Dreaded fat shots are some of the most frustrating shots in golf.
Sometimes you will hit a great drive setting yourself up for an easy 100-yard shot into the pin. In your mind, this ball is going to land about ten feet from the hole setting you up for an easy birdie.
However, if you hit the ball fat, chances are your shot ends up about fifteen yards ahead of you.
Hitting fat shots can be stopped. You can improve your ball striking with a few adjustments to the ball position, address, and spine angle. What causes a fat shot in golf?
Another way to cause a fat shot in golf is to take a divot in front of your ball instead of behind it. It is common for golfers to make fat shots. This could be due to improper weight transfer, excessive head movement or even a wrong mental image of how to launch a ball into the air. How Does Hitting a Thick Shot Compare?
How does this compare to Hitting A Thin Shot
When hitting a fat shot the golf club strikes behind the ball, before it even makes contact with the balls. Hitting a “thin shot” means that you only strike the ball, or at least partially towards the middle. Here are some tips to stop hitting your golf balls fat. The common causes of hitting the ball fat can usually be fixed with a few sessions at the range.
Keep Your Head Stationary
One of the most common causes for hitting behind the ball is that your head moves up and down or side to side in your golf swing. If you look at videos of great players, you can see that there is, in fact, a bit of head movement.
However, most of the time, the head stays level, and it can return to the same exact position when it’s time to strike the ball. This head movement is a major problem for many players. This movement is never made. If you keep your head still and stay right over the ball, you are less likely to hit a chunk. We understand that it can be boring to focus on the ball position during your golf swing. However, it’s incredible how one tiny golf ball positioning can make or break your ability to have the clubhead strike in the proper position.
Ball position that is pushed too far forward towards the left foot (for right-handed players) can become a problem. It is better to keep the ball a little closer to the middle. Use a series of alignment sticks to help you
map out the proper feet position and ball position.
Move Weight Towards Left Foot
The goal of every golf swing is to finish with your weight forward on your left foot, standing square to the target with a full rotation. Most players tend to get stuck on the back leg. This leaves them feeling like they can’t get full distance, and it often results in hitting fat shots.
Sometimes golfers get lazy and have a bad swing habit that keeps their weight back. Some golfers have a tendency of overswinging, which makes it difficult to move the weight forward. Do not load up your setup so that 90% of your weight is on the left foot. Take a few swings like this and see if you can feel that weight making its way to the left side a little easier.
Play with this balance and transfer until you can find a happy medium that allows for a cleaner and crisper transfer of weight.
Mental Perception Changes
Are you one of the golfers that believe you need to lift the ball up in the air? You need to let go of that idea. If you take a divot after the golf ball and hit it at the bottom part of your swing arc, then the ball will fly and the distance will be great. Start visualizing the correct impact position. Don’t overcomplicate the process by trying to lift the ball yourself.
This concept is really easy to learn when you practice chipping. You will notice that it is much easier to hit a crisp and clean golf shot when you keep your hands in front as opposed to flipping the arms to lift the ball. It is not always the swing that causes fat shots. You can set yourself up to hit a fat shot by the way you approach the ball. You may find it difficult to transfer your weight if you have a wide stance. There are not too many downsides to a more narrow stance as long as you have some balance and stability.
In fact, many golfers that are struggling with their swing will take a narrow stance to see if they can control things and get it back to the standard position.
Next, make sure that you have enough room to swing the club. You will hit the ball behind if you stand too near it. You will hit the ball behind it if you stand too close. The longer your club is, the farther you stand from the golf ball. In addition, make sure that you can fully transfer your weight and get to the forward position with all of your weight on the left side.
Brittany Olizarowicz
Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. She still plays golf, has competed at every level and has spent a large part of her career as a Class-A PGA Professional. Britt lives in Savannah, GA with her husband, and their two children. Current handicap: 1