hitting behind the ball, need help

[Brandon511]

this year so far i have been having trouble with hitting irons off the tee box and fairways.I have been hitting behind the ball taking grass then the ball,im fine if the ball happens to roll up on a little grass where is like sitting on a tee but when its sitting flat i hit behind it.can someone help me?Another problem i have is a par 5 island green and most times i can get to the water in 2 then in the water in 3 everytime, its a easy lop shot over the water and everytime im in the water have been playing there for 2 years and im in the water everytime.

[1972Apex]

This may seem too simple, but try moving the ball more forward in your stance. Many times when golfers are struggling and hitting shots fat, they move the ball back in their stance in the hope that they will make contact with the ball before the ground. This actually makes you come down steeper at the ball and creates an even greater likelihood of hitting it fat.
By moving the ball forward in your stance it should flatten out your swing arc and allow you to come into the ball with more of a sweeping motion.

[rezadue]

http://www.videojug.com/film/golf-stop-hitting-fat

[mjf]

My fat shots are all about me 'dipping' my head during the downswing. When your body moves closer to the ball, there's less room between you and the ball... so if your timing is off you're more likely to hit fat shots.

Focus on keeping your head still / maintaining your spine angle. Try looking at a video of your swing and note where the top of your head is when you start the backswing. Then compare it to where it is as your strike the ball.

[Goshawk]

Without seeing you swing it's difficult to diagnose, but one thing that I'd consider is whether you're standing too close to the ball. If you're too close, you're more likely to have an almost vertical swingpath - just to make room for your hands to pass in front of your trailing thigh. This can cause fat shots.
Another potential problem is a lack of weight shift. If you're "hanging back" on your trail leg during the downswing, this could easily cause fat shots.
As for the par 5 problem, this solution may sound simple but it's something a lot of golfers have problems with. Use 2 clubs shorter for your approach shot - if your 2nd shot is a 3W, use a 4-iron. Reasoning - leave yourself a full PW or maybe even a 9-iron to the green. The problem with this solution is that a lot of golfers want to get as much distance as possible on every drive and approach shot on a par 5......"get as close to the green as I can". If there's a lake in front of the green, these golfers like to get to within a few yards of the front of that lake. The difficulty comes in when they have a 40-50 yard shot left that they either have to use a club they don't have a lot of confidence in or have to hit a "finesse" partial wedge that they don't practice a lot. This usually ends up over the green or a splash. Island green - even worse because misses long or short are in the drink. Leave yourself a full swing with at least a SW up to a 9-iron and, if you're comfortable and confident in this yardage/club, you should at least be on the green with a putt for birdie. Much better than laying 4 from the drop area and a chip and hopefully 1 putt for bogie. Play the odds.

[Jason Munro]

In the meantime while you are experimenting with your swing to permanently fix the issue try this:

Look at the front of the ball not the back. Play it like a waste bunker. Works for me when my lie is tough...but I am not that good anyway.

[MZD94]

try keeping a bit more weight on the front foot, stay over the ball a bit more, and think of swinging through the ball, rather than swinging at the ball