How to Correct Hitting Behind the Golf Ball

Nothing brings a promising round to a halt faster than that thudding, turf-first sound of a chunked iron shot. You made a good-looking swing, but the ball plopped just a few feet in front of you, leaving a crater-sized divot behind where it used to be. It’s one of the most maddening miscues in golf, but it's also one of the most fixable. This guide will walk you through exactly why you’re hitting behind the golf ball and provide a few simple, feel-based drills that will get you making crisp, ball-first contact every time.

Why Am I Hitting Behind the Golf Ball? Decoding the Dreaded Chunk

Hitting a shot fat, or "chunking it," comes down to one simple thing: the low point of your golf swing is happening before the golf ball instead of after it. To achieve that pure, compressed feeling of a well-struck iron shot, the clubhead needs to be traveling downward as it strikes the ball. The lowest point of its arc should occur an inch or two in front of the ball, which is what scrapes away that nice, bacon-strip divot on the target side of where the ball was.

When you hit an iron shot fat, the opposite has happened. The club bottomed out too early, striking the ground first and losing all its energy before it even got to the ball. While there can be a few subtle factors, this issue almost always stems from two main culprits that work together:

• A Flawed Weight Shift: This is the big one. Many amateur golfers tend to "hang back" on their trail foot (their right foot for a right-handed player) during the downswing. Their weight stays on their back side instead of moving forward toward the target. When your weight stays back, the low point of your entire swing naturally stays back with it, leading to impact with the ground instead of the ball.
• An Early Release (or "Casting"): This is when you unhinge your wrists too early at the start of the downswing. It’s a common instinct, feeling like you need to “throw” the clubhead at the ball to help it get airborne. But this action, often called "casting" (like casting a fishing rod), forces the clubhead to pass your hands prematurely. This makes the swing arc too wide too soon, guaranteeing the club will hit the ground behind the ball.

Think of it like this: your swing is powered by the rotation of your body, not by flicking your hands. We need to get your body leading charge, shifting forward and pulling the club through impact rather than throwing it from the top.

Fix #1: Getting Your Weight Forward

Every good golf swing starts the downswing with a shift of pressure to the lead foot. By the time you reach impact, the majority of your weight and pressure should be firmly on your front side. This forward movement pulls the low point of your swing forward along with it, putting it in the right spot - just after the ball. Ingraining this feeling is the first and most important step to ditching the chunks for good.

Drill: The Step-Through Drill

This is a fantastic drill because it physically forces you to make the motion you’re forgetting to do. It’s almost impossible to hit a chunk while doing this, making it a powerful way to retrain your feel.

1. Set up to a ball as you normally would.
2. Take a smooth, three-quarter backswing. Don't go to 100%.
3. As you begin your downswing, I want you to step your trail foot (your right foot) forward and through, past your lead foot, as if you were walking toward the target.
4. Allow your momentum to carry you through the shot and into a "walking" finish.

It will feel strange at first, but you’ll immediately notice how this step forces your weight and entire body to move through the ball. The act of stepping forward ensures your low point moves ahead of the ball, forcing that clean strike.

Drill: The Lead-Foot-Only Drill

If you want a less dramatic way to feel the proper impact position, this drill is a an excellent tool. It isolates the feeling of having your weight on your front side from beginning to end.

1. Take your normal setup with a mid-iron.
2. Before starting your swing, shift about 80-90% of your weight onto your lead foot (your left foot). You can even lift the heel of your trail foot slightly off the ground to confirm the pressure is forward.
3. From here, take a few gentle, half-swings, focusing only on turning your body around your stable left leg.
4. The goal is to hit the ball and then brush the grass afterward, all while maintaining your balance on that lead foot through the finish.

This drill removes any chance of sliding back and forth. It teaches your body what it feels like to rotate around a firm front pillar, which is essential for consistent contact.

Fix #2: Preventing the "Early Release"

Your golf clubs are engineered with loft to get the ball in the air. You don't need to help them! The instinct to "scoop" or "lift" the ball with your hands is what causes an early release, or "casting." To eliminate chunks, you need to trust the club and learn to deliver it with "lag," which simply means letting your hands lead the clubhead into the ball.

This happens when you initiate the downswing with your body turn - your hips and torso - not with your hands. This patient sequence allows the wrist angles you created in the backswing to be stored and then released explosively through the hitting area, not before it.

Drill: The Headcover Behind the Ball Drill

This is one of the most effective drills in golf because it provides instant, unarguable feedback. It forces you to learn the correct angle of attack into the ball.

1. Place a ball on the turf.
2. Take an old headcover or a rolled-up towel and place it on the ground about six to eight inches directly behind your golf ball.
3. Your one and only goal: hit the golf ball without hitting the headcover.

If you release the club early and cast it, you will smack the headcover without fail. To miss the headcover, you have to approach the ball from a slightly steeper angle with your hands ahead of the clubhead. This forward shaft lean is the hallmark of a great iron player and the very motion that moves the low point of your swing in front of the ball.

Drill: The Pump Drill

This drill helps you feel the proper sequence of the downswing - body first, then arms, then club. It takes the feeling of a proper transition and bakes it into your muscle memory.

1. Take your normal backswing and stop at the top.
2. Now, initiate a slow-motion downswing motion, but only bring the club down to about waist height. Feel your hips starting to turn and your pressure shifting forward.
3. From that waist-high position, return the club back to the top of your swing.
4. Repeat this "pump" one or two more times, feeling the lower body leading the way each time.
5. After the last pump, continue down and hit the ball smoothly.

By rehearsing the first move down, you're teaching yourself the sensation of your body unwinding and pulling the club into the hitting zone, rather than throwing it from the top with your hands.

Your On-Course Swing Thought: Chest to Target

Drills are for the practice range. On the course, you need a simple feel to rely on. Once you're standing over the ball, stop thinking about all the mechanical details. Instead, focus on one clear intention: "get a full rotation and finish facing the target."

Commit to rotating your body all the way through the shot so that your chest, hips, and belt buckle are all pointing at your target (or even slightly left of it) in the finish. When this is your objective, your weight will naturally move forward, and your arms will be pulled through impact. It’s very difficult to “hang back” if you’re trying to achieve a full, balanced finish. This thought keeps things simple and promotes the correct chain of events without getting you tied up in knots.

Final Thoughts

Hitting behind the golf ball boils down to a low-point problem, almost always caused by a poor weight transfer and an early release of the wrists. By focusing on getting your weight forward and allowing your body's rotation to deliver the club, you will naturally move your swing's low point ahead of the ball for pure, satisfying contact.

Fixing long-standing swing habits takes patience, and having an expert opinion can make all the difference. When you're out playing and struggling with a particular shot or a tricky lie in the rough, for instance, we know what a difference immediate feedback can make. You can actually use Caddie AI to snap a quick photo of your ball's lie, and it will analyze the situation and give you smart, simple advice on the best way to play the shot. It's like having a tour-level caddie in your pocket, ready to take the guesswork out of difficult situations and help you make a confident, committed swing.