Improving Poor Golf Swings: Techniques to Enhance Your Performance!
Fat golf shots, where the club hits the ground before the ball, can be a frustrating issue for many golfers. To help you address this problem, we've compiled a guide that focuses on understanding the causes, making adjustments to your address position, weight transfer, and angle of attack (AoA).
**Causes of Fat Shots**
Fat shots can occur due to an improper angle of attack (AoA), incorrect swing path, or early release, and reverse or improper weight shift. Steep fat shots result in digging a deep divot behind the ball, while shallow fat shots, also known as "drop kicks," cause the club’s sole to lightly scuff the ground behind the ball, leading to less solid contact without deep divots.
**Address Position**
Ensure proper posture with sufficient hip bend, and allow your arms to hang naturally under your shoulders. Extend your rear end slightly to maintain the correct spine angle. If you're hitting shallow fat shots, consider moving slightly closer to the ball to encourage a steeper attack angle.
**Weight Transfer Techniques**
Initiate a smooth weight transfer toward the target during the downswing. Avoid early extension (standing up or pushing the chest too far back), which keeps your sternum behind the ball and leads to fat shots. The weight shift should move the "bottom of the swing arc" forward, striking the ball before the ground instead of behind it.
**Angle of Attack Adjustments**
For steep fat shots, flatten your swing slightly and try to swing more around your body. For shallow fat shots, increase the steepness of your attack angle. A proper AoA ensures ball-first contact, with the club hitting the turf only after striking the ball, usually creating a shallow divot after. Adjusting your stance — moving closer or making sure the hands and arms are relaxed — can help improve your AoA.
**Drills to Practice**
Use training aids such as placing two tees on the ground to form a "gate" and practice hitting the ball followed by striking the ground inside the gate zone (toward the target). Practice weight shifting drills to train proper transfer, so the club bottom arc progresses correctly.
By diagnosing the specific type of fat shot in your game (steep vs. shallow), adjusting your setup and posture, improving weight transfer, and refining your angle of attack, you can drastically reduce fat shots and improve your ball striking consistency.
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- addressing the issue of fat shots in golf, it's important to pay close attention to the angle of attack (AoA), as improper AoA can lead to both steep and shallow fat shots.
- utilizing sports-analysis techniques, such as hitting the ball followed by striking the ground inside a 'gate' formed with two tees, can help golfers improve their AoA and reduce fat shots, leading to better ball striking consistency.
