Is Hitting the Ball Fat a Big Part of Your Game?

Looking forward to a terrific day of golf with your friends? You feel like this is going to be the day to break par. You get the ball set up on the tee, pull that monster club back and whale away. Except instead of driving that ball down the middle of the fairway you feel a thud before impact and the ball just dribbles out in front of the tee. Your golf buddies yell "Hey you just hit a fat ball". You turn around and wonder "What did he mean by that comment?"

Exactly What Does Hitting the Ball Fat Mean?

When your club head strikes the ground prior to making contact with the golf ball you are hitting the ball fat. The cause of this problem is that the golfer slides their hips while beginning their downswing. The sliding motion will cause the rear shoulder to drop which in turn lowers the golf club resulting in a bad golf shot.

You Are Going to Need a Friend!

You are going to need some help from an observer or a friend to detect if you are hitting the ball fat. This is one time that you cannot do this yourself. Your friend has to look for some telltale signs for you. First, see if you are lowering your rear shoulder when starting your downswing. If you are dropping your lower shoulder then the club naturally strikes the ground first.

A different approach to discovering your problem is by taking a normal golf stance and go into your backswing then hold it at the top. Hold the club in that position and then using your hips slide them towards your target on a horizontal level. By doing this your rear shoulder naturally drops. If this is the case then you have probably figured what is causing your problem.

Fixing the Shoulder Drop

So what corrective measures are needed to avoid hitting the ball fat? In order to correct hitting the ball fat you have to turn your hips in the correct manner. You do not want your hips to slide but you want them to turn in a natural movement with your body. Try to focus on beginning your downswing using your arms and then your natural body movement will allow your hips to turn. Remember that your forward arm should stay straight when going into the downswing. Remember to keep your front shoulder down when you are at the top of your swing. Once again, your hips should naturally turn but not slide. Once you practice these suggestions you should fix your problem for hitting the ball fat.

Use All of Your Clubs in the Bag!

You really have to practice using all your clubs when correcting the problem of hitting the ball fat. Every club is different and you have to practice to learn the correct swing with each club. You can fix this problem with patience and practice. Then the next time on the course you can have that "dream" game you have been playing in your head.