Fat Shots: Causes and Cures

Video Transcript

One of the worst shots in golf is the fat shot. The thin shot usually finds the front of the green, but the fat shot goes right in the lake in front of you. There are a couple of different causes. One is called the steep fat where your club is coming in too steep and your angle of approach is too sharp into the ground. It digs into the ground too deep and you hit it fat. Another one is what we call a shallow fat. Your club is coming in too shallow or too close to the ground and too far behind the ball. You then hit the ground, hit behind the ball and you hit it fat that way. People who slice the ball usually hit it fat because of a steep swing; people who hook the ball usually hit it fat because of a shallow swing. If you are hitting shots fat because your swing is too steep you are probably tilting your shoulders instead of turning them. So when you swing I want you to concentrate on keeping your left shoulder up and turning back around. In a sense, making your turn more level. If you swing the golf club more around your body that will eliminate that fat shot. When you look at the other fat shot, one that is caused by too shallow a swing, your emphasis needs to be on keeping the club out in front of you and turning your body through. When your turn your body through that brings the bottom of the swing forward. It will allow you to contact the ball and then the turf. If I turn back and don’t turn through I am going to tend to hit the ground behind the ball. So for the shallow fat, less back, more through. For the steep fat, level your turn, swing the club a little more around and you will eliminate one of the worst shots in golf.

Hank Haney
Hank Haney Golf Ranch
2791 S. Stemmons Freeway
Lewisville, TX 75067
Tel: 972-315-5300

Hank Haney is the instructor to PGA Tour Pros Tiger Woods and Mark O'Meara. He is listed as one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers and Golf Digest's #4 instructor in the world.

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