If you are a golfer or know the rules of golf and how it is played, you can already tell how annoying a fat golf hit is, especially when the ball starts to slow down after such a promising start.
Identifying a fat shot
The best way to identify a fat shot is to compare the hit force and the distance covered by the ball. If the hit was spot-on, but the ball didn't cover much of the distance, you have got an infamous fat shot.
There is one other clear indicator that can help in identifying a fat shot. If the ball started with considerable ball but started to slow down at the mid and then completely lost its pace and power before the goal. The shot was flat and didn't execute the pace as expected.
Possible reasons behind fat shots
Wrong positioning of the bottom swing arc
The bottom of the golf club has a major role in generating a fat shot. It is not like clubface is responsible for generating wrong. Some of the best shots ever hit in golf history had all the execution power gathered from the bottom of the golf club.
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But to receive the such level of expertise with the bottom swing, you need practice. Or else, you will spend much of your time using the bottom club face in the wrong direction and angle, only generating fat shots.
Digging too much in the ground
Another major con of zero expertise in bottom clubface control is that you can dig up too much ground for a shot. On one end, this can break the golf stick or damage it beyond repair. While on the other, the shot execution will be greatly affected this way.
Also, digging up too much ground with each shot reduces the power you are putting in your swing. This may push the ball for a certain distance, but at some point, along the way, the ball will end up fat with no power and acceleration.
The pro vs. beginner approach
Now two kinds of approaches determine whether you will end up generating fat shots in rows or will something splendid ever come out of your golf swing. The only difference between the pro vs. beginner approach is the ability to learn from mistakes and achieve perfection over time.
The pro golfers start focusing on all the mistakes causing the shot to go fat from the beginning. This was because they usually overcame their ability to generate fat shots. On the other hand, the beginner golfers believe that the fat shot has everything to do with their lack of precision hitting and nothing else.
Errors leading to fat shots
Too much swaying
How you control and sway your body while executing a shot is all there is that determines if you have the greatness of a golf player. The whole momentum of the body influences the power you will put in the shot and the direction you are focusing on.
Now, two things will be greatly affected if you are someone who just sways too much while hitting a golf shot. The distance covered by the ball as there won't be enough power along with the angle of the shot.
Lacking a fixed spine angle
You need to maintain a fixed and stable spine angle no matter what. You may have heard this phrase countless times when playing golf. This is what expert golfers and now studies have proved this fact too. You just can't get back to a neutral body position without a stable spine angle.
What happens is when you hit a shot, your body needs to get back into a neutral position through a recoil motion. Not doing so can cause problems with the joints and body muscles if this keeps happening for a long.
Ball setup and position
Now ball setup and position are something that doesn't have a fixed standard. Every golfer prefers to set up and position the ball in a certain way and at a certain distance, considering how he/she executed a particular shot. But still, there are instances where the ball setup and position can be so wrong.
The ball must be set up at a distance that is well within reach of the golfer, including the club. If this protocol isn't followed, the golfer will always need to tilt forward in order to make the right impact at the right angle, and that won't be a great way of executing a shot.
More than average stance width
In golf, the stance width refers to the distance between the feet when placed in the position of hitting the ball. Now, the stance width has everything to do with your ability to get back into a neutral position as soon as the shot is hit.
If the stance width is too wide, there is no way you will be able to generate enough power for the shot, and the ball will end up into a fat shot. If the stance width is too narrow, it will be super difficult to get back into a stable neutral position after the shot.
Weight distribution on feet
Expert golfers believe that weight distribution on feet is everything that has to do with how you generate the force in order to hit the ball. Before the shot, distribute the body weight over the backward foot and release the body weight onto the forward foot as the shot motion is executed.
In this way, you will be able to shift your body weight in order to generate more power for the shot. But any sort of miscalculation at any of the steps can end up with the ball becoming underpowered and turning into a fat shot.
Final Note
Executing a perfect golf shot isn't as simple as it looks. Hitting the ball a few times before the connection is made isn't enough to push the ball over a certain distance. That's why most of the golf shots end up becoming fat shots that are super underpowered and have very diluted speed distribution. All of this can be avoided by focusing on avoiding certain mistakes that can underpower the shot.
Enrique Martínez Luque
Enrique Martínez Luque is the Argentina-based golf expert and professional writer. He built his career in the world of golf taking a number of positions. Enrique was the manager of a golf club, director at a federation level, an agent for professional golfers and director institutional relations on the Argentinian Tour. Assissted the professional golfers on major tours for almost 20 years. Worked as the press officer of national and international golf tournaments.
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