Nothing stalls a great round faster than that dreaded thud of a heavy or fat golf shot. Instead of a crisp, compressed sound and a soaring ball flight, you get a giant patch of turf, a weak shot that travels a fraction of the intended distance, and a whole lot of frustration. This article will break down exactly what a fat shot is, the common reasons golfers hit them, and most importantly, simple and effective drills you can start using today to promote clean, ball-first contact.
A fat shot, sometimes called a "heavy" or "chunky" shot, happens when the bottom of your golf club makes contact with the ground before it makes contact with the golf ball. The clubhead digs into the earth, losing a massive amount of speed and energy before ever reaching the ball. The result is a shot that goes significantly shorter than planned and usually flies much lower.
Think of it this way: your iron is designed to strike the ball on a slightly descending path, contacting the ball first and then brushing the turf afterward to create a divot on the target side of where the ball was. When you hit it fat, you essentially take your divot from behind the ball. All that dirt and grass between the clubface and the ball smothers the impact, killing your power and distance. It's the polar opposite of a "thin" shot, where the club hits only the upper half of the ball without touching the ground.
To stop hitting fat shots, you first have to understand the single most important concept: the low point of your swing. Imagine your clubhead swinging like a pendulum on a perfect circle or arc. The very bottom of that arc is the "low point" - the one spot where the club is closest to the ground. For a perfect iron shot, the low point of that swing arc needs to occur after the golf ball.
This creates that beautiful, descending blow that compresses the ball against the clubface for maximum power and spin before the club continues down for a shallow divot. This "ball-then-turf" contact is what all great ball-strikers achieve consistently.
When you hit a fat shot, something in your swing has caused that low point to shift a few critical inches backward. Your swing is bottoming out behind the ball. Instead of ball-then-turf, you get turf-then-ball. Every problem that causes a fat shot stems from this fundamental error: your swing's low point is in the wrong place. The rest of this guide is all about helping you move it back to where it belongs - just in front of the ball.
Let's look at the most common flaws that move that low point behind the ball. As you read through these, see which one sounds the most familiar.
This is arguably the number one cause of fat shots for amateur golfers. Hitting a powerful iron shot requires a dynamic a weight shift from your back foot to your front foot during the downswing. Many players get to the top of their backswing and simply turn from there, leaving their weight stuck on their back leg. When your weight hangs back, your entire swing center - and thus, the low point of your swing - hangs back with it, causing the club to bottom out behind the ball.
During the downswing, you want to maintain the angle created in your wrists for as long as possible. This is often called "lag," and it stores power to be unleashed at the last possible moment, right at the ball. "Casting" is the opposite. It’s when a golfer unhinges their wrists prematurely from the top of the downswing. By throwing the clubhead early, the swing arc becomes much wider too soon. The club hits its lowest point well behind the ball, resulting in a classic fat shot.
A good golf swing is rotational. The body - your hips and shoulders - turns around a relatively stable axis (your spine). A common fault is swaying, where the golfer’s hips and upper body slide laterally away from the target on the backswing. While a small amount of lateral motion is okay, a big sway moves your swing center several inches behind the ball. Unless you make an equally large and perfectly-timed sway forward on the downswing (which is very hard to do), your low point will stay behind the ball.
This is a simpler, setup-related issue, but it's very common. If the ball is positioned too far forward in your stance for the club you're hitting, you can hit it fat. For example, playing a 9-iron off your lead heel (a driver position) means your club will have already reached its low point and started swinging back up by the time it gets to the ball. And where was that low point? Behind the ball...hello, fat shot.
Understanding the "why" is great, but now it's time for the "how." These drills provide instant feedback and will help train your body to achieve that a proper, ball-first impact position and move your swing's low point forward.
This is my all-time favorite drill for fixing fat shots because its feedback is immediate and impossible to ignore.
If your low point is behind the ball, you will smash the towel and probably send it flying forward. The only way to miss the towel and hit the ball cleanly is to deliver the club on a descending angle with your low point at, or preferably after, the ball. Start with small, half-swings and gradually work your way up to full swings. This drill brilliantly forces you to get your weight forward and maintain your wrist angles longer.
This drill helps golfers visualize and feel the desired ball-then-turf contact.
After each shot, look down. Where did your divot start? A perfect divot will be a shallow rectangle that starts precisely where the line was and extends a few inches forward. If your divot starts behind the line, you know your low point is in the wrong spot.
This drill is exceptional for fixing poor weight shift - the number one cause of fat shots. It trains your body to move dynamically through the shot and not hang back.
You can't "hang back" and perform this drill. It forces you to get 100% of your weight onto your front side through impact, which is essential for moving that low point in front of the ball. It can feel a little odd a first, but it is an incredible tool for learning the feeling of a proper weight transfer.
Hitting fat shots is immensely frustrating, but it's also fixable. Remember that it's almost always a symptom of your swing bottoming out behind the ball, often caused by poor weight shift or an early release of the wrists. By focusing on drills like the towel drill or the step-through drill, you can train your body to create clean, ball-first contact, moving the low point forward and exchanging that ugly "thud" for a satisfying "click."
Sometimes, a fat shot isn't just about general technique, it’s caused by a specific, tricky lie on the course, like a steep downhill slope or soggy turf. For those moments, you need more than a generic swing thought. Getting instant, on-demand advice for your exact situation is invaluable. With our app, Caddie AI, you can snap a photo of a tricky lie, and we’ll instantly analyze it and give you a simple, clear strategy - like where to aim, how to adjust your ball position, and what swing feeling to focus on. It removes the doubt and helps you commit to the shot with confidence, turning a potential disaster into a smart play.
Thinking about hosting a golf tournament fundraiser is the first swing, executing it successfully is what gets the ball in the hole. This guide will walk you through the entire process, step-by-step, from laying the initial groundwork months in advance to watching your happy golfers tee off. We’ll cover everything from securing sponsors and setting your budget to planning the on-course fun that makes an event unforgettable.
A golf handicap does more than just give you bragging rights (or a reason to demand strokes from your friends) - it’s the game’s great equalizer and the single best way to track your improvement. This guide breaks down what a handicap is, how the supportive math behind a handicap index a is, and exactly how you can get one for yourself. We’ll look at everything from Course Rating to Adjusted Gross Score, helping you feel confident both on the course and in the clubhouse.
The compression of a Pinnacle Rush golf ball is one of its most defining features, engineered specifically to help a huge swath of golfers get more distance and enjoyment from their game. We'll break down exactly what its low compression means, who it's for, and how you can use that knowledge to shoot lower scores.
Figuring out which spikes go into your new (or old) pair of Puma golf shoes can feel like a puzzle, but it’s much simpler than you think. The key isn't the brand of the shoe, but the type of receptacle system they use. This guide will walk you through exactly how to identify your Puma's spike system, choose the perfect replacements for your game, and change them out like a pro.
The Golf Genius app is one of the best tools for managing and participating in competitive golf events, but figuring it out for the first time can feel like reading a new set of greens. This guide cuts through the confusion and shows you exactly how to use the app as a player. We’ll cover everything from logging into your tournament and entering scores to checking the live leaderboard so you can enjoy the competition without any tech headaches.
Walking onto the first tee with sweaty palms, worried you’ll be a good partner to paly wtih...or even asked back again ...We’ve all been there - trust me! The real trick of feeling confortable... is about how you handle you’re ready to plsy. THIS guide explains the simple rules of the rode to show you hnow t play golf while staying calm relaxed and focused... an having much morse fun while you,',re aat it? You'll also play with confidence a dn make fiendsa while you're at i
Just ask a question or share a photo and Caddie gives personalized guidance for every shot - anytime, anywhere.
