In golf, there are many types of flawed shots, like a slice or a hook. Another type that makes the annoying list is hitting the ball fat.
It isn’t as common as the infamous slice, but hitting it fat, can be just as frustrating — it ruins the beauty of the game. Similar to all of the golf swing mechanics and fixing, once the player is aware of what their flaw is or what they are doing wrong, only then can they begin working on correcting it.
With fixing a slice, there are tips and strategies that you can apply on your own by going out to the range. However, when you are trying to correct hitting the ball fat, it is nearly impossible to see what you are doing wrong without someone else’s help and judgement.
With that said, if possible, it would be a smart move to get a golfing buddy to watch your swing. On top of that, it should be someone who you can ask to keep an eye out for the items that will be discussed below.
Below, we will discuss the possible culprits for your undesired habit of hitting the ball fat.
Your Rear Shoulder and Hips
To start us all off, here’s one for your shoulders which are primarily engaged with every swing you take.
Emphasis is always placed on maintaining a squared stance at address, through the swing, and even to the follow through.
If you find yourself hitting the ball fat, one of the most common causes is you’re dropping your rear shoulder. As indicated by “rear,” this is the shoulder that is farthest away from the target. For right-handed golfers, it is your right shoulder, and for left-handed players, the further is your left shoulder.
Whenever you are given a piece of golf advice, it is important to know the effect of your error, and the effect of your adjustment.
When your rear shoulder drops, whichever shoulder it may be, the club inevitably hits the ground way before it should. In turn, this results to a messy shot and no one wants that.
More often than not, hitting the ball fat occurs when a player tries to swing too hard with the hopes of gaining distance. However, this causes the downswing to start with a lot of hip motion. Instead, optimized power behind your shot comes from a smooth, complete hip turn.
With absorbing techniques, it should always be paired with practice and application. Drills and exercises are also very helpful for players trying to correct something.
As an example, you can try this simple exercise for your rear shoulder. First, take a club and assume your normal address.
Next, you should bring the club up to the very top of your backswing and then, stop. With the club at the top, slowly and horizontally slide your hips towards the target area and take notice of what happens to your rear shoulder. With this exercise, you can see that it naturally dips down too!
Remember the note we added about needed a golfing buddy? This is where it comes into play.
If your friend is around, you should do this exact same exercise again in a slower motion. The next move is to ask them to keep an eye for your hips and shoulder, more specifically, to see if your shoulder drops. If they say it does drop, you have most likely found the cause behind hitting the ball fat.
Now that you know the issue, it is time to correct it!
To correct a dropping rear shoulder, you have to learn how to use and engage your lower body properly during the swing, such as your knees and hips. Your hips need to twist, but do not mistaken this with a slide — you should avoid sliding your hips.
Instead, a simple way to make this hip twist happen is to concentrate on starting the downswing with your arms. By doing so, your hips will naturally follow and smoothly twist.
Your Forward Shoulder and Arm
Deviating from the relationship between your rear shoulder and hips, let’s get into another.
When looking to fix the habit of hitting the ball fat, another good technique is to concentrate on keeping your forward shoulder down as well. Your forward shoulder is the opposite of your rear shoulder.
If you consciously keep your forward shoulder down during several practice shots, your body will get the message and turn it into habit. Ultimately, your shots will improve.
With discussing shoulders, you should also remember to keep your forward arm straight as you go into your backswing. A helpful tip: once you get to the top of your swing, think, “Down,” for your forward shoulder, and then transition smoothly into your downswing.
By practicing this, your hips will naturally uncoil. However, with the hips, it is important to not allow them to slide laterally as this will indefinitely lead to a flawed shot.
Final Word
We have now concluded our list of strategies and tips for when you are hitting the ball fat.
In reality, the tips presented here are quite easy enough to apply. Although, the catch swoops in as they typically require a significant amount of time in practicing and experimenting. With every single golf adjustment, the best place to do this is at the practice range. It is also a great place to pick up a golf buddy to help you watch your swing.
As you work on the series of fixes, it is important to remember to go through all of your clubs, and not just the driver. Hitting the ball fat can occur with any club; therefore, you need to practice with each one in your bag to truly master a solid, crisp ball strike.
Many players prefer to start with their short irons, and slowly work their way up when learning a new skill set to correct a flawed shot, such as a slice or hitting the ball fat.
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