You're Correct!

If you find that you are hitting a fat golf shot, that simply means you are hitting the ground before you are hitting the ball.

There are several reasons for you hitting the ground before you are hitting the ball, but basically it just means that the low point of your swing arc, the low point of your club head, is too much to the right of the ball. If you hit a crisp shot, the low point of your swing arc is exactly where the ball is, or just to the left of the ball.

One of the reasons that you would find that you are hitting the ground before the ball and that your low point of your swing arc is too early before the ball, is if you are leaning to the right (for right handed golfers) as you are playing the shot. To correct this, work on keeping your weight more forward, more on your left side.

The correct way to set up an effective chip is to play the ball from the middle of your feet. Narrow your stance slightly, because you are not playing for power here. You are playing for accuracy and this will encourage you to balance through the shot. Put your left foot directly back about four to six inches, so that your left toes are level with your shoe laces on your right shoe. This will help you to open your hips and it means that as you play the shot, you will rotate much more easily through impact, towards the target and it will allow the club head to swing down the target line, giving you a really accurate shot.

Place your left foot back slightly, ball in the centre, feet narrow and to make sure that you keep your weight forward, place your hands forward, or more to the left of the golf ball than the club head is at address. Work on creating a really straight line from your left shoulder, all the way down your left arm and then extended down into the shaft of the golf club. If you maintain this really straight line and you keep your hands forward by doing this, you will hit a very, very, crisp golf shot. With your hands forward, allow your hands to be a little bit loose and to go down the grip on the club to hold in a position where your arms are nice and long. Keep your grip pressure nice and light so you are holding the club rather than squeezing it.

Keep your nose on the left side of the golf ball and with your nose on the left side of the golf ball and your hands forward, you should feel that your weight is now on the left side of you.

Maintain the straight line position of your left arm and the club shaft through the shot, with your nose just left of the golf ball and this will keep your weight more forward and you wont lean back through the shot. Swing the straight line from your left shoulder, down your left arm and through the club, back away from the ball on the back swing and then swing it straight through the shot and into the follow through. If you keep the straight line and your weight is forward, you are going to hit a really effective crisp chip shot.

If you are struggling with maintaining the straight line and notice that you tend to flick your wrist a little bit when you chip, then hold an alignment pole behind the golf club so that it is on the left hand side of you and behind your left arm. Let the pole rest on your left rib cage as you play the shot back and through and this will really maintain that straight left arm and club position as you swing back and through. If you keep your weight on your left side you will hit really crisply.

This would make the lowest part of tour swing arc bottom out before you reach the ball which would create more fat chip shots.

This reduces your chance of hitting down on the golf ball which is an essential part of avoiding a fat chip shot.

It is really important that you follow through because the momentum of the club moving at the target, and your body turning towards the target as that happens, will maintain a forward position with your centre of gravity. This means that if your centre of gravity is more forward, the bottom of your swing arc be just left of centre and you will strike the ball crisply.