What causes a "fat" shot?

[Johnny Par]

Let your hands lead through impact, maintianing the angle of the shaft through impact. If you must exaggerate this, start with the shaft on an angle, hands ahead of the ball and swing through this way. Also keep the weight on the right instep through impact. I got these tips a while back and it improved my iron striking 10fold. I never hit a fat shot anymore. I've also helped my dad using this tip, worked for him, and even had some kid at the hack course ask me if I would give him lessons. LOL. He said he'd never hit iron shots that good before. It was a great feeling to give someone a tip and have it work.

Here's a quick drill you can do anywhere you can tear up a little grass. Grab a short iron and put a tee all the way down in the ground, this is your "ball" now put another tee in the ground a good middle finger length in front of it. Adress your "ball" tee, swing and take both tees out of the ground.

ok, ic. but what does the part about "keep the weight on the right instep through impact" mean?

Does it mean that at impact, I should have my weight on my right side and then have it naturally get transferred to my left side on the follow through?

 

[ezra76]

ok, ic. but what does the part about "keep the weight on the right instep through impact" mean?

Does it mean that at impact, I should have my weight on my right side and then have it naturally get transferred to my left side on the follow through?

At impact your weight should be on the right instep. This is what I read and followed. Took a little while to have it feel natural but now my iron striking is pretty good. I may occasionally thin one but very rarely chunk one.

 

[Johnny Par]

At impact your weight should be on the right instep. This is what I read and followed. Took a little while to have it feel natural but now my iron striking is pretty good. I may occasionally thin one but very rarely chunk one.

ok, i think i got it. I just got back from the range and gave it a shot. I was getting pretty good results but I felt like I was swaying a bit towards the target at impact.

Gonna keep working on it. the number of fat shots definitely decreased.
thanks guys.

 

[Eracer]

ok, i think i got it. I just got back from the range and gave it a shot. I was getting pretty good results but I felt like I was swaying a bit towards the target at impact.

Gonna keep working on it. the number of fat shots definitely decreased.
thanks guys.

You will feel that way. In fact, I think that the Gary Player "step-through" drill is one of the best for improving your weight transfer. And it's faulty weight-transfer that causes fat shots.

To do this drill, take a 7-iron, address the ball normally, swing normally, and after impact, take a step with your right foot towards the target. You want to feel as though the swing is carrying you forward. Sounds weird, but it's one of the best drills I know.

 

[warbirdlover]

Can moving your head also cause thin shots?

stuck@16

yes it can cause all kinds of problems.

 

[Crossfire]

You dont just move your head, theres always something that makes you move it. Since you cant consiously keep your head in the same position, you may have better luck fixing what is causing your balance issues that move your head I also take divots with everything from my 2H on up.

 

[Scotty01292]

Fat shots can be caused by many things... The main one is demonstrated in this picture... Take from it what you want...

 

[GettingInShape]

I've also had a problem with hitting "fat" shots. Thus yesterday I took a lesson and here's what I learned that I need to work on.

#1 GRIP: I was holding the club too much in my palm (my left hand - I'm right handed). The club was coming across my index finger in the correct position. But he had me move in closer to the joint between my little finger and the palm of my hand. He also had me adjust my right hand so that it was a little more on top of the club (covering the thumb on my left hand) and closer to the fingers.

#2 HANDS: I need to lower my hands so that the bottom of the club is level with the ground. We put my swing on a video and the way I was standing (too upright) the toe of my club was lower than the heal.

#3 POSTURE: I need to bend my knees more, stick my butt out, and bend forward more. In otherwards I was too upright.

#4 BACKSWING: He had me shorten my backswing, and "hinge" the club more than I was doing so, and as a result I now get the club back as far as I was before, but I stay online more than before.

#5 WEIGHT TRANSFER: We watched video of several top players. And in almost every case their weight was already onto their left foot by the time the club hit the ball. With the most dramtic being Tiger. In the video we watched of him hitting a 4 iron his weight had transferred to his left foot with the club still a foot away from hitting the ball. His right foot was completely onto his toe before the club struck the ball. And he blamed my
weight transfer as being my number one cause of hitting fat shots.

We started out on the range. Then went and watched video, of both myself and top players. And then went back to the range. And while I'm a long ways from hitting the ball correctly, at least I now know what I need to work on.

Hope this helps.

 

[Big_Bang]

Let your hands lead through impact, maintianing the angle of the shaft through impact. If you must exaggerate this, start with the shaft on an angle, hands ahead of the ball and swing through this way. Also keep the weight on the right instep through impact. I got these tips a while back and it improved my iron striking 10fold. I never hit a fat shot anymore. I've also helped my dad using this tip, worked for him, and even had some kid at the hack course ask me if I would give him lessons. LOL. He said he'd never hit iron shots that good before. It was a great feeling to give someone a tip and have it work.

Here's a quick drill you can do anywhere you can tear up a little grass. Grab a short iron and put a tee all the way down in the ground, this is your "ball" now put another tee in the ground a good middle finger length in front of it. Adress your "ball" tee, swing and take both tees out of the ground.

I think that might chip irons....

 

[solarbear88]

I hit the ball cleanly but I kick up really big macho divots. I even embarrassingly kick up divots with my woods.

How can I control this?

Taking divots after the ball is great. Hitting fat is not. Keep taking them, its a sign of really good contact.

 

[solarbear88]

ok, ic. but what does the part about "keep the weight on the right instep through impact" mean?

Does it mean that at impact, I should have my weight on my right side and then have it naturally get transferred to my left side on the follow through?

Gawd no!!!!!

 

[ezra76]

I think that might chip irons....

Are you playing garbage Pings too?

If it doesn't chip the softest forged irons on the planet it won't chip his.