Causes and Cures: Fat Shots, Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles
Causes and Cures: Fat Shots, Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles

Now let's look at the opposite of the thin shot, the fat shot. Now actually the fat shot, although the opposite of the thin can be caused by a couple of the same factors. One factor might be ball positioned too far forwards means that when you swing the club, the bottom of the arc is too far before the golf ball, meaning that you might hit the ground really heavy before the ball. When you take that fat shot, you'll see a big divot come out of the ground if you're playing on the grass. The ball will only go half its distance best and maybe not even that far. And on the driving range, you'll hear the fat shot. You'll hear that kind of 'doo-doong' as it hit the floor and then the golf ball so, clearly the fat shot, not a good one.

Having the ball positioned too far forward, big cause of hitting the ball a bit too fat. Also swinging the golf club a bit too steep, kind of picking the club straight open and smashing back down into the floor that can be a big cause of the fat shots.

Standing with your body too close to the golf ball so you don't give yourself enough room, then you try and lean back to create room, there's another big cause of the fat shots. And another big one is posture. Standing to the golf ball and having your head buried down here, with your chin down into your chest and an arched spine angle, you simply don't have enough room to make your swing, so you just drop the club into the ball early. We want you to stand up nice and tall with the chin up. A ball position is better more towards the center of the stance for your short irons, not too steeply picked up in the back swing.

And then the big one for me is making sure that you do get your body weight moving into the right position. Generally the bottom of the arc of your swing will happen under the center of your gravity. So if your body weight is leaning back over to your right leg for the right-handed golfer, that's where the divot will come from. If your body weight is leaning forward to the left-hand side for the right-handed golfer, that's where your divot will come from. And it's much better when you're striking your irons to feel like you're getting your body weight in front of the golf ball for impact, so you can hit down and the lowest part of your swing, the bottom of the arc is after the golf ball.

So it takes ball and turf, taking a divot is not a fat shot. Taking a divot after the golf ball is encouraged and it's what you'll see the best players do. But your divot can't start here, it has to start here under and after the golf ball. So don't think of taking divots as being bad, but taking divots and then golf balls is bad. If we can take ball and turf, that will be perfect.

2012-08-07

Now let's look at the opposite of the thin shot, the fat shot. Now actually the fat shot, although the opposite of the thin can be caused by a couple of the same factors. One factor might be ball positioned too far forwards means that when you swing the club, the bottom of the arc is too far before the golf ball, meaning that you might hit the ground really heavy before the ball. When you take that fat shot, you'll see a big divot come out of the ground if you're playing on the grass. The ball will only go half its distance best and maybe not even that far. And on the driving range, you'll hear the fat shot. You'll hear that kind of 'doo-doong' as it hit the floor and then the golf ball so, clearly the fat shot, not a good one.

Having the ball positioned too far forward, big cause of hitting the ball a bit too fat. Also swinging the golf club a bit too steep, kind of picking the club straight open and smashing back down into the floor that can be a big cause of the fat shots.

Standing with your body too close to the golf ball so you don't give yourself enough room, then you try and lean back to create room, there's another big cause of the fat shots. And another big one is posture. Standing to the golf ball and having your head buried down here, with your chin down into your chest and an arched spine angle, you simply don't have enough room to make your swing, so you just drop the club into the ball early. We want you to stand up nice and tall with the chin up. A ball position is better more towards the center of the stance for your short irons, not too steeply picked up in the back swing.

And then the big one for me is making sure that you do get your body weight moving into the right position. Generally the bottom of the arc of your swing will happen under the center of your gravity. So if your body weight is leaning back over to your right leg for the right-handed golfer, that's where the divot will come from. If your body weight is leaning forward to the left-hand side for the right-handed golfer, that's where your divot will come from. And it's much better when you're striking your irons to feel like you're getting your body weight in front of the golf ball for impact, so you can hit down and the lowest part of your swing, the bottom of the arc is after the golf ball.

So it takes ball and turf, taking a divot is not a fat shot. Taking a divot after the golf ball is encouraged and it's what you'll see the best players do. But your divot can't start here, it has to start here under and after the golf ball. So don't think of taking divots as being bad, but taking divots and then golf balls is bad. If we can take ball and turf, that will be perfect.