How to stop hitting it fat

The situation

A fat shot takes a thump of ground first, and the ball comes up short, sometimes well short. The bottom of the swing arrived too early. Common causes include the weight staying on the trail foot, the ball too far forward for the club, and the wrists throwing the clubhead from the top.

If the leading edge catches the middle of the ball and it shoots off low, that is the other side of the same problem. That is the thin shot.

The fix

1. 01
   Check the ball is not too far forward For a mid-iron the ball sits at center, or up to about one ball-width forward, not up by the lead toe. A ball that far forward is already in front of the low point before you swing. The landmarks are on ball position.
2. 02
   Set a little more weight on the lead side At address, lean a touch of weight into the lead foot for an iron. Not a lunge. The low point follows the weight, and you want it at the ball or just past it.
3. 03
   Shift before you swing down The first move down is the weight going to the lead foot. If you stay on the trail foot, the club bottoms out behind the ball wherever the ball is.
4. 04
   Let the hands lead the clubhead Throwing the clubhead from the top lets it reach the ground early. Keep the hands ahead of the clubhead into the ball, with the shaft leaning slightly toward the target at impact.
5. 05
   Ten balls off the line Repeat the line check at half speed. The win is a mark that starts at the ball or in front of the line, not a harder hit. Around the green, the same fault is on the chip.

Fat-shot towel drill

Lay a towel about four inches behind the ball. Hit half-speed shots without touching it. Touching the towel means the low point is still behind the ball.

Fat shots with the driver?

You cannot really hit a teed driver fat, but you can hit the ground behind the tee and pop the ball up. That can come from a steep swing or a ball too far back. Move the ball opposite the lead heel and feel a shallower, sweeping swing.