How to Stop Chunking the Golf Ball (Fix Fat Shots for Good)

Chunking the golf ball — also known as hitting a fat shot — is one of the most frustrating mistakes in golf. Instead of striking the ball cleanly, the club hits the ground first, causing the ball to travel only a short distance. This article is going to teach you things you can do and how to stop chunking the golf ball.

The good news is that chunking the ball usually comes from a few common setup or swing mistakes that can be corrected quickly with the right practice drills.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• Why you keep chunking the golf ball

• The most common causes of fat shots

• Simple drills to fix the problem fast

• How to build consistent ball-first contact

What Causes Chunked Golf Shots?

A chunked shot happens when the low point of your swing occurs behind the ball.

For iron shots, you want the bottom of your swing arc to occur slightly after the ball, which creates a clean strike followed by a small divot.

If you're hitting the ground first, one of these is usually happening:

• Your weight stays on your back foot

• The ball is too far forward in your stance

• You're flipping your wrists through impact

• Your swing is too steep

• Your body stops rotating through the shot

How to Stop Chunking the Golf Ball

Let's break down how to fix these issues.

1. Your Weight Is Too Far Back

The most common cause of chunked shots is not shifting your weight forward during the downswing.

When your weight stays back, the club bottoms out early.

The Fix

At impact with an iron:

• About 60–70% of your weight should be on your front foot.

Think about finishing your swing with your belt buckle facing the target.

Drill: Forward Weight Setup

1. Address the ball normally

2. Shift slightly more weight to your lead foot

3. Make smooth half swings

This encourages a downward strike.

2. Ball Position Is Too Far Forward

If the ball is positioned too far toward your front foot, the club will hit the ground before the ball.

Proper Ball Position Guide

• Wedges: Center of stance

• Short irons: Slightly forward of center

• Mid irons: One ball forward of center

Correct ball position alone can dramatically improve contact.

3. Your Swing Stops Rotating

Another common cause of chunked shots is when the body stops rotating during the downswing.

When this happens, the club releases too early and digs into the turf.

The Fix

Focus on rotating your chest toward the target after impact.

A good checkpoint is finishing with your weight fully on your front side.

4. You're Swinging Too Hard

Many golfers chunk the ball when they try to swing too aggressively.

Fast swings often cause:

• Loss of balance

• Poor weight transfer

• Early release of the club

The Fix

Swing at 70–80% speed and focus on clean contact first.

Distance comes from solid strike — not brute force.

Best Drill to Stop Chunking the Golf Ball

One of the most effective drills is the towel drill.

How to Do It

1. Place a small towel about 3 inches behind the golf ball

2. Hit iron shots without touching the towel

3. Focus on striking the ball first

If you hit the towel, your swing is bottoming out too early.

This drill quickly trains proper contact.

Another Great Drill: The Line Drill

Draw a straight line on the practice ground.

Place the ball directly on the line and attempt to hit the ball before the club touches the turf.

Your divot should start after the line, not before it.

This builds proper ball-first contact.

Why Chunked Shots Hurt Your Scores

Fat shots usually result in:

• Lost distance

• Extra recovery shots

• Difficult follow-up shots

• Lower confidence

Even one or two chunked shots per round can add multiple strokes to your score.

Fixing this one issue can dramatically improve consistency.

Practice Routine to Improve Contact

Try this simple routine during your next range session.

Step 1 – Half Swings

Focus on waist-high swings and clean contact.

Step 2 – Towel Drill

Hit 10 shots avoiding the towel.

Step 3 – Full Swings

Gradually increase swing speed while maintaining ball-first contact.

Practicing this routine consistently can eliminate chunked shots surprisingly fast.

Topping vs Chunking the Golf Ball

Many golfers struggle with both topped shots and fat shots.

The key difference:

Shot Type	What Happens
Topping	Club hits top half of ball
Chunking	Club hits ground before ball

If you also struggle with thin shots, read our guide on how to stop topping the golf ball for additional contact fixes.

Final Thoughts

Chunking the golf ball is extremely common, but it's usually caused by simple fundamentals like ball position, weight shift, and body rotation.

Focus on:

• Weight forward at impact

• Proper ball position

• Smooth tempo

• Ball first, turf second

With the right drills and consistent practice, you'll start hitting cleaner iron shots and lowering your scores quickly.

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This article shows you the exact practice drills that help golfers eliminate wasted strokes and improve scoring consistency.