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Avoid Fat and Thin ShotsIrons: Compress the Ball Irons Intermediate ⏱ 7 min 🇬🇧 Video in English, summarized

Stop Hitting Your Irons Fat: Water in the Left Ear

Chris Ryan is familiar with the clubhead that stops five to ten centimeters before the ball. He offers three tips: trust the loft, keep your upper body over your lower body during the backswing, and—surprisingly—imagine water flowing out of your left ear.

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Chris Ryan
Chris Ryan · his YouTube channelFree lesson selected by Fred P.

To be continued

8 minSame problemFat Shot from Tipping Back: Right Shoulder Toward the BallLewis Wallace · Intermediate4 minSame problemThin Shots and Early Extension: The Chair DrillPaul Lambersens · Intermediate9 minFrom the same proFive Alignment Mistakes in Golf: Chris RyanChris Ryan · Beginner / Intermediate

What the lesson shows

First drill, to shift your mindset: the most open club in your bag, ball on a tee in the middle of your stance, and the entire body in front of the ball (head, hips, weight, hands). You simply lift the club and let it fall: it hits the ground on the target side, and the ball still goes up. The lesson: The ball rises because of the loft, not because you’re helping him. Next, with a 7-iron, Chris Ryan works on the backswing: keeping the “upper center” (the shirt buttons) above the “lower center” (the belt buckle). Your weight should remain roughly evenly distributed between both feet, without trying to shift it to your right foot.

The downswing is when everything comes together. During the backswing, the head tilts naturally: the left eye and left ear are lower than the right ones. A player who hits a fat shot reverses this tilt during the downswing, with the right shoulder too low and weight shifted backward. Visualize it this way: imagine water dripping from your ear. During the backswing, it drips from the left ear; you need to to feel it running down my left ear for as long as possible on the downswing. It’s normal for the club to touch the ground when using an iron: you just need to make contact with the ground after the ball, and your body position allows you to do that.

The Exercise, Step by Step

  1. Take your widest-opening club, with the ball on a tee in the middle of your stance.
  2. Position your head, hips, weight, and hands in front of the ball.
  3. Swing the club and let it come down: watch the ball go up.
  4. With a 7-iron, take your backswing while keeping your shirt buttons above your belt buckle.
  5. At the top, make sure your weight remains evenly distributed between both feet.
  6. On the downswing, feel the water running out of your left ear for as long as possible.
  7. Hit the balls, being prepared to dive for them after they're hit.

Key Takeaways

The ball gets airborne because of the loft—no need to help it along.
During the backswing, the upper body remains above the lower body.
At the top of the backswing, your weight remains roughly evenly distributed between both feet.
The left eye and left ear are lower than the right ones during the backswing.
When going downhill, we maintain this angle instead of reversing it.
It's normal to touch the ground: you have to touch it after the ball.

Mistakes to Avoid

  • Try to get the ball to rise with your swing.
  • Focus on feeling the weight on your right foot during the backswing, no matter what.
  • Letting the right shoulder drop too early during the transition.
  • Tilt your head the other way when going downhill.
  • Compensate by standing up or bending your elbows.

Driving Range Mode

Keep it in plain sight, on the rug.

  1. Club swing drill with the club head dropping, ball on a tee
  2. Slow backswing, buttons above the belt loop
  3. Slow-Motion Transition: Water Runs Down the Left Ear
  4. 7-iron shots, ground contact after the ball

Your Questions

What does “water runs out of the left ear” mean?

During the backswing, your head tilts: your left ear drops lower than your right. Chris Ryan advises you to maintain this feeling on the downswing. If water drips from your right ear, your right shoulder is too low and the club will hit the ground before the ball.

Should you shift your weight to your right foot during the backswing?

Not in this exercise. By keeping the upper body above the lower body, the weight remains roughly evenly distributed between both feet. The pressure shifts as you move, not when you're stationary.

Why practice with your whole body positioned in front of the ball?

To see that the ball rises even when the club is coming down and hits the ground on the target side. It’s the loft that makes it rise. This exercise helps you break the habit of trying to help the ball get airborne.

Learn More

All “Avoiding Fat and Thin Shots” videos →Find the lesson that's right for youAll “Irons - Compressing the Ball” videos →Find the lesson that's right for you Thin Shots and Early Extension: The Chair DrillA thin shot comes from the pelvis moving early toward the ball; to keep your spine angle: a chair against your backside, and Woods' low downswing. 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. Justin Rose's Tips for Making More BirdiesFrom the drive to the putt, Rose provides a tip for each shot: maximum speed after the ball, shift your weight to the left to compress the ball, and use your upper body when hitting wedges. Chris RyanAll of his lessons

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