If You Routinely Chunk Golf Shots, This Drill’s For You originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
I don’t need to tell you how frustrating it is to chunk a golf shot — since there’s a good chance we’ve all experienced it at some point.
But it’s one thing to have it happen, accept it, and just go on about your business, and it’s another thing to identify the problem and actually fix it with a repeatable solution.
Since Rainmakers Golf Club exists to help all golfers improve their game, we tapped top-ranked golf teacher Tom Stickney to see what golf tips he has to eliminate chunked golf shots. To our surprise, working on just one simple drill is a great way to finally get rid of those ugly things that keep adding strokes to your scorecard each round.
Try This to Stop Chunking Golf Shots
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While there are a few technical reasons why you keep chunking golf shots, the bottom line is this: You’re hitting in front of the ball, rather than making ball-first contact — which is the recipe for crisp, pure golf shots.
This could be related to poor weight distribution, a steep angle of attack, or a handful of other reasons, but whatever’s causing the problem is leading to the club digging into the ground — meaning you’re not getting the low point of the club down at the right spot.
So how can you cure the chunking blues? In the video above, Stickney offers up an easy drill to find better contact and more consistent results.
“Anytime you [chunk a golf shot] it a) doesn’t feel very good, b) doesn’t go very straight, and c) it doesn’t go anywhere,” Stickney says. “So how do we ensure more consistent, solid, and pure contact with the irons?”
This is where Stickney suggests making a line on the ground for yourself just behind the golf ball, which provides a visual for where the club should engage with the turf.
“I’m going to make a little line, which represents where the club sits,” he says. “Now my goal is to move through the golf ball and brush the target side of the line. If I can brush the target side of the line, then I’m going to hit the ball first, ensuring solid contact.”
After getting an idea of how the drill works, Stickney suggests taking some slow practice swings before hitting a ball. This ensures you feel where the club should properly hit the ground, rather than searching for instant results.
“Once you draw that line [on the ground], take some practice swings and see where you brush the ground,” Stickney instructs. “If you can hit the ball first and the ground second in front of the line, you’re going to hit it more solid.”
So if you struggle with regularly chunking golf shots, go ahead and try Stickney’s drill the next time you’re sneaking in some golf practice. It will help you develop some repeatable feels that you can work on at the driving range before applying them to your next golf round.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
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