Why “Bad Contact” Isn’t About Your Swing — It’s About Your Bottom
Every golfer has had that moment — you hit one shot heavy, the next thin, and you start wondering if your swing’s falling apart. You tell yourself, “I’m just not keeping my head down,” or “I need to stay behind it more.”
The truth? Neither of those is the problem.
Fat and thin shots don’t happen because of your head or your hands — they happen because your low point (the bottom of your swing arc) is in the wrong place.
When your swing bottoms out too early, you hit the ground first (fat). When it bottoms out too late, you catch the ball on the upswing (thin).
So, fixing contact isn’t about changing your swing — it’s about controlling where the club bottoms out. And that comes from pressure shift, rotation, and posture.
This article will show you how to find your low point, control it, and make solid, consistent contact every single time.
Read Next: How to Setup to the Golf Ball Like a Pro
The One Simple Concept: Forward Low Point
Great ball strikers all do one thing the same — their swing bottoms out in front of the ball.
They don’t try to hit at the ball. They hit through it, with their weight forward and their chest rotating toward the target. The ball just happens to get in the way before the club brushes the turf.
Here’s what that means for you:
- Your pressure must shift into your lead side during transition.
- Your rotation must keep going through impact (don’t stall).
- Your hands must stay slightly ahead of the clubhead naturally — not forced.
When those three things line up, your low point moves forward automatically. You’ll start striking ball-first, turf-second — exactly like the pros.
Try this test: make a few slow swings brushing the ground, and notice where the brush happens. Is it behind the ball? Move your chest slightly more forward. Still inconsistent? Keep turning your chest through impact.
Don’t think “hit down.” Think “rotate through.”
Downward motion happens because of sequence — not because you’re trying to dig.
Why Fat and Thin Shots Usually Come in Pairs
Ever notice that when you hit a fat shot, your next one is thin? That’s not a coincidence — that’s a reaction.
You chunk one and your brain panics: “Don’t hit the ground next time.” So you subconsciously pull up early, lifting your chest and shortening the radius of your swing. That’s how you blade it.
Then you hit the next one thin and overcorrect again — you stay down longer, tilt your body, and chunk the ground before the ball.
You end up stuck in a frustrating seesaw of overcorrection.
The fix isn’t to “stay down” or “keep your head still.” The fix is to control your low point. When your body rotates naturally through the ball and your pressure stays forward, you eliminate the need to compensate.
That’s what consistent contact really is — removing reaction and replacing it with rhythm.
⭐ Let’s pause here, if you have found this content valuable, then you’re going to want to check out our Weekly Practice Plans we send out to our community members every Sunday. These give you a plan to follow each week, plus online swing lessons, video library of golf drills, golf fitness program, and more.
The 3 Keys to Consistent Contact
Once you understand that the bottom of your swing controls everything, you can simplify your entire approach to ball striking into three key moves. Master these, and fat and thin shots become nearly impossible.
1. Pressure Forward Before the Downswing
The downswing doesn’t start with your hands — it starts with your feet. Before your arms even begin to move, feel your weight shift into your lead foot. That early shift pushes the low point forward automatically.
You don’t need to “stay down” or “hit down.” You just need to be ahead of the ball when you strike it.
2. Rotate, Don’t Slide
Sliding your hips toward the target moves your upper body back — that’s how chunks happen. Instead, feel your lead hip rotate around your body.
This rotation keeps your chest over the ball longer, maintaining your posture and controlling your low point.
3. Keep Your Chest Moving Through Impact
The biggest cause of thin shots is a frozen chest. When your torso stops rotating, the club flips early, bottoming out too soon.
Instead, feel your chest turning through impact, staying down and covering the ball. You’ll immediately start striking ball-first, turf-second.
These three moves are simple — but they transform your contact because they align your motion with gravity and pressure instead of fighting it.
When your pressure moves forward, your rotation continues, and your chest stays steady, your swing bottom is always in front of the ball — no guessing, no compensating.
That’s what tour-level consistency feels like.
Drills to Master Low-Point Control
You can fix fat and thin shots in your garage or backyard. These drills teach your body how to find and repeat your low point with precision.
1. The Line Drill
Draw a straight line on the ground perpendicular to your target. Place the ball just ahead of it. Make swings brushing the ground just in front of the line.
If you hit behind it, stay more centered. If you miss it, rotate more through the shot. Repeat until you can consistently clip the ground in the same spot every time.
2. The Coin Drill
Place a coin or small washer on the carpet where the ball would be. Try to clip it without hitting the ground. This sharpens precision and trains clean, ball-first contact.
3. The Pressure-Board Drill
If you have a pressure mat or even a thin board under your feet, listen and feel when your weight shifts. You should hear the sound of pressure transferring before the club reaches impact. That’s the moment your body’s driving the low point forward.
4. The Brush Test
Without a ball, make swings and listen for where the club brushes the ground. It should sound consistent — same spot, same sound, every time. Inconsistent rhythm equals inconsistent contact.
When you master low-point control, every swing feels predictable. The fat and thin misses don’t vanish because you’re perfect — they vanish because your motion is stable enough to handle small mistakes.
Read Next: The Downswing Simplified – Make Better Swings
Common Myths About Fat and Thin Shots
Golfers often chase fixes that sound right but actually make the problem worse. If you’ve been told any of these myths, it’s time to let them go — because they’re holding your contact hostage.
Myth #1: “Keep your head down.”
This one ruins more swings than it helps. Forcing your head to stay down locks up your rotation, making your low point unpredictable. The club bottoms out early, and you hit behind it.
Truth: Let your head move naturally with your chest as it rotates. Good players’ heads always turn through impact.
Myth #2: “Hit down on the ball.”
You don’t create compression by chopping down — you create it by moving your body forward. When your weight and rotation lead the way, the downward strike happens automatically.
Truth: Feel your chest and lead side moving through the ball — not smashing into it.
Myth #3: “Keep your weight back to get the ball up.”
This one feels logical but kills your contact. Hanging back moves your low point behind the ball, causing fats and flares.
Truth: To get the ball up, your pressure must go forward. Loft lifts the ball — not leaning back.
Myth #4: “You need to hit the ground more.”
If you start trying to dig, you’ll bury the club behind the ball.
Truth: Don’t aim to hit the ground — aim to brush the turf just after the ball. Smooth, shallow, forward.
Every myth above comes from trying to fix the result instead of the cause.
Once you start thinking in terms of sequence — pressure, rotation, posture — your low point stabilizes automatically.
You won’t need reminders or swing thoughts. You’ll just start flushing it.
Why Low-Point Training Is Built Into the Monthly Practice Program
Every golfer wants to hit it solid — but most don’t realize that solid contact isn’t a skill you find; it’s one you train.
That’s why low-point control is a major focus in the Monthly Practice Program.
Inside, you’ll train with a step-by-step structure that builds real consistency:
- Phase 1: Awareness Drills — Learn exactly where your low point is and how to control it.
- Phase 2: Pressure Shift Sequences — Train the feeling of moving weight forward naturally.
- Phase 3: Rotation Integration — Build body rotation and posture through impact without early extension.
- Phase 4: Strike Pattern Tracking — Use simple feedback tools to see where your club contacts the ground and how it improves week to week.
Each drill is short, focused, and measurable — so you’re not guessing anymore. You’re building reliable, repeatable contact with structure.
No more “hoping” to hit it clean. You’ll know how to create solid strikes every time you swing. Because when you control your low point… you control your entire game.
New Practice Routines Emailed Every Sunday
We’ve put together a practice plan that shows you what golf drills to practice to quickly improve your swing, chipping, and putting. Every Sunday we send out a new routine for the upcoming week as well as a video lesson of the week, plus you’ll be able to watch golf drill tutorials showing you how to do each drill in the plan.
These practice plans give you structure so you know what to spend time working on to improve. You can choose which days to follow based on your schedule, it’s flexible.
If you become a Pro Plan member, you’ll get 1 swing lesson per month to get feedback and coaching on your golf swing (or putting stroke / chipping stroke if you desire).
Get help understanding why your golf shots aren’t starting as straight as you’d like, plus how to make better contact, consistently, to see more balls flying high toward your target.
Learn More About the Practice Club Here
See you soon,
Coach Mike Foy, PGA
Owner of Mike’s Golf Center
The Practice Club – Weekly Routines Emailed to You
Learn about our weekly golf practice routines we send out to our Practice Club Community every Sunday. These are pre-made weekly protocols covering specific skill development each week with a schedule of what drills to work on throughout the week.
Just show up to the golf course and follow the plan that’s laid out step by step for you. Golf improvement should be this easy. You’ll also receive indoor practices if the weather prevents you from making it to a golf course.
Learn more here about the Golf Practice Club – Weekly Routines Designed Around Skills You Need to Master
