Hitting the ball fat is not as common as the slice, but it can be just as frustrating. To fix the problem you must first recognize what it is you are doing wrong.

When trying to fix this problem, it  is just about impossible to see what you are doing incorrectly without someone else’s assistance. Following will be discussed some things to watch out for that maybe a golf partner can see and help with.

If you find yourself hitting the ball fat, you are most likely dropping your rear shoulder. The shoulder furthest from the target is the one in question.

Dropping that rear shoulder brings the club down into the ball too early resulting in the fat shot. More often than not, hitting the ball fat happens when a player tries to swing too hard, causing the downswing to start with a lot of hip motion.

As an example, try this simple exercise. Take a club and assume your normal address. Bring the club up to the very top of your backswing and stop. By stopping at the top and moving the hips horizontally toward the target you can then see what the rear shoulder does. It naturally dips down too!

If your friend is around, do this exercise again, slowly, and ask him or her to watch your hips and shoulder and see if your shoulder drops. The cause of the trouble is likely found once verified.

in correcting this problem it is important to learn how to use the lower body  in the swing. In a proper golf swing the hips do not shift but rotate.

Starting with a better understanding of good swing mechanics where power is created by the turning of the body and not shifting will lead to a final solution to this issue.

Give this a try also and let the forward shoulder to turn and not slide so the rear shoulder may do likewise. If you do this over several practice shots, your body will get the message and your shots will improve.

The tips given here are simple enough to apply, but they require some time spent practicing and experimenting. The best place to do this is at the practice range, which is also a good place to pick up a helper to watch your swing.

As you work on this fix, remember to go through all of your clubs, not just the driver. For more crisp, solid ball striking be sure to practice with all clubs as none are immune to hitting fat golf shots.

Final golfing tip is to suggest what other golfers do when learning a new skill and begin practicing with the short irons while working up to the driver.

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Filed under: Golf

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