A golf swing problem that is as common as a slice is hitting the golf ball fat, and it can be just as frustrating. As with all golf swing procedure, once you know what you are doing wrong, you can begin working on correcting it.

When trying to correct this problem, get a golfing buddy if possible to watch your swing, and ask him or her to be on the lookout for the items discussed below.

Do You Drop Your Shoulder when Hitting the Golf Ball Fat:

The most common problem with hitting the ball fat is dropping your shoulder. This is the one that is farthest away from the target or back shoulder: right shoulder for right-handed golfers, left shoulder for left-handed golfers.

When your rear shoulder drops, the club hits the ground before it should, resulting in a nasty shot. More often than not, hitting the ball fat happens when a player tries to swing excessively hard, causing the downswing to start with a lot of hip motion.

As an example, try this effortless exercise. Take a club and assume your standard address. Bring the club up to the very top of your back swing and stop. With the golf club is at the top, shift your hip toward the target area, horizontally, and notice what happens to your back shoulder. It’s as expected dips down too!

If your friend is around, do this exercise over again, bit by bit, and ask him or her to observe your hips and shoulder and see if your shoulder dips. If so, you’ve possible found the cause of the trouble.

To right this issue, you have to learn how to use your lower body appropriately during the swing. Your hips need to twist, but don’t allow them to move. A straight forward way to make this happen is to concentrate on starting the downswing with your arms, and your hips will naturally follow.

Practice and Watch Your Shoulder on Your Back Swing:

Another good practice is to focus on keeping your forward shoulder down. During practice shots, your body will get the message.  Always take into account to keep your forward arm straight as you go into your back swing. When you get to the top, think “down” for your forward shoulder, and then move into your downswing. Your hips will uncoil, but do not allow them to move laterally.

The ideas presented here are easy enough to apply, but they require some time spent practicing and experimenting. The practice range is the best place to do this, also if you do not have a buddy available, you might be able to find someone to observe your swing.

As you work on this fix, remember to go through all of your clubs, not just the driver. Striking the ball fat can occur with any club, and you need to practice with each one to truly master a solid, crisp ball strike. Many players favor to start with the short irons and work their way up when learning a new skill set.

Fatigue and Sore Muscles Can Cause Hitting the Golf Ball Fat:

I am sure that you have been on the back nine and playing well when you go to hit that 180 yard approach shot to the green and thud you take out a big divot behind the golf ball.  This could be from fatigue.  I have found that a great way to prevent this is with a good muscle pain relief gel like AMR-7.  AMR-7 is a specially formulated menthol based gel that is cool to touch and immediately provides a relaxing and soothing relief form sore muscles.  For me it also prevents muscle spasms on the back nine.