Hitting the ground before the golf ball, taking a divot the size of a dinner plate, and watching your shot limp a few yards forward is one of the most frustrating experiences in golf. This shot, universally known as a fat or heavy shot, happens when the bottom of your swing arc occurs *behind* the ball instead of at, or slightly in front of it. In this guide, we'll break down exactly why you hit it fat and give you straightforward, actionable drills to make clean, crisp contact shot after shot.
In simple terms, a fat shot is a miss-hit where the club head hits the ground first, digging into the turf and losing a massive amount of speed before it ever makes contact with the ball. The result is a shot that goes a fraction of the distance you intended, often with a large, ugly piece of sod flying further than the ball itself.
The goal with any iron or wedge shot is to strike the ball first, and then the turf. This is what instructors mean when they talk about a "descending blow" or "compressing the ball." You are hitting down and through the ball's position. When done correctly, the lowest point of your swing - what we call the "low point" - happens just after the ball. This is what creates that PGA Tour-quality sound and a crisp, shallow divot that starts where the ball used to be and points toward your target.
So, why is your low point behind the ball? It's not one single fault, but usually a combination of a few common mistakes. Let's look at the biggest culprits.
When I see a student struggling with fat shots, their swing flaw almost always falls into one of these four categories. See if any of these sounds familiar.
This is easily the number one cause of fat shots among amateur golfers. Many players get stuck with their weight on their trail foot (the right foot for a right-handed player) during the downswing. Think about it: if your body’s center of gravity is hanging back, the bottom of your swing arc will naturally be further back, too. This puts the low point well behind the ball, leading to a fat shot.
This often stems from a misconception that you need to "help" or "lift" the ball into the air. In a subconscious attempt to scoop the ball, you'll lean back, your trail shoulder will drop, and your weight gets stranded. The proper golf swing involves a fluid transfer of weight from your trail foot to your lead foot during the downswing, moving the low point forward and ensuring you hit the ball first.
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Your setup can doom you before you even start the swing. If your ball position is too far forward in your stance for the club you're hitting, you are making a clean strike incredibly difficult. With an iron, your swing bottoms out somewhere around the middle of your stance (or just forward of it). If the ball is placed way up by your lead foot (like a driver position), your club will have already hit its low point and started traveling *upwards* by the time it reaches the ball. But before it gets there, it an slam into the ground.
A good rule of thumb:
Moving the ball back to the correct position is often the simplest and quickest fix for fat shots.
This is the mental error that causes so many physical problems. Golfers see the ball sitting on the ground and feel an overwhelming instinct to get under it to help lift it. This "scooping" motion involves flipping your wrists at impact, breaking down your lead wrist, and adding loft to the clubface. This motion completely destroys any good mechanics you had in your swing.
When you try to scoop, your hands slow down, and the clubhead races past them. This flips the low point of the swing to behind the ball in an instant. You must trust that the club's built-in loft will get the ball airborne. Your job is to deliver the clubhead with a descending blow, letting your body rotation and forward shaft lean do the work. Remember: hit down to make the ball go up.
A consistent swing radius is essential for consistent contact. At address, you establish a certain posture and distance from the ball. If that changes dramatically during the swing - specifically, if your body gets closer to the ground on the downswing - you're going to hit the turf early.
This "collapse" can happen in two ways:
Maintaining your spine angle and rotating around a stable lower body keeps the low point of your swing consistent, which is fundamental to clean ball-striking.
Understanding the causes is half the battle. Now, let's get to work with some drills you can do at the driving range to actively fix the problem and build the feeling of ball-first contact.
This is the classic, can't-miss drill for fixing your low point. It gives you instant, undeniable visual feedback.
If you need more pronounced feedback, this drill is for you. It's impossible to ignore when you do it wrong.
This drill makes it physically impossible to keep your weight on your back foot. It's excellent for golfers who know they "hang back" but can't seem to stop themselves.
Banishing the fat shot comes down to one core concept: controlling the low point of your swing. By ensuring your weight moves correctly to your lead side and trusting the loft of your club to do its job, you can make the "ball-then-turf" contact that defines great ball-striking. Practice these drills consistently, and the thud of a fat shot will be replaced by the crisp click of a purely struck golf ball.
When you face an intimidating tee shot or a tricky lie in the rough, it’s natural for bad habits to creep in, and the fear of hitting it fat can take over. For these moments, we created Caddie AI. As your personal on-demand golf expert, our app can give you immediate, personalized advice on how to handle any situation. You can even take a photo of your ball's lie, and our AI will recommend a club and a strategy to help you pull off the shot cleanly, leaving you free to swing with confidence.
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