That heart-sinking thud of your club hitting the turf an inch behind the ball is a sound every golfer knows too well. Often called hitting a shot fat or chunky, this mistake robs you of distance, kills your accuracy, and can leave you dreading your approach shots. This isn't just a beginner's problem, it can creep into the games of experienced players, too. This article will break down exactly why this happens and give you the clear, actionable understanding - and the exact drills you need - to stop hitting the ground behind the ball for good.
To hit a crisp, clean iron shot that zips off the clubface, you have to achieve one simple thing: your swing's "low point" needs to happen after the golf ball. The low point is the very bottom of your swing arc. When you hit a shot fat, it’s a clear signal that your low point is happening too early - it's bottoming out behind the ball.
Imagine your clubhead swinging in a large circle. For an iron shot, you want to strike the ball on a slightly downward part of that moving circle, with the absolute bottom of the circle occurring a few inches in front of where the ball was. This creates that "ball-then-turf" contact that good players produce, resulting in a clean divot that starts after the ball.
So, what causes your low point to shift backwards? It almost always comes down to one of these three primary culprits:
The single most important change you can make to stop hitting it fat is to master your weight transfer. Great ball strikers don't just unwind from the top, they make a C motion into their forward leg to start the downswing, shifting their pressure and weight
The feeling is of a slight bump or shift of the hips towards the target. This simple, initial move repositions the center of your swing forward. Once your weight has shifted, then you can unwind your hips and torso as aggressively as you want. At the moment of impact, you should feel that roughly 80-90% of your pressure is on your lead foot. This forward weight position virtually guarantees that the low point of your golf swing will be at or after the golf ball.
Standing in front of a mirror can help with this. You are trying to move pressure without sliding too far.
While the weight shift is the main event, your setup can either make that shift easier or much, much harder. A couple of small adjustments to your address position can set you up for success before you even start the swing.
Your ball position has a direct link to a repeating golf swing that gets you hitting the ball first and the turf second. Placing the ball in the right spot for each club makes a forward low point feel more automatic. An incorrect ball position can force you to make compensations that often lead to fat or thin shots. Here’s a simple guide:
A ball that is too far forward in your stance for your wedge, for example, is a very common cause of fat shots. Your swing arc will want to bottom out in the middle of your stan and the ball a few inches foward of it, resulting in you hitting the ground behind the ball.
When you look at a professional golfer at impact, you'll always see their hands are ahead of the clubhead. This "forward shaft lean" is a result of a good weight shift, but you can encourage it at address. As you set up, allow your hands to rest so they are just slightly in front of the ball, over your left thigh. This creates a small amount of shaft lean from the start. It physically sets the club up to strike the ball on a descending blow and helps you resist the urge to scoop.
Knowing what to do is half the battle, but ingraining that move into your swing requires repetition. These drills provide incredibly effective in forcing your body to shift properly and producing a forward low-point.
This is arguably the most effective drill for curing fat shots. It provides instant, undeniable feedback.
This is a an equally simple but very visual and powerful way to teach yourself the feeling of ball-first contact.
This drill actively promotes the aggressive weight transfer that elite players have.
The solution to stop hitting the ground behind the golf ball almost always revolves around getting your swing's low point ahead of the golf ball. You achieve this with a dynamic weight shift to your lead foot to start the downswing, supported by a correct ball position and the elimination of any "scooping" motion with your wrists. Making these movements a habit with focused drills is the fastest way to turn those dreaded fat shots into crisp, powerful strikes.
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