Updated on June 23rd, 2023 at 11:47 am
The horror stories of missed opportunities are endless. How often have you hit the perfect drive only to follow it up by chunking one in the middle of the fairway, or pushing one 50 yards to the right or left of the green?
A lot can happen in those few moments between shots, but we want to help you make that second shot as good as your first.
The error of having your swing’s center too far behind the golf ball at impact can cause either a thin or fat shot. A Fat Shot occurs when your club hits the ground first while hitting the top of the ball on contact with short clubs like a 3 wood or 5 Iron.
On the other hand – if it’s centered properly during your swing, you’ll get one that has more distance than usual for any club (thin).
How to correct a thin or fat shot
If this sounds like something that might apply in one way, shape, or form, then I would suggest checking out some possible solutions:
- To offset the weight distribution in your golf swing, center yourself. You should feel like you have more force on one side at address (the left for right-handed players or vice versa for lefties). This will put your aim over where you’re trying to hit the ball.
- It is important to keep your spine level at address so that you can square up better for impact. Leveling out your shoulders will help move your swing center more forward.
- The ball should be in the middle of your stance for better results with short irons.
- When you’re swinging, the clubface must point directly at impact, so your swing path will be straight and smooth. However, if this isn’t possible for some reason – like when playing off an awkward stance- then try moving farther away from where most people would want their backswing start point by maybe 5 feet before turning around again to get into proper position.
If you can stay more centered with your irons, that will help reduce the spin on shots.
You should also watch out for the dreaded hip sway. If your right leg slides to where it is behind you on a swing instead of turning, you will most likely hit fat or thin shots because those aren’t aligned with anything! Keep that muscle tight and turn just one more time before taking aim, so everything stays lined up perfectly. Players who stand too far from the ball often have trouble making shots.
When you have an unusually high swing plane, your clubs don’t get as far down on the ball, and this can result in trouble topping or fatting. To lower your stroke try lowering yourself so that when golfers tee off, it’s easier for them to hit their shot straight into the hole instead of missing right away like before!
You may be surprised to learn that you can eliminate this problem by making your address posture more upright. When the back of our swings are straight up, there’s less chance for us to lose spine angle at impact and also helps keep momentum forward through each point in time during which we’re swinging a club!
This means that there is not enough distance between your arms and body to allow for correct club head speed during your swing. When this happens, most people will hit shots with too much topspin or even no spin at all because they’re pulling their heads in right before impact instead of letting it happen naturally on its own accord
The further you push your hips forward at impact, the more space there will be for your arms to extend out from underneath. If done correctly, this can help prevent topped shots and thinning hits on most swings!
To get the hips more forward, you need to move your swing bottom farther away from where it sits on top of them. This will allow for better iron shots and increase power by allowing a straighter backswing with weight transfer going into shorter clubs (like woods).
Sometimes, if you over-emphasize trying not to make any noticeable movements while taking your shot, it can yield the thin or fat line. 
This misinformation makes it difficult to get weight onto the left side at impact. And if we can’t even manage our body’s natural movement, how will that help?
The line drill is a great way to improve your iron game. Draw two lines on the ground 2-3 inches away from one another and take short steps while doing so, focusing especially hard when drawing near either end of these target spots (the closer you are getting towards it makes for an easier shot). This will train you in proper alignment habits to help prevent injuries and improve your aiming skills!
The front line and back lines determine where your divot should begin. You can make a swing, but it’s best to start with the ball right in front of you so that when we hit ourselves on our follow-throughs – which will be most often-we’re not doing any damage!
Many people make the mistake of stopping their swing too early and end up with an off-balance posture. To fix this, do about 25 exchanges a day without swinging a ball – eventually, you will find yourself putting more weight on your left side at contact points!
With a little practice, you’ll soon be able to stop your fat and thin shots with those short-medium irons.
If you are looking to improve your ball striking, the golfers at AEC Info highly recommends that you check out the Lag shot Golf swing trainer. It is currently the hottest golf training aid on the market for 2022, and is being endorsed by many PGA teaching professionals. You can actually order the Lag Shot directly below.
 
