You get within range to pitch it close to the hole and then duff the ball only a couple yards. The dreaded duff plagues many golfers, and we have a solution to help.

Generally, the closer you get to the green and with the potential to shoot a good score, the fat shot seeps in and destroys your round. You have to remove it from your game…and fast!!

Let us look at the two  most common reasons for hitting the ground before the ball;

1 The overswing, one of the most common mistakes in amateur golf.

2 Taking the club past parallel is an absolute no-no and a sure-fire way to introduce the fat shot into your game in double quick time.

Now removing this movement from your swing is easy, fast and will affect your entire game.

Drill: “Form an L”

Set up as normal, swing the club back to halfway (target arm should be naturally straight and parallel to the ground). At this point, you should have created an “L” shape with the target arm and the shaft of the club.

From here, swing the club back down to impact and through up to your finish.

As I mentioned this will help your entire game as you are also practicing the main pitching position, so you will become a more proficient pitcher of the ball as well.

Once you have mastered creating the “L” in this section of your backswing move onto a fuller swing.

Swing to halfway, as before and then rotate your shoulders to increase the length of your swing. The “L” shape must stay intact, otherwise, you will once again be over-swinging.

The “Form an L” drill is also great for eliminating the second major cause of hitting fat; eagerness to hit the ball hard

If you are an aggressive golfer, then you are always going to have the “fat” in your repertoire, it may not rear its ugly head very often, but it is always a possibility.  

Now there is nothing wrong with being aggressive in a passive way, meaning you gradually build up speed into impact, but aggressive swingers need to ensure that they do not begin the downswing in an aggressive manner.

Getting aggressive from the top of the swing causes a “lunge” into the ball, which ultimately results in a lower “bottom of arc” position causing the dreaded fat.

I have no issue with fast golf swings, but they must maintain a fluidity that allows the golfer time to execute the shot in the best way, being aggressive in the transition stage is not fluid and results in a loss of posture and correct rotation.

Try to pause at the top of your backswing for a split second to allow yourself time, and then you can accelerate into impact, almost eliminating the “fat” from your game.