The fat shot in golf is one of the major problems that is being faced by many beginner golf amateurs.
Yes, the main cause of hitting the fat shots is the lack of experience and knowledge, because beginner golfers are not too aware of these kinds of aspects.
In actuality, the fat shots affect your game and performance both and that is why it’s pretty necessary to overcome it.
In this article, you will learn what causes fat golf iron shots and how to overcome it with the tactics as well.
If you are also one of those who are struggling with their golf with the fat shot, this article is dedicatedly made for you, so don’t miss a single word of this article till the last line of it.
In addition, I will not only show you how to fix the fat golf, but along with reasons, and tactics, I will guide you so you can judge your problem and get it fixed earliest with understanding technically.
Why am I Hitting My Golf Iron Shots Fat?
Worrying about where the club will strike will only slow you down. The most important thing is remembering to maintain an arc-shaped swing to get the clubhead low enough.
A good swing should start with the club behind and below the ball, two inches above ground level.
This will create a divot after contact rather than before, which might be too low.
When intending to strike the ball, players shift their sternum away from the ball. This means that players will typically hit the ground before the ball, and this delays contact.
To correct your posture issue, try this simple exercise. Place an alignment stick adjacent to your left hip at the address. Allow your hip to bump into the stick as you initiate your backswing.
You don’t want to lean back in your swing, or you’ll have less chance of hitting a fat strike.
The best way to do this is to repeat your rhythm by swinging smoothly with your lower body.
8 Ways To Stop Hitting Iron Shots Fat? (Causes and Solution)
Hitting the ball before hitting the ground is usually the goal of an iron shot. Hitting the ball can create a continuous trajectory and spin.
When you’re playing golf, watch your swing and try to identify why the shot is hitting the ground before you hit the ball.
You can watch your own swing in video form to address where the problem lies or someone else can review your swing and help find your issue.
Golfers get fat shots at their low handicap level too, but this can be reduced. By reducing them, you will play better golf.
Next, you are going to get some options for solving a fat shot. This is because there are many reasons that cause the ball to go off course, but I am going to mention the most popular ones that you have come to know earlier as well.
I am not going to suggest you only solutions, you will get the reason and result, both, so you can conclude precisely and solve them according to your understanding.
1. You Keep Ball Far Forward In Your Stance
This can make a big difference in your game. If your ball is too far away, it might hit the ball too hard and not have the desired effect.
Place your ball closer to the right side of your body and make sure your club is leaning toward the right.
2. Your Divot and Addressing Pattern
A successful iron shot is one with proper contact points. You should first strike the ball and then follow through by hitting the ground.
The first step for those who are a little off is addressing the ball. The middle irons should be positioned in front of the ball and your sternum over it.
You should be a fraction of a second in front of the ball. This will make you hit it on the downward angle for bowling, and it will feel crisp.
To start the ball on target, you must ensure that the clubface is pointing in the right direction. To do this, examine your glove at the address. Is it facing the target?
When you take a step, you should distribute the weight 50-50 on your lead foot and back foot.
This will allow you to create a strong angle of attack at the beginning of your swing. Keep the ball back in your stance if you are hitting fat shots, above all.
3. Check Your Swing Path if It is Too Steep
The angle of the club influences how quickly you reach the ground. With a steep swing, the club will hit the ground more quickly and make larger divots in the ground.
It’s a very silly and common problem of over-the-top hitters who are used to having issues with ball slicing.
In your swing, you might be exaggerating the rotation of your shoulder, rather than turning them.
Always think about keeping your shoulders level during a swing, and come up with wider swings to use the sand more effectively.
4. Weight Distribution (Weigh Transfer)
One flaw in hitting a golf shot is your weight distribution during the swing which causes you to fail.
The key is that you should shift your weight towards the back foot during the backswing and then towards the target at the bottom.
Some golfers need to lean back on the swing because they want to fly the ball higher.
This might seem like the logical thing to do, but it will cause you to strike the ball before hitting the ground.
The swing speed and club loft will do the work for you, as long as you have enough speed in your swing.
Take your club back and move your front foot back. Then, as you swing through, step into your starting position for the stance.
This can lead to a better understanding of where your weight should be at the right moment. It’s also a good drill if you’re having trouble hitting across the ball.
5. Don’t Leave Your Weight on Your Back Foot Totally
If you tend to lean backward throughout the swing, your club will end up too far behind the ball, causing it to swing in front of it.
Catch your weight in the downswing by transferring it to your left side. Holding back at impact, instead of leaning forward, will help you avoid squaring the clubface and hitting the ball fat.
6. Your Attacking Angle
If you want to improve your golf shot, you need to learn to compress the impact that occurs by the golf ball.
You want the feeling that you are hitting down and through the ball with your irons. This will make it easier to find the right angle of attack.
Mostly, the pro golfers are used to using the 7 iron with 4 degrees, here you can replace your iron with hybrids as well.
Instead of following a strict outline, try placing a tee in front of your ball, concentrate on your ball, swing the club down low to the ball, and forget about the hole. You will start to create a downward arc that will strike better contact with the ball.
7. Don’t Drop During The Downswing
When you squat or lower your head during the downswing, your swing will arc and be more difficult to get under the ball.
As you swing and maintain your head in a system spot, simultaneously keep the height in your knees.
To be good at golf, it is important to play with technique. A consistent technique ensures good ball contact and a correct head position.
8. Never Ever Even Try to Killing Ball
What often happens is that a less experienced golfer will try to force the ball and make it travel upward, with an angle that’s too steep.
If you do so, you can not be escaped by creating the fat shot, so don’t try to do so.
How to Avoid Hitting Fat Shots in Wet Conditions
When the course is wet or muddy, it is important to make sure you have enough control over your club.
When it’s wet out, you should shorten your stance a bit so that you can hit the ball first.
You should focus on the swing and keep your mind clear of the conditions. Be sure to that first you strike the ball.
FAQs:
Can a strong grip cause fat shots?
If you have a firm grip, it will be easy to release on the downswing and make contact with the ground.
How Much Turf Should My Divot Take?
It is not a set rule, but a good divot should be at least 6 inches. This is based on the ball’s position and how long your blade is. If the blade is about 3 inches long, then you should break down ground twice as deep for an optimal divot.
Final Thoughts
One way to fix your problem with fat shots is by going through the following causes one by one and making the appropriate adjustments.
This most likely will not work, so if it does not you should try to do an adjustment for any two at once.
No matter what, don’t expect the above changes to fix your golf shots. That is often not the full cause of faulty golf swings, and for fixing your fat shot problem, use the fixes mentioned in this article.
In order to land the perfect swing, you must follow a step-by-step guide. You just need to follow our blogs regularly, in which we explore the solutions and tactics of golf that have real potential to improve your golfing.