Chunk
Also known as: fat shot, hitting it fat, heavy shot
A chunk (fat shot) is when the club strikes the ground before the ball. This means too early a low point. This means sending a short, low shot that often loses most of its distance.
A chunk (also called a fat shot, heavy shot, or thick) is a mishit where the club contacts the ground before the ball. This causes the turf to absorb some or most of the energy that should have been delivered to the ball. The result is a shot that travels well short of the intended distance, often with a loud "thud" and a large, deep divot behind the ball rather than at or ahead of it. Chunked shots are especially frustrating. This is because the feel is unmistakably different from a solid strike. This means there is no crisp impact sensation, replaced instead by a jarring, heavy feeling through the hands.
Chunking occurs when the low point of the swing arc is behind the ball rather than at or ahead of it. Several mechanical patterns can cause this. This means early release (the wrist hinge releases too soon. This moves the swing's low point backward). Early extension (the hips thrust toward the ball, raising the swing center and lowering the club relative to the ball position). Casting (the club bottoms out early, behind the ball). And excessive lateral slide that moves the swing arc backward. The fundamental cause is any pattern that places the club's lowest point in the wrong location relative to the ball.
Chunking is more common with higher-lofted clubs (irons, wedges) than with fairway woods and drivers. This is. This is because lower-lofted clubs sweep the ball and the swing arc's low point is irrelevant when the ball is teed up. The same golfer who never chunks a driver may chunk irons reliably, revealing that their swing arc low point is behind the ball for iron shots. This means requiring a forward shift of the low point through better shaft lean and hands-ahead delivery.
To eliminate chunking, focus on one simple feel: press your hands toward the target at impact so they lead the clubhead. This single change shifts the low point forward and is the single most effective chunking correction for recreational golfers.
Use impact spray or chalk on the face and the ground to diagnose exactly where the club is bottoming out relative to the ball. This means spray the face with Dr. Sheffeld's or similar powder and hit shots on a hard mat to get an exact contact pattern and ground contact point. This gives you precise information about how far behind the ball your low point is, rather than just guessing from feel.
Example
A player hits behind the ball by two inches and the ball trickles 50 yards with the divot landing ahead of it — the textbook chunk.
How it shows up on video
From a face-on camera angle, chunking is visible in the divot pattern. This means a divot that begins well behind the ball rather than at or ahead of it is definitive evidence of a behind-the-ball impact. Slow-motion video shows the club contacting the ground before reaching the ball. From a down-the-line angle, chunking often correlates with visible early release (the shaft losing its angle early in the downswing) or early extension (the hips thrusting toward the ball). The combination of early extension and early release produces the most severe chunking pattern.
Common mistakes
- Trying to "help" the ball up by adding loft at impact. This means scooping to help the ball airborne is one of the most common causes of chunking. This is because it moves the low point behind the ball. Trusting the club's designed loft and hitting down through the ball eliminates this pattern.
- Setting up too far from the ball. This means a setup where the arms are reaching at full extension for the club handle means the low point is further from the body than intended. Correct arm hang at address naturally positions the club at the right distance.
- Swaying on the backswing and failing to shift back. This means a sway that moves the weight backward without returning to the lead side on the downswing places the body and swing arc behind the ball at impact.
- Confusing a chunk with a thin shot in the cause — a chunk and a thin shot feel different and have different root causes. Chunks come from hitting the ground before the ball; thins come from hitting the top of the ball. Applying a thin-shot fix to a chunk problem makes both worse.
In SwingVantage Motion Lab
SwingVantage can identify chunking patterns from video by observing divot position relative to the ball, shaft angle in the impact zone, and body position at impact. The correlation between early extension, early release, and chunking provides context for diagnosis. Observations are confidence-labeled based on video quality and the visibility of the impact zone in the footage.
Related terms
- Low PointLow point is where the clubhead reaches the bottom of its arc through impact. Controlling it — keeping it at or just ahead of the ball with irons — is the basis of pure contact.
- Weight TransferWeight transfer is the movement of the body's center of pressure from the trail side (backswing) to the lead side (downswing). A complete transfer through impact is a fundamental source of power and consistency.
- ScoopingScooping is the instinct to "help the ball up" by flipping the wrists upward at impact. This means it adds loft, reduces compression, and produces weak, high, short contact.
- Attack AngleAttack angle is the vertical direction the clubhead is moving at impact. Negative means hitting down on the ball; positive means hitting up.
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