help with ball striking

[caddy shack]

i have trouble with hitting fat does any one have a drill or somthing to help me
and most of my divots are pointing well left of the area im aiming witch makes me fade/slice. and does any one have some drills on that
thx alot

[vijayswing]

first of all let say first that i am in no way any type of instructor or swing guru i'm just expressing to you what has helped me with the problems that you are facing...the best way i've found to hit the ball first and then take a divot is to focus on a spot about a half inch or less in front of the ball...a leaf, piece of grass, something...when you are on your down wing feel like you are driving the head of the golf club into the spot you were aiming in front of the ball...that should result in ball/turf...it may take some getting use to... your head position may feel a little weird at first but after a few swings it will feel a little more normal...that's just my take on how to correct hitting it fat. keep your head down...don't look up or you'll hit it thin. now on your divots facing left of where you are aiming...sounds like you are coming over the top...imagine your club is under the "inside approach" you know the device jack nickalaus promotes. on your take away feel like you are keeping the club head under the imaginary pylon...once you are at the top start your downswing...imagine that pylon is still there and try to guide the club head under neath it without (in your mind) hitting it. this may help you or hurt you. i hope it helps...i know it sounds like a bunch of head visuals but once you have the understanding of what i'm trying to relate...it'll be 2nd nature and the head visuals will go away. hit em' good!

Veej

[Res Ipsa]

I had the same problem. What i found out was I was not shifting my weight enough to my left foot during the downswing. I was rotating around my right foot and not the left, cuasing very fat hits. I improved right away by concentrating on shifting my wieght while rotating. After a while i started to cheat a little and slide my hips too much toward the target - not good. So as long as a weight shift and not a slide occurs I hit clean shots. This also improved my slice considerably, and I'm not quite sure why. Now my irons tend to start 3-5 yards left of center and fades to 5 yards right of center.

[EdgarDerbyLive]

something i showed a fellow golfer that was also hitting fat shots / and/or slicing the ball......with the irons especially......alot of "hackers" stand way too close to the ball, causing them to have an over the top downswing....simply stand farther back from the ball and do what you're doing now, this often times (but not always ) allows you to keep your swing on a pendulum plane...even if the swing may seem a little flat....look at tigers new swing......that sometimes helps with the slice problem with iron shots...a little bit of fade is good, as long as you know that it is your natural ball flight....as far as hitting the ball fat; try doing what you are doing now but simply move the ball back in your stance a inch or two.....this is a temporary fix, but it can be effective until you get your swing grooved the way you want

[garcia is god]

For such a fundamental problem I wouldn't ask advice on a website.

Have a 30 min lesson with your pro... will make a world of difference to your game.