Are you tired of hitting fat and thin shots in golf?
If so, you have arrived at the right place. First, we will discuss the fat shot vs the thin shot in golf.
Second, we will provide a couple of drills you can use to help improve your low point control and the overall quality of contact with your shot.
The fat shot is when the golfer hits behind the ball, causing a significant loss of distance in many instances.
The thin shot is when the golfer catches the top half of the ball, causing a lower than normal shot and a shot that doesn’t fly as far.
Fat vs Thin Golf Shot
Did you know that many times the fat and thin shots are the result of the same swing fault? It most commonly occurs when the golfer fails to get enough weight onto the front let at impact. As a result of failing to shift enough weight, the golfer attempts to compensate for the swing fault and will hit the shot fat (early release) or thin (pulls arms up to avoid fat shot) and grow frustrated with the game of golf.
The good news is that we can help fix this swing fault.
If you are someone that struggles to hit crisp shots and instead fights the fat and thin shots, there are several areas we want to help with.
- Understand the importance of the weight being on the front side and a simple setup adjustment you can make to help with this.
- A drill that you can use to build skill in controlling your low point in your swing. The best golfers can control the low point 99% of the time, while the worst golfers might struggle to control the low point even 50% of the time.
Fat vs Thin Golf Shot: 1st Fundamental in Golf
Controlling the low point in the golf swing is the 1st fundamental. Until a golfer builds the skill to control the low point, they are always going to struggle with total distance and distance control. The shot over a water hazard is terrifying, while the self doubt of clean contact constantly weighs on the golfers head.
Fat vs Thin Golf Shot: Simple Setup Adjustment
One simple setup adjustment you can use to control where your weight is at impact is to front load your weight 55-60% of the weight on your front leg at address. The golfer will still turn, but keep the weight on the front side.
At the start of the downswing he or she will increase the amount of weight on the front side and be able to control the low point. When the weight gets stuck back is when we have the terrible fat or thin shot.
The next time you are at the driving range, go ahead and put 60% of the weight on your front side and hit some one-half to three-quarter shots to help feel that nice compression that can be created. It will feel great to compress a shot. One other simple tip is to keep your arms straight at impact and beyond with these reduced full shots.
Fat vs Thin Golf Shot: Low Point Control Drill
Keep in mind that the first fundamental and a key skill in the game of golf is controlling the low point. Here is a great drill you can do in your own backyard or anywhere you can make a full swing.
- Take some yard paint and paint a 1-2 yard long line.
- Setup with 55-60% of your weight on your front side.
- Try to hit the target side of the line and see how many times out of 10 you can do this successfully!
- Repeat this drill every day for a month, tracking your progress and your ability to do this successfully in trials of ten.
- You may need to start with half swing and progress to full swing
Keep in mind that the best golfers can hit just on the front side (target side) of that line a high percentage of the time. This is a great drill to repeat daily until you have built your skill and regained some confidence in your golf swing.
Related Posts:
- Why do I hit my wedges fat?
- Why do I hit fat golf shots?
- Why do I hit thin golf shots?
- Is stack and tilt a good swing?
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