Hitting Fat - Help!

[Righty to Lefty]

First off I think that you swing looks pretty good overall and I don't think that you are doing anything majorly incorrect. You stay on plane pretty well and you don't dip (notice how your head stays relatively still) which would surely cause you to hit it fat. I think that your posture is pretty good with the 7 and the wedge might be a lil short because your hands did look a lil close to your body. I did notice one thing that may help though but I'm not 100% sure because of the angle of the video might be at a slight angle. In your first video if you could pause it halfway back I think you brought the clubhead to far to the inside. In the second video notice how the big difference at halfway back between the bad shot (second swing) and the good one(third swing). At half way back if the camera is directly behind you all you should see is the clubhead and pretty much no part of the shaft (as if your were shaking hands with someone directly behind you). If this is the correct camera angle and that is the case then you would get stuck and can't get out of your own way and that creates a bunch of problems. You are also moving you lower body in conjunction with your takeaway because in the second video at halfway back your left knee has already bent when there shouldn't really be much lower body in the takeaway til after about halfway back. Also take some practice swings and notice where the ball is contacting the ground and place the ball just behind that position. Once you've done that don't focus on hitting the ball, focus on your target to try and remove the "HIT" reflex so you don't tense up at impact. Hope this helps.

[mm6840]

Hi,

second video shows pretty good swing basics. All together : too much arms dominated swing (it's normal for beginners).
You're going in one plane direction (you're not too much bend over for that type of swing) However you should know that one plane (or stack&tilt;) basics are :
1. Backswing with no active shift to your right side/leg)
2. step onto your left leg (one or two ticks before ending your backswing)
3. downswing with yours hips/torso to the left(right elbow stay at your'e right side longer)

my guess you don't have 2 move and result is you're staying too much behind and hitting the ground first.

regards,

[hancho]

keep your right knee flex. Your right knee is straightening out on your back swing which can cause you to hit fat. Also at the same time your left knee is sticking out too much to the ball during the backswing.

[Titleist Man]

Your head is probably falling back try pushing forward w/ your head. Helped me you will hit straighter too.

[RC]

Pretty classic case of dropping the club under the plane, coming inside on the backswing. At 3 o'clock, the club shaft points well right of your target. From there you go steep, then unavoidably cast over the top.

Think about the plane of the hands and shoulders, and the plane of the clubhead and shoulders. Try keeping the club above your hands and either keeping it pointed right at the target or just a tad left of the target at waist high (3 o'clock). You should be able to swing down on plane if you don't get the club crossing the plane twice.

Hitting fat is a normal problem with casters. If you turn back through on plane, letting the left hip crank the downswing, you should flatten out a bit through impact.

[PingGKEN]

I will agree with the "casting" comments. Have a look at this freeze frame of your downswing on the 2nd swing in that video. See how the club head is being thrown out to the right? At this point, the club head should be over your hands.

[TigerWu]

I recently got new clubs and they were fitted. Now I am hitting the ball fat everytime. When I adjust I start to chunk the ball. Help....any tips

[brahl]

RC,
Thanks for the tips. I am going to work on your tips and keeping my shaft pointed down my target line as my heads reach my waist level.

PingGKEN,
I found nearly that same frame when I was reviewing the video myself. I clearly am casting - good eyes.

- Brian

[PingGKEN]

RC,

Good luck. I am trying to stop casting as well. I have trouble "letting go" and trusting that the club will release itself based on its momentum. I focus so much on "hitting" the ball that I force the release way too soon.

[brahl]

Guys, terrible day at the range. I was so pissed that I dumped my bag all over the floor when I walked in the door of my house.

I have completely lost my swing.

Pissed off.

[baddawg]

Have you at all corrected that casting problem? I have the same casting problem when I hit my irons, and was wondering if you had any success. I have started to compensate for this by aiming about a 1/2in in front of the ball, which has had some positive effects, but I would like to correct the swing problem itself.

[brahl]

No, not really. I found this webpage to be somewhat helpful - the videos are most important.

http://perfectgolfswingreview.net/casting.htm

- Brian

[madcityscott]

I was having the same problem. What helped me most is not trying to hit the ball, but rather focusing on swinging through the ball. Weight shift has helped, too.

I recommend Jim McLean's 8 Step Swing video. It's very detailed but he does a great job of breaking down where your club should be at various stages of the swing.

[Jenks465]

Hey there, just stumbed across this thread and looking through it I think I might be able to give you somethings that might help. First off congrats on the massive improvement in your set up position between video 1 and 2 that really doesn't seem to be an issue now! What does seem to be the main issue is how low you swing your hands in the backswing (you can really tell that you used to play baseball )! What you really need to do is feel like you are swinging the club very high in the backswing like Davis Love does. Find a video of Davis's swing on youtube and just stand in front of a mirror and try and copy the top of the backswing position that he gets to. Do it ten or fifteen times a day and you should see a lot of progress pretty quickly. The second thing I noticed was a real lack of balance in the follow through. For that i'd suggest again working in front of a mirror and try and copy the finish position of any pro player you like. Weight on the left foot, right shoulder pointing at the target, club wrapped around your neck. Then when you go to the range hold that position at the end of every shot!
Hope this helps, Jenks.

[JtotheD]

The second thing I noticed was a real lack of balance in the follow through.

Great observation....I was just thinking that he looked like he was swinging way too hard for just an iron.

Try 3/4 backswing with a 3/4 follow through.....THIS is how far your irons are supposed to go. Too many of us amateurs try to hit irons as far as the pros and to do it we sacrifice balance, rhythm, and timing. When at the range, try hitting 100 yrd 8-irons....nothing better for someone that is casting and/or coming Over-the-top. This will help you find the inside approach on the downswing (the slot), AND help you learn to get the power from your legs instead of your upper body. Best of luck to ya!

[JetFan1983]

Whenever I'm hitting it fat, I just move the ball back in my stance to where my divots are starting. Its a great short term fix. I wouldn't overthink the problem of hitting it fat too much. Obviously your swing will go through a lot of transformations as you improve, but for your next round, just move the ball back a bit and watch them fly off a clean club face.

[Flatswinger]

A video shot facing you, perpendicular to target line would help us see what’s going on better than the shot from behind. The swing looks pretty good to me in general.

What you need to do is move the bottom of your swing arc [where the club hits the ground] forward, toward the target:

1.Make sure that your downswing begins with a pronounced lower body move & does NOT begin with your hands!
2.Your hands must be ahead of the ball at impact. Looking down, you need to see the ball “behind” your hands, that is, closer to your target than the ball.
3.Think of turning your shoulders around your spine to avoid swaying backwards. Retain the bend in your right knee throughout the backswing & you will know you’re OK. Keeping your head relatively still [but not rigid] can also help.
4.You can play the ball further back in your stance, too, but that’s more of an emergency move while you’re on the course than a solution.