Fat Shot / Chunk
The club digs into the ground before the ball, losing speed and distance, often taking a deep divot behind the ball.
Why it happens
A fat shot happens when the low point of your swing arc occurs behind the ball instead of after it, so the ground absorbs the club's energy before it ever reaches the ball.
Possible causes in your swing, and how to fix each one
Tap any cause to see its fix. Work through them one at a time, usually one or two are the real culprit.
01
Hanging back on your right foot
"Hanging back" moves your swing's low point backward, right into the turf behind the ball.
Practice finishing every shot with your weight fully on your left foot and your right foot up on its toe, a classic full-finish check, then work backward from that finish to how it should feel at impact.
02
Ball position too far forward for the swing's low point
If the ball sits ahead of where the club naturally bottoms out, you'll strike the ground first.
Check your divot pattern on the range, it should start just after where the ball was, not before. Adjust ball position accordingly.
03
Trying to scoop or lift the ball
Using the wrists to help the ball up in the air moves the low point earlier and behind the ball.
Trust the club's loft to get the ball airborne; focus on compressing down and through instead of lifting.
04
Sliding the lower body without rotating
A lateral slide with little hip turn shifts the swing's low point backward.
Work on rotating through the shot rather than sliding, feeling the belt buckle turn to face the target by the finish.
05
Early Extension (standing up through the downswing)
Any change in spine angle during the downswing changes where the club bottoms out, and often for the worse.
Recommended video
TOP 3 TIPS - STOP HITTING BEHIND THE GOLF BALL
Rick Shiels Golf
How do you compare to the pros?
Greens in regulation
A Fat Shot / Chunk is one of the main reasons an approach shot misses the green instead of hitting it in regulation.
Sources: PGA Tour greens in regulation stats (season average, about 65 to 68%); Break X Golf amateur data aggregate, 15-handicap band (about 26%).
When to stop self-diagnosing
If you've genuinely worked through two or three of these causes over several range sessions and the miss keeps showing up, that's not a failure since it usually means the real cause is something you can't feel or see in your own swing. A single 30-minute lesson with a certified instructor, who can watch you hit balls, will find it faster than any website. Bring this page along and tell them what you've already ruled out; it'll save you both time.