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What Causes Fat Shots in Golf?

Hitting it fat, also called “chunking it” or “catching it heavy,” is also extremely common. Even tour pros occasionally hit behind the ball.

In other words, no golfer is immune.

Let’s take a look at the most common swing faults behind fat shots, and a couple of simple ways to fix them.

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What is a Fat Shot in Golf?

Few mishits in golf are more frustrating than fat shots, where the club strikes the ground behind the ball and causes a huge loss of distance.

Common Faults Causing Fat Shots

Lack of weight shift from the right (trail) foot to the left (lead) foot on the downswing, or “hanging back.”

A proper weight shift not only creates power, it moves the low point of your swing slightly in front of the ball and promotes crisp contact. If your weight stays on your back foot, your swing bottoms out too soon and the club hits the turf first.

Improper ball position.

Many golfers play the ball too far forward, or closer to their lead foot, and the swing bottoms out behind it. Some players stand too close to the ball, which makes the swing steeper (more upright or vertical) and more prone to fat shots.

How to Fix Fat Shots

Heel-up drill

Take your normal setup with an iron or wedge, then lift your right heel off the ground and hit shots without letting the heel drop. You should feel more weight on your left side as you swing down and through.

Correct ball position

With the wedges and short irons (8-9), the ball should be in the middle of your stance (midway between your feet). Move it slightly forward for mid-irons (5 – 7) and a bit more forward for long irons (3-4).

To check this on the driving range, lay a club or alignment stick across your toe line and a second one perpendicular to it. Place the ball at the end of the second club and align your feet based on the club you’re hitting.

Read more about correct ball position here: Where Should the Golf Ball Be in Your Stance?

Keep in mind that correct ball position can vary slightly from golfer to golfer, so you may need to experiment a bit to find what works best.

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