shots?
The single biggest cause is having the low point of your swing arc occur too far behind the golf ball. This is usually caused by starting the downswing too aggressively with the arms and shoulders, or by sliding the lower body too far toward the target without rotating.
Can I stop hitting fat shots just by swinging slower?
Swinging slower helps with tempo, which aids in fat shot prevention, but it doesn’t fix the underlying mechanical fault. You can swing slowly and still hit the ground first. You must focus on the sequence (lower body first) rather than just speed reduction.
How does topping the ball relate to fat shots?
Topping the ball and hitting fat shots are often two sides of the same coin—both result from poor low point control. If you are topping the ball, you are usually releasing the club too early (casting), causing the low point to move too far ahead of the ball. If you hit fat, the low point is too far behind the ball. Both need a stable base and a correct release timing.
Should I try to sweep the ball with my irons?
No, not with standard short or mid-irons. Sweeping is more appropriate for drivers or very low-lofted fairway woods off a tee. Irons require a slightly descending blow (hitting down) to achieve proper compression. Attempting to sweep with an iron usually results in thin shots or fat shots because your body stalls trying to lift the ball.
Are fat shots more common with certain clubs?
Yes. Fat shots are generally more common with short irons (wedges) because the shorter shaft necessitates a steeper angle of attack. If the angle is too steep or the low point is slightly off, the turf interaction becomes more severe. Proper fat shot fixes are especially crucial when using high-lofted clubs.