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Avoid Fat and Thin ShotsWedge play = Pitching and Chipping Wedges Intermediate ⏱ 3 min 🇫🇷 Video in French

Anti-Chunk Wedge Drills, with Patrice Amadieu

Fat shots and wedge play are often caused by poor shaft alignment at impact. The ffgolf Academy, led by Patrice Amadieu, offers three exercises to bring the shaft back to a vertical position and guide the club through the sweet spot.

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Patrice Amadieu
Patrice Amadieu · his YouTube channelFree lesson selected by Fred P.

To be continued

7 minSame problemStop Hitting Your Irons Fat: Water in the Left EarChris Ryan · Intermediate8 minSame problemFat Shot from Tipping Back: Right Shoulder Toward the BallLewis Wallace · Intermediate2 minFrom the same proPre-shot routine in golf: Patrice Amadieu's 3-step processPatrice Amadieu · Expert

What the lesson shows

Irregularity in wedge play is primarily caused by a incorrect shaft position at impact. Players who top the ball often lean back to swing the club upward: the shaft bends, and the clubhead passes in front of their hands. Players who take fat shots rely too much on their lower body, slide, and end up with their hands too far forward and the club too vertical. The goal: to keep the shaft vertical for as long as possible in the impact zone. First exercise, demonstrated by Patrice Amadieu: bring the shaft back to a vertical position, directly below your navel, with the clubface flat against the ground, then continue with that feeling.

Second exercise, continuing from the previous one: two-room apartment, with the clubhead behind the first one. You need to slide all the way to the second one: the first one can move but shouldn’t start off too strongly, which would happen if your hands were too far forward. Then you repeat the motion with the ball. Third exercise, for the arm-body coordination: a club in each hand, hands positioned fairly low on the grip, shafts positioned in front of the ball; take the backswing, return to square, take the backswing on the other side, then let your body set the rhythm: “one, two.”.

The Exercise, Step by Step

  1. Bring the shaft back to a vertical position, directly below your navel, with the flat side facing the floor.
  2. Remember that feeling, adjust your grip, and follow up with a shot.
  3. Place two coins on the floor, with the club head behind the first one.
  4. Slide the club all the way to the second piece, without pushing the first one too hard.
  5. Replicate the same sensation with a ball.
  6. Take a club in each hand: cock, return to square, cock on the other side.
  7. Let your body set the rhythm—“one, two”—with your arms and body moving together, then swing.

Key Takeaways

Fat shots and thin shots are mainly caused by poor shaft alignment at impact.
Top: Lean back, bringing the club head in front of your hands.
Fat shot: The lower body slides, hands are too far forward, and the club is too vertical.
Objective: Keep the shaft vertical for as long as possible in the hitting zone.
The club should glide through the impact zone; it shouldn't strike aggressively.
The arms and body work together, following a “one, two” rhythm.

Mistakes to Avoid

  • Lean back to help the ball rise.
  • Let the clubhead move past your hands at impact.
  • Slide with your lower body and end up with your hands too far forward.
  • Attack the first piece aggressively.

Driving Range Mode

Keep it in plain sight, on the rug.

  1. Vertical shaft directly below the navel, then the ball
  2. Two-piece drill, then a shot with the same feel
  3. Two clubs, one in each hand, to the count of “one, two”

Your Questions

Why do I scrape or tap my wedges?

According to the ffgolf Academy, this is mainly due to poor shaft position at impact. If the clubhead is too far back, it passes in front of your hands and you hit the ball fat; if it slides forward, with your hands too far ahead and the club too vertical, you hit the ball thin.

What shaft position should you aim for at impact?

Keep the shaft vertical, directly below the navel, in the sweet spot for as long as possible, with the club gliding through the ball.

How does the two-room exercise work?

With the clubhead behind the first ball, you need to swing through to the second one. The first ball may move, but it shouldn't fly too far, otherwise your hands are too far ahead.

Learn More

All “Avoiding Fat and Thin Shots” videos →Find the lesson that's right for youAll videos on “Wedge Play = Pitching and Chipping” →Find the lesson that's right for you Gripping Down When Chipping, by Van de VeldeShortening the grip brings you closer to the ball and makes your swing more vertical: the clubhead leaves the ground sooner and strikes the ball in the center, without a fat shot or a top. Fat Shot from Tipping Back: Right Shoulder Toward the BallThe “gratte aux fers” comes from tilting the upper body backward: the sternum in front of the ball (“right shoulder toward the ball”), controlled by a stick. Stop Hitting Your Irons Fat: Water in the Left EarTrust your loft, keep your upper body above your lower body, and feel the water run down your left ear for as long as possible. Patrice AmadieuAll of his lessons

Video posted on YouTube by its creator (Patrice Amadieu). Best Golf Tips selects and summarizes the best free lessons, without hosting them.

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