What Causes a Fat Shot?

A fat shot in golf is when the club penetrates the ground before hitting the ball.  The result of hitting the ball fat is a loss of distance on the shot and this can be problematic for many reasons.

Firstly, if you are playing an approach shot to the green and hit a fat shot, the ball is likely to stop short of the putting surface.  Depending on the contact, the ball could even travel beyond the green if it rolls onto the putting surface as opposed to landing on it from the height intended.

A fat shot is perhaps the worst outcome when playing over a hazard.  You are using the correct club for the distance required or have even taken an extra club to make sure but by hitting the ball fat you lose a lot of distance and see the ball drop into the water to bunker.

So, what is exactly which is causing this to happen?

The swing itself is the main issue when hitting a fat shot.  The position of the club at the bottom of the swing arc is located behind the ball instead of slightly in-front of the ball in relation to the target, which is where it should be.  The face of the club is penetrating the ground before contacting the ball and this leads to a fat shot and reduction in distance.

This is the common reason why we hit a fat shot but it is not the only reason.  Another way to hit the ball fat involves hitting the ball first but digging down into the ground too much following contact with the ball.

If the club hits the ball first but proceeds to dig into the ground too deeply the ball loses both distance and height.  Again, this can be very problematic when attempting to hit the ball over hazards and can lead to dropped shots.

If you believe you are using the correct swing technique when playing your shots but seem to be hitting the ball fat it may have something to do with the position of the ball in your stance.  If the ball is too far forward, that is closer to your front foot than your back foot, this can make it tricky to hit a clean shot.

With the ball further forward in your stance, hitting the ball first can become difficult and this is often the cause of a fat shot.  If you feel you are hitting the ball fat with your irons, check the position of the ball in your stance and make sure it is closer to the middle next time you play.