Every golfer has been there. You hit a terrific drive down the middle of the fairway, leaving yourself a nice shot in only to hit the ground before the golf ball or hitting fat shots, as some would say.
It’s one of the most frustrating shots on a golf course, and if it happens to you regularly, it’s probably made you question why you ever started playing golf.
You might think, “Okay, great, but why do I hit behind the golf ball?”
This miss can happen in a few ways and is usually a combination of them all.
From adjusting your stance slightly, or fixing your swing plane, to keeping your head on the center line, you must know what’s causing you to hit this shot and how to fix it.
Check out the rest of the article, where you can find out just that!
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Is Hitting Behind The Golf Ball Easy To Correct
Regarding lousy golf shots, fixing your unwanted habit of hitting before the golf ball is one of the easier shots to fix.
Now if you need help with a slice or a hook, they will be much harder to fix.
If you can’t figure out what you’re doing to cause your lousy shot from the list below, then you might need additional help.
Usually, though, it is a simple fix, and after reading through the below headings, you can pick out one or two things you’re doing currently and fix it.
The great thing about this day and age is how easily golfers can record their swings using a phone. If you are still struggling to find what’s wrong with your swing after reading today, record yourself and watch it back, you’ll be amazed at what you will notice.
Or if you have paid for some golf lessons, send it to your instructor and get their opinion.
What’s Worse Hitting Behind The Golf Ball Or Thinning It?
Without a doubt hitting behind the golf ball is worse than thinning a golf ball. Catching behind a golf ball will only move it a short distance, leaving you with a long way to go.
However, if you thin a golf ball, it will still travel further and, in some lucky cases, still make it to the target.
But this all depends on the situation.
For example, if you are trying to hit out of a greenside bunker, would you prefer to hit behind the golf ball and be stuck in the bunker?
Or would you prefer to thin the golf ball over the far side of the green by 50 yards?
It’s all relative, but a thin shot usually will result in fewer shots added to your scorecard.
Reasons You’re Hitting Behind The Golf Ball
Here we are; take the time to review each heading below and see if anything jumps out at you.
If nothing jumps out right away, record your swing from a few angles on your phone and check to see if you can spot anything from below in your video.
Don’t Let Your Head Slide
Plenty of golfers need help with their head position when swinging their golf clubs.
Firstly they slide their head to the back of their stance during the backswing, hoping to generate more power.
However, if you’re not skilled enough to return your head to the proper position before impact, it will result in inconsistent shots, including hitting behind the golf ball.
The second head position problem occurs when a golfer slides their head to the front of their stance while the downswing happens. This movement limits the needed range of motion to execute the shot and results in a golfer hitting behind the golf ball.
Ideally, your head should be slightly behind the golf ball and not shift in either direction. Next time you’re at the range, record yourself on your phone and watch it back to see if you’re sliding your head forward.
Don’t Let Your Hips Slide Either…
Similar to the above, a reason for you hitting behind the golf ball could be that you are sliding your hips too early.
When you slide your hips forward at the wrong time, your golf club head will take a more aggressive approach to the golf ball, resulting in you hitting behind the golf ball.
If you identify this as causing your mishits, then go to the range and practice hitting shots with little to no lower body movement for a while.
After some time, you will become less busy downstairs and become more consistent overall.
Not Shifting Your Weight Properly
Shifting your weight correctly can prevent you from hitting behind the golf ball and losing distance since you won’t produce as much power.
Your weight should be nearly evenly distributed between your two feet.
Although some shots require more weight on your lead leg, the weight shift process should be the same.
From my experience, when it comes to hitting behind the golf ball, the issue isn’t shifting the weight to your rear foot but shifting it back through the golf ball onto the front foot to make proper contact with the golf ball.
The solution may require extra help from a more experienced golfer, or you can tackle it alone.
When shifting your weight, it should feel in sync with the golf swing itself, and that can only happen through repetition, so some work at the driving range is a must.
Developing proper weight transfer will take time.
Don’t Slow Down Your Golf Swing On Your Follow Through
Slowing down is one of the biggest causes of fat shots. A fat shot happens when you hit the soil before the golf ball.
Most of the time, golfers who step on the brakes as they begin their downswing believe it will help them control the golf ball, or maybe they were intimidated by the shot.
When it comes to your golf swing, controlled speed is what you want if you’re to hit the golf ball straighter and further. However, you will only achieve this if you’re confident swinging the club at the golf ball.
Also, depending on the club shaft on your golf clubs, swinging slower can lead to other issues on top of hitting before the golf ball, like a big slice.
Stiff shafts are made to be swung at incredible speeds, which means slowing down will always cause problems.
This problem is most common around the green, on short chip or approach shots, golfers may feel that less speed is better and will prevent the ball from going too far.
But this approach throws their golf swing off, resulting in the ball not traveling very far at all…
To fix this, you need to build confidence in hitting your golf ball with speed. The ideal place to practice getting used to speed is at the driving range.
Don’t worry about where the golf ball ends when you’re at the range. Focus on getting used to it, and you’ll become more comfortable.
Important to note you want controlled speed, so if you feel off balance, you’re swinging too hard.
Don’t Let Your Rear Shoulder Dip Down Too Much
When your rear shoulder dips as you begin your follow-through, it will result in more of a scooping motion, leading to hitting behind the golf ball.
You want to avoid this scooping motion as much as possible, and keeping your frame upright and imagining your front shoulder doing all the work should help.
Record your golf swing and check it out for yourself. It should be easy to identify.
Stop Trying To Hit The Golf Ball
You’ve read that title and probably need clarification since golf is a sport played by hitting golf balls around the golf course.
Remember this tip. What I mean by this is that you should be aiming to strike the ground just after your golf ball.
You want to connect with the golf ball and then the turf to hit the ball purer. This simple and easy-to-implement change could be the solution to your mishits.
Practice doing this the next time you go the range. You should place a tee just after your ball, and instead of trying to hit the ball, aim for the tee. Act like the ball isn’t even there, and you’ll be amazed at how much better your striking will become.
Another one you should try is to place a towel on the ground a few inches behind the golf ball, and your goal should be to avoid the towel at all costs. Even if you graze the towel, it shows you are only centimeters from turning that shot into a mishit.
You can also do this drill without a golf ball as if you are taking practice swings.
Make Sure You Have The Correct Ball Position
Having the wrong ball position is the cause of a whole range of foul shots, not just hitting the ground before the ball.
By having your ball positioned too far forward with the wrong golf club in your hand, you’re increasing the chance of hitting behind the golf ball.
As a rule of thumb, the golf ball should be in the center of your stance for all your wedges and even your 9 iron.
Then, for 7 or 8 irons, you should move it forward slightly by a couple of inches.
Lastly, if you have a 6, 5, or 4 iron in your hand, you want to move it s little further again, but the ball should be far from the inside of your lead foot.
The only clubs that require the ball position to be close to that would be your woods and driver.
Keep Your Lead Arm Straight
Your lead arm is the key to hitting more consistent golf shots throughout your entire golf game. From short chip shots to becoming a better putter, your approach shots, and even driving.
A strong and straight lead arm which would be the left arm for right-handed golfers and the right for left-handers, helps the upper body turn entirely while also providing your swing more consistency too.
Starting your backswing with a weak lead arm bent will shorten your backswing hugely, affecting your clubhead trajectory and causing you to hit behind the golf ball.
The Golf Ball Should Be In The Centre Of Your Chest
Having the golf ball in the centre of your chest can confuse most golfers and is one of the most common reasons you’re hitting foul shots.
Throughout your entire swing, your chest and head should almost feel fixed in place with little to no movement left or right. They should never travel past the center of the golf ball as this will end up in disaster.
All you should be focusing on is the turning of your upper body. If you can get this down, you will become more consistent in your contact with the ball and stop hitting behind it.
Have A Look At Your Stance
Fixing your stance if it’s a problem is one of the more straightforward solutions. A lot of the time, something as simple as having your feet too far apart could be the cause of your hitting behind the golf ball.
Generally, your feet should only be about shoulder width apart when using your irons, with them pushing out a little further when using a driver and a little closer to the center with some wedges.
Once you get your feet to position correctly, you only need a slight natural knee bend. If it feels like you’re squatting, then you’re doing too much.
It never hurts to get a video of your setup the next time you’re on the range practising to see how your feet line up.