How to Hit the Ball Before the Ground in Golf

Nothing stalls a round faster than the frustrating ‘thud’ of hitting the ground before the golf ball. That heavy, fat shot sends a jolt up your arms and sends the ball dribbling just a few yards ahead, but it's a habit many golfers share and one we can definitely fix. This isn't about some massive swing overhaul, it's about understanding one simple geometric idea and learning how to get your body to cooperate. This guide will walk you through exactly why you're hitting it fat and provide clear, actionable steps and drills to start making that clean, ball-first contact you're looking for.

Why You're Hitting it Fat (And It’s Not What You Think)

For most golfers who hit behind the ball, the root cause is a very natural but incorrect instinct: trying to help the ball into the air. When you see the ball resting on the grass, your brain tells you that you need to get under it to lift it. This triggers a scooping motion, where the hands flip, the wrists break down, and you try to act like a human sand wedge. Unfortunately, golf clubs are designed to work in the exact opposite way.

The real issue boils down to one thing: the low point of your swing. Every golf swing moves in an arc or a circle. The very bottom of that circle is its low point. If you hit the shot 'fat', it simply means the low point of your swing happened behind the golf ball. Your club finished its downward travel and started moving up again before it ever reached the ball, causing it to dig into the turf first.

The Main Culprit: The Reverse Pivot

So, what causes this early low point? Most of the time, it’s hanging back on your right side (for a right-handed golfer) through the downswing. Instead of shifting your weight toward the target as you start down, you keep your weight on your back foot. Your entire body - and by extension, your swing's center - is tiled away from the target. From this position, the only place the club can bottom out is behind the ball.

Think of你的your body like a tall building. If the building is leaning backward, anything dropped from the top will land behind the center of its foundation. The same goes for your swing. If your body is leaning back, your clubs will ground out behind the golf ball.

The Simple Secret to Crisp, Ball-First Contact

To strike an iron shot flush, the goal is always the same: hit the ball first, then the ground. This creates that satisfying 'pinching' sensation and the tour-pro-style divot that starts where the ball was and continues for a few inches toward the target. In order to achieve this, you need to ensure the low point of your swing's arc is in front of the golf ball.

How do we do that? By understanding that the golf club's loft is what gets the ball airborne, not your scooping effort. Your job is to deliver the clubhead on a descending path, striking down on the ball. The club does the rest. Changing your mindset from "lifting the ball" to "hitting down an through the wall" is the first big step.

• The Goal: Create a descending blow into the back of a golf ball.
• The Result: The ball is compressed against the clubface, launching into the air as the club continues down to brush the turf.
• The Feeling: A solid ‘click’, not a dull 'thud'.

To make this happen, we need to focus on two connected movements: the proper weight shift to start the downswing and keeping your body center moving through the shot.

Part 1: The All-Important Weight Shift

The transition from backswing to downswing is where most fat shots are born. Good golfers make a seamless shift that sets up a powerful, descending blow. Many amateurs, on the other hand, start the downswing by spinning their body or throwing their hands at the ball from the top.

The first move down should feel less like a pure rotation and more like a simple 'bump' or shift of your hips toward the target. Think of it like a baseball player stepping toward the pitcher before they swing, or someone skipping a stone across a lake. You shift your weight onto your front foot before initiating the main action. This simple, initial slide toward the target gets your entire body and the low point of your swing moving in the right direction - forward.

Here’s the sequence:

1. At the top of your backswing, feel the majority of your weight loaded onto your back foot. Don't be afraid to feel a coil into that rear leg.
2. To initiate the downswing, your very first action should be a small lateral push with your hips toward the target. It’s a subtle but powerful move.
3. Once that slight forward bump has occurred, then you can start unwinding and rotating your hips and torso through the impact zone.

This sequence fundamentally relocates your swing’s low point. By getting your weight moving forward *before* you unwind, you automatically position your body to hit down on the ball andstrike the turf after impact.

Part 2: Get Your Chest Through the Shot

The forward weight shift naturally leads to the next step: keeping your upper body, specifically your sternum or shirt buttons, moving with the lower body. If your weight shifts forward but your chest hangs back, you'll still struggle with inconsistent contact.

At the point of impact, your chest should be directly over the golf ball or even slightly ahead of it. This proves your body's center of mass is in the right place to deliver that downward strike. It’s the visual confirmation that you have successfully transferred your weight.

A great swing thought is to focus on finishing your swing with your chest facing the target. If you can achieve a balanced finish position with 90% of your weight on your front foot and your shirt buttons pointing where you want the ball to go, it's almost physically impossible to have left your weight behind during theswing. This encourages a full turn-through, preventing you from stalling and flipping at the ball.

My Favorite Drills to Engrain Ball-First Contact

Understanding these concepts is one thing, feeling them in your swing is another. These drills are designed to take the guesswork out and give your body instant feedback, helping you learn the correct feelings faster.

Drill #1: The Towel Behind the Ball

This is a classic for a reason - it works. It directly punishes the exact move that causes fat shots.

• Take an old towel or a club headcover and place it on the ground about six inches behind your golf ball.
• Set up to the ball as you normally would.
• Your one and only goal is to hit the ball a solid shot without your club touching the towel on the way through.

If you hang back on your right side or try to scoop the ball, you will hit the towel before you reach the ball. There's no hiding from it. To miss the towel, you are forced to shift your weight forward and create a downward angle of attack. This provides powerful, immediate reinforcement of the correct motion.

Drill #2: The Line Drill

This drill trains your ability to consistently control the low point of your swing and see where it's happening in relation to the ball.

• On the grass at the driving range, spray paint a straight line (athlete's foot spray works great for a temporary mark) or even just use a distinct line on a turf mat.
• Set up with the ball placed directly on top of the line.
• Hit shots and observe your divot. The goal is for your divot to always start on or just after the line and continue forward.

If your divots are starting behind the line, you know your low point is too early. This visual feedback helps you connect the feeling of the forward weight shift with the actual result on the ground. Keep hitting balls, focusing on starting every divot at the line.

Drill #3: Kickstand Swings

This drill exaggerates the feeling of having your weight on your front side, making it easier to replicate in your full swing.

• Set up to the ball, then pull your back foot (right foot for a righty) backward a couple of feet, resting only the toe on the ground for balance - like a bicycle kickstand.
• About 80-90% of your weight should now be planted firmly on your front foot.
• From here, take slow, smooth half-swings.

You’ll immediately find that this stance makes it impossible to hang back. It forces you to rotate around your front leg, a feeling central to great iron play. It's an excellent way to train your body to stay centered over the ball through impact.

Final Thoughts

Fixing fat shots isn’t complicated. Pure contact is simply the result of hitting down on the ball by moving your swing's low point in front of it. By focusing first on a slight forward shift to start the downswing, and then turning your chest through to a balanced finish, you give yourself the best chance to do exactly that.

Changing swing habits at the range is great, but translating that feel onto the course, especially from a tricky lie in the rough, can sometimes be a challenge. Getting simple, clear advice in those uncertain moments is invaluable, and with Caddie AI, you can get it instantly. If you find yourself in a nasty spot where ball-first contact feels impossible, you can snap a photo of the lie, and our AI can immediately analyze the situation and suggest the best way to play it, giving you the confidence to execute the shot properly.