Fat Shots are the Worst, Fix Them Once and For All

November 14th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

The fat shot is one of the worst shots in golf. Not only will the ball generally finish only a few yards in front of you, hitting the ground behind the ball also jars your body. Your hands will hurt. And your wrists. And your shoulders. The superintendent isn’t going to be too happy, either, seeing those big, deep holes in the golf course.Most fat shots occur when the club swings down on too steep a plane. Some of this is due to the notion that to make the ball go up you have to hit down–one of the many clichés that only confuse golfers. Also, most golfers slice, so they swing the club to the left in an attempt to compensate. A swing to the left tends to be steeper than it should be.

Here are a couple of keys for avoiding the fat shot.

Keep your chin up to improve contact

The fatal steepness that causes most fat shots can come at any point in your swing, but it often starts at address.

Most people, when they are introduced to golf, are told to “keep your head down.” Bad thought. Keeping your head down too far at address prevents you from making a proper turn behind the ball and automatically sends the club “up” more than “around” on the back swing. You are condemned to make an overly steep downswing.

At address you should be bent forward about 20 degrees from your hips. Your knees should be slightly bent. Your back should be close to straight. And your head should be up off your chest. All this promotes clean contact.

Flatten your shoulder turn for a shallower plane

Most fat shots are the result of the “steep fat” swing. (Although there is also such a thing as a “shallow fat” shot, it’s rare among amateur players.)

If your divots are too deep with your irons or if you’re taking divots with your driver, you need to flatten out your swing.

Focus first on your hands and arms. Try to get them to swing more around your body rather than up and down in a straight line. Practice hitting shots from a side hill lie with the ball above your feet. This will force you to swing flatter. Feel how your forearms rotate away from the ball, then back on the through-swing.

Another cause of steep fat shots can be too steep a shoulder turn.
As a drill, stand as if at address with your arms across your chest. Now turn, trying to keep your shoulders as level as possible. Keep your left shoulder up as much as possible. Don’t let it dip. Chances are you won’t do it enough at first. So exaggerate the opposite feel.

Adapted from the book No More Bad Shots, by Hank Haney with John Huggan. Published by Total Sports Publishing. [C]2001, by Hank Haney.

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