Fat Shots

[Caddyshack]

im just curious as to what causes fat shots? my ironplay is pretty solid at the moment but when i do have an off day its fat shots that cause me trouble, what causes them , are there any good drills/thoughts for fixing it when they pop up

[iacas]

im just curious as to what causes fat shots? my ironplay is pretty solid at the moment but when i do have an off day its fat shots that cause me trouble, what causes them , are there any good drills/thoughts for fixing it when they pop up

1. Weight not forward enough at impact.

2. Flipping. That's about it. I suppose it could also be "you bend over coming into impact" but Charles Barkley's about the only guy to do that.

[PingGKEN]

Oh my, if golf was all about how many fat shots you can make, then I would win! I have never thinned one in my life, literally. I.....am.....a......scooper. I have never learned the feeling of hands ahead / ball first contact. My instructor and I dedicated our whole lesson to learning that feeling. We started with chips, then on to 1/2 swings, really overdoing the "hands ahead" feeling. I think we are on to something, and I can safely say that, if you get your hands through impact properly ahead of the ball first, then "chunking" is actually a hard thing to do!

[jamo]

If you dip your head at the beginning of the downswing and never return it, that could cause fat shots.

[ks8829]

A fat shot is when you hit the big ball before the little ball. Try the following:

1) make sure that your hands are extended towards the ground with the club in your hand, yet relaxed and without tension
2) you might be swaying so practice swing a golf club with your feet together. This will prevent you from swaying otherwise you will lose your balance and fall down. You could also hit ball this way.

[bong_crosby]

I feel your pain. I had a bad spell last year where I was chunkin' it way too much. I did a lot of research and found these are the causes (in no particular order):

1. Body/head movement. If you're lunging at the ball, obviously it will be difficult to make solid contact
2. Casting (or flipping as another described it) the club. This is when you flip or cup your wrists before impact. Watch the Taly video on the main page of this site, it has a good description of body position at impact.
3. Improper swing plane - do a search on Youtube for "haney fat shots" and you'll find the video for this.
4. Not getting back to your left side (if you're a righty).

Actually, if you do a search on Youtube of "golf fat shots" you'll get a bunch of good instructional videos to help you out.

I found my problem was #2, #3, and #4, so I worked on incorporating various parts of those in my practice.

Good luck.

[kfowler]

Food for thought, a fat shot and a thing shot are generally caused by the same issue. Only difference in a thin shot is you try and save the shot by separating your elbows.

[Deryck Griffith]

Fat shots can be caused by your swing bottom happening before the ball vs. after the ball. I would focus on transferring your weight over to your left side during the down swing while maintaining lag. Casting (which was previously mentioned) could also be a definite cause which from throwing away your lag to early.