Why You Keep Chunking Golf Shots (And How to Fix It)

Few things in golf are more frustrating than hitting a chunked shot.

You make what feels like a good swing, but instead of crisp contact, the club slams into the turf behind the ball and the ball barely travels half the distance you expected.

For some golfers, chunking happens only occasionally. For others, it becomes a recurring problem that shows up multiple times per round. Either way, it can be embarrassing when it happens in front of playing partners and incredibly costly to your score.

The frustrating part is that chunked shots rarely come from just one mistake. They are usually the result of a breakdown somewhere in the swing — whether it’s poor weight transfer, incorrect ball position, or a swing motion that causes the club to bottom out too early.

The good news is that once you understand why chunked shots happen, they become much easier to fix.

In this golf swing lesson, we’ll break down the most common causes of chunked golf shots, explain why they happen, and show you how to correct them so you can start striking the ball cleanly again.

If you’ve been struggling with hitting the ground before the ball, one of the following mistakes is likely the root of the problem.

Key Mistakes That Cause Chunked Golf Shots

Chunked shots almost always happen because the low point of your swing occurs behind the golf ball instead of after it.

Great ball strikers hit the ball first and then the turf. The club descends into the ball, compresses it, and only then does it brush the ground.

When a shot is chunked, the opposite happens. The club strikes the turf first, which slows the club down and prevents solid contact with the ball.

Several swing mistakes can cause this to happen, and the key to fixing chunked shots is identifying which mistake is affecting your swing.

Below are some of the most common causes.

---

Cause #1: Sternum Position Too Far Back or Forward

Think of the middle of your chest (the sternum) as one of the most important reference points in your golf swing.

Your sternum generally stays positioned near the center of your swing arc, meaning wherever your chest moves during the swing will strongly influence where the club bottoms out.

If the chest moves too much during the swing — especially through excessive lateral movement — the low point of the swing will move with it. This can lead to the club striking the ground before the ball.

Two common mistakes occur here.

If the chest stays too far behind the ball, the arms and club will also stay behind the ball during the downswing. This causes the club to reach the ground too early and chunk the shot.

On the other hand, if the chest moves too far forward too early, the club can become overly steep, which can also cause the club to dig into the ground before impact.

Both issues usually come from too much side-to-side movement instead of rotational movement in the golf swing.

The Fix

At impact, your chest should be slightly ahead of the golf ball, which helps promote ball-first contact.

If you frequently chunk shots because you’re stuck behind the ball, you likely have a weight transfer problem.

Start by setting up with slightly more weight on your lead leg, around 55–60%. During the swing, focus on rotating your body rather than sliding your hips laterally.

A helpful swing feel is:

• Keep your chest turning toward the target
• Let your hips rotate through impact
• Avoid swaying back and forth during the swing

Many golfers benefit from rehearsing swings where they feel their sternum staying over the ball or slightly forward of it through impact.

When this position improves, the club naturally begins striking the ball first and the turf second.

Cause #2: Hands Too Active

Another common reason golfers chunk their shots is having overly active hands during the downswing.

Many golfers instinctively try to “help” the golf ball into the air. Instead of allowing the club’s loft to lift the ball, they try to scoop it upward using their wrists and hands.

This early hand action causes the club to release too soon, which moves the bottom of the swing arc behind the ball. When the club releases early, the clubhead reaches the ground before it reaches the golf ball, resulting in the dreaded chunk.

The hands absolutely should release in the golf swing, but that release should occur after impact, not before it.

In a good swing, the body rotation leads the movement while the arms and club follow. The wrists hinge during the backswing, remain relatively stable during the transition, and then naturally release in the follow-through as the club accelerates past the body.

When the hands take over too early, the timing of the entire swing becomes inconsistent and ground contact becomes unpredictable.

The Fix

The goal is to make the hands more passive and allow the body rotation to move the club through the ball.

Instead of actively trying to flip or scoop the club, focus on turning your chest and hips through the shot while letting the arms swing naturally.

A great drill to build this feel is the 3 o’clock to 9 o’clock drill.

Start by making smaller half swings where the club moves back to the 3 o’clock position and then through to the 9 o’clock position. Swing the club back and forth several times in a smooth rhythm.

As you perform this drill, notice a few key sensations:

• The wrists hinge naturally during the backswing
• The body rotation brings the arms back toward the ball
• The club releases naturally in the follow-through
• The wrists begin to rehinge as the club moves upward after impact

This drill helps golfers learn that the swing should be powered by rotation, not by flipping the hands.

Once the hands become quieter and the body controls the motion, solid ball-first contact becomes much easier to achieve.

Want a 12 week program with drills, worksheets, and practices pre-made for your handicap (10-20) to help you Break 80 finally? Learn more about the Break 80 Program here.

Cause #3: Ball Position Too Far Forward

Sometimes the cause of a chunked golf shot has nothing to do with the swing at all. It can simply be a setup mistake, specifically ball position.

Where the golf ball sits in your stance plays a major role in where the club reaches the bottom of the swing arc. If the ball is positioned too far forward, the club will naturally reach the ground before it reaches the ball, causing the club to strike the turf first.

This is especially common with mid-irons and wedges. Many golfers mistakenly place the ball too far toward the lead foot because they believe it will help them get the ball airborne. In reality, irons are designed to strike the ball with a descending blow, meaning the club should contact the ball before touching the turf.

When the ball creeps too far forward in the stance, the swing bottom happens early and the result is often a chunked shot.

The Fix

Start by checking your ball position during setup.

For most golfers, irons and wedges perform best when the ball is positioned near the middle of the stance or slightly forward of center.

This setup helps ensure that the club strikes the ball first and then the turf.

As a general guideline:

• Short irons and wedges: Middle of the stance
• Mid irons: Slightly forward of center
• Driver: Inside the lead heel
• Fairway woods: About 3–4 inches inside the lead heel (slightly back from driver position)

If you’re struggling with chunked shots, try moving the ball one to two inches farther back in your stance during practice and see how it affects your contact.

Many golfers immediately notice cleaner strikes simply by correcting their ball position.

A quick checkpoint during setup is to make sure your sternum and shirt buttons are slightly ahead of the golf ball with your irons. This setup position helps encourage a downward strike and promotes ball-first contact.

Cause #4: Swing Plane Too Flat

Another mistake that can lead to chunked golf shots is a swing plane that becomes too flat or too shallow during the downswing.

A flat swing plane occurs when the club travels excessively from the inside during the downswing. While many golfers try to shallow the club to avoid slicing, going too far in this direction can create a new problem — the club approaching the ball too low and too early.

When the club gets stuck too far behind the body on an inside path, it often reaches the ground before it reaches the ball. The result is the club digging into the turf behind the ball and producing a chunked shot.

This issue often shows up with long irons, which already require precise contact. Many golfers subconsciously flatten their swing too much when trying to sweep these clubs off the turf.

The problem often begins during the takeaway. If the club is pulled too far inside early in the backswing, it sets up a flat plane that becomes difficult to recover from during the downswing.

The Fix

The goal is to keep the club more connected to the body during the takeaway so the swing stays on plane.

Avoid rolling the forearms or pulling the club dramatically inside when starting the backswing. Instead, focus on making a one-piece takeaway where the arms, shoulders, and chest move together.

This keeps the club traveling more naturally along the correct swing path.

A simple drill to feel this connection is the towel-under-the-arms drill.

Place a small towel or headcover under both armpits and make practice swings without letting it fall. This encourages the arms to stay connected to the chest and helps maintain the “Y” shape between the arms and the club during the takeaway.

As the swing continues, the body rotation will naturally elevate the club to the correct position without forcing it inside.

When the takeaway improves and the swing stays more on plane, the club approaches the ball at a better angle and the chances of chunking the shot are greatly reduced.

Cause #5: Too Much Forward Shaft Lean

Forward shaft lean is often taught as a positive in golf instruction because it helps golfers compress the ball and create a downward strike with irons.

However, like many swing fundamentals, too much of a good thing can create problems.

If the shaft leans excessively forward at impact — with the hands far ahead of the clubhead — the leading edge of the club becomes more exposed and the clubface loses effective loft. This can cause the leading edge to dig into the turf instead of allowing the club to glide through the ground.

When this happens, the club tends to stick in the turf before reaching the ball, producing a heavy or chunked shot.

This issue shows up most often with wedge shots and short irons, where golfers are often taught to lean the shaft forward to control trajectory. Many players overdo this concept and end up driving the leading edge into the ground.

The Fix

Instead of forcing excessive shaft lean, focus on using the bounce of the club — especially with wedges.

The bounce is the angled portion of the sole designed to help the club slide through the turf instead of digging into it. When the hands move too far ahead of the clubhead, the bounce disappears and the sharp leading edge takes over.

A better setup is to keep your hands near the middle of your belt buckle at address. This position allows for a slight amount of shaft lean without exaggerating it.

During the swing, the body rotation should naturally move the hands slightly ahead of the clubface at impact, creating solid compression while still allowing the club to interact properly with the turf.

Remember, the goal isn’t to eliminate shaft lean completely — it’s to avoid overdoing it to the point where the club begins digging instead of gliding.

Learning to use the club’s bounce effectively can dramatically improve contact and reduce chunked shots.

Conclusion: How to Start Fixing Chunked Golf Shots

Chunked golf shots can be frustrating, but the encouraging news is that they usually stem from a small number of common mistakes.

Most of the time, the issue comes down to the club reaching the ground too early in the swing. This happens when the swing’s low point occurs behind the ball instead of after it.

By reviewing the five causes discussed in this article — sternum position, overly active hands, incorrect ball position, a swing plane that is too flat, and excessive shaft lean — you can begin identifying where your swing may be breaking down.

For many golfers, the most common root problem is poor weight transfer, where the body stays behind the ball instead of moving forward through impact. When the chest and weight remain back, the club is almost guaranteed to strike the ground before the ball.

A great way to diagnose these issues is to film your golf swing from multiple angles, especially from face-on and down-the-line views. Watching your swing on video makes it much easier to see where your body is positioned at impact and how the club is approaching the ball.

Once you identify the root cause, you can begin making small adjustments to improve your contact.

Clean ball-first contact is one of the most important fundamentals in golf, and eliminating chunked shots will instantly help you gain more consistency, distance, and confidence in your game.

Golf Practice Plan – What to Do & Not To Do

Wonder why you’re not getting better as fast as you want to be? Here’s your proven system to follow step by step that hundreds of golfers like you are following each month. Our students send us emails frequently praising these practice plans and how much they’ve improved at golf.

Get access to our Practice Plans built for all 3 skill levels (Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced Golfers).

You’ll learn what to do at the golf course to improve your score and skills and what not to do. Just follow these plans step by step. It’s made easy for you. Plus see our videos, worksheets, and training aid recommendations.

Thanks for reading today’s article!

Nick Foy – Golf Instructor