A fat shot is when the club hits the ground before the ball, a topped shot is when the leading edge strikes the top half of the ball and sends it low and rolling, and a shank is when the ball hits the neck of the club (the hosel) and shoots sharply to the right (for a right-handed golfer). All three come from the club meeting the ball in the wrong place, and fat and topped shots often alternate because they share the same cause. Knowing why they happen makes it easier to stay calm and fix them during a round.
How the three misses differ
| Miss | What is happening | Result | Other names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fat shot | The club hits the ground behind the ball first | Big loss of distance. A bad one may only travel a few meters | hit it fat, chunk, duff |
| Topped shot | The leading edge strikes the ball above its center | Comes out low and runs. Around the green it races well past the hole | top, thin (a slightly thin strike), skull |
| Shank | The ball hits the hosel (where the neck joins the head) instead of the face | For a right-hander, shoots right at an angle close to sideways | shank, hosel rocket |
Golfers use these words loosely. “Duff” can mean any badly mishit shot, while “chunk” usually means a heavy fat shot that takes a big piece of turf. A thin shot is caught a little low on the face and flies low, whereas a full top hits the ball’s upper half and may barely leave the ground. A topped tee shot that dribbles only a few meters is still just called a topped shot.
Fat shots: causes and fixes
A fat shot happens when the low point of your swing (where the club reaches its lowest position) is behind the ball. With an iron, the correct strike is ball first, then turf: the club takes a divot in front of where the ball sat.
Common causes
- Your weight stays on the back foot in the downswing instead of moving to the lead foot.
- You try to help the ball into the air with a scooping motion.
- You release the wrist hinge too early, so the clubhead drops before the hands arrive.
- The ball is too far forward in your stance.
Practice drills
- Put a line or a tee just in front of the ball (on the target side) and swing so the club touches the ground past that line after hitting the ball.
- With a little more weight on your lead foot, hit balls with a small hip-to-hip swing. Widen the swing once contact is consistent.
- Let the loft lift the ball; do not try to lift it yourself. Reviewing the basics of striking the ball helps too.
Topped shots: causes and fixes
A topped shot happens when the low point of the club is above the bottom of the ball at impact. When fear of hitting fat makes you stand up through the shot, you start topping it instead, and it is easy to fall into a cycle of the two.
Common causes
- You lose your forward bend in the downswing and stand up, changing the distance between you and the ball.
- You try to scoop the ball and catch it while the club is already rising.
- You are anxious about the result, so your head and upper body turn toward the target too early.
Practice drills
- Swing with the intention of keeping your address posture until the ball is gone.
- As with the fat-shot drill, strike the ground in front of the ball. Fat and topped shots are two sides of the same low-point problem, so the same practice helps both.
- If you top chips around the green, start with small shots made with the shoulders and no wrist action. Our approach shot guide is also useful.
Shanks: causes and fixes
A shank is when the ball hits the base of the club rather than the center of the face. The hosel is round, so the ball flies off in an unexpected direction. Once one appears, more tend to follow, and the mental effect is severe.
Common causes
- In the downswing your hips or upper body move toward the ball, and your hands move away from your body and out in front.
- Too much weight is on your toes.
- You are standing too close to the ball.
- The face stays wide open and the heel side of the club arrives first.
Practice drills
- Place a headcover or another ball just beyond the ball (on the far side from you) and hit only the ball without touching it. If your hands move out, you will hit the headcover, so you get instant feedback.
- Set up feeling your weight toward your heels and keep your posture until the ball is gone.
- If it happens during a round, stand a little farther from the ball than usual and prioritize solid contact with a half swing.
Why misses differ between the range and the course
Many driving ranges have you hit off artificial turf mats. On a mat, the club can bounce off the surface and still reach the ball even if you strike slightly behind it, so fat shots are hidden. On real grass, the same swing digs in and becomes an obvious fat shot. If you strike it reasonably well at the range but hit it fat on the course, check whether you are really hitting in front of the ball on the mat. Another test is to place a towel or tissue just behind the ball and hit without touching it.
Slopes cause misses too. With the ball above your feet you are more likely to hit fat; with the ball below your feet, shanks and topped shots become more likely. These are hard to notice on a flat range, so on the course adjust your distance from the ball and your swing length to the slope.
When the misses keep coming during a round
- Do not try to rebuild your swing; take more club and make a shorter swing.
- Recheck ball position and your distance from the ball at address. Many misses start with a setup that has drifted.
- A complete miss counts as a stroke. Under the Rules of Golf, if you swing intending to hit the ball, it is a stroke even if you miss it.
Some golf courses in Southeast Asia have practice ranges where you hit off real grass, so hitting a few shots from turf before your round shows you how you are striking it that day. Driving ranges around Jakarta are listed in this article.