
- Address the ball as you normally would. A short iron is the easiest club to use when learning to take a divot.
- Keep the club on plane during your swing. Forget complicated techniques – all you need to do is make sure the butt of your club points toward the ...
- Strike down on the ball. Too many players straighten up when making their downswing. ...
- Hit the ball first on your downswing. The ball doesn't need your help to get up into the air. ...
- Finish your swing. Don't just stick the club into the ground. You want to make a good turn through the ball.
How to take a golf divot after the ball?
Now, he has the necessary forward shaft lean to take a golf divot after the ball. Having lag in your golf swing is critical for having shaft lean at impact, which is critical for taking a divot in front of the golf ball. Lag allows more time for the hands to get in front of the golf ball before impact and, hence, produces forward shaft lean.
How do you hit a divot in a swing?
After you hit the ball, the club continues to go down toward the ground. Since you're turning through the shot, the club will hit the ground in front of the ball and take a divot. Finish your swing. Don't just stick the club into the ground.
What are ideal golf divots?
Ideal divots are a rarity at first. A lot of recreational players start their divots behind or in front of the line. They point too far left or right. Sometimes they’re very deep and other times the club never touches the ground.
How do you take a good divot?
But if you take a good divot after you hit the ball, that's proof you made a good strike. Address the ball as you normally would. A short iron is the easiest club to use when learning to take a divot.

How far in front of the ball should your divot be?
1 to 2 inchesIdeally, your divot should start 1 to 2 inches IN FRONT of where your ball was on the ground. If it starts at or behind the ball, you're probably hitting it fat. If it starts more than an inch or two in front of the ball, you're hitting it thin.
Why am I taking a divot before the ball?
If you stance is significantly wider, it can often cause your hips to move too much side to side and your hip seeks being over each foot. As your hips move too much side to side, this can often cause the club to hit the ground before the ball if you do not recenter yourself exactly the same amount.
How do you take a divot all the time?
2:387:29How to TAKE A DIVOT with your irons every time. - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipArm is going to make it that you guarantee you take a divot every time. And take it after the golfMoreArm is going to make it that you guarantee you take a divot every time. And take it after the golf ball. So when we set up we generally see that the spine there's a little bit of tilt.
Why am I not making a divot?
If you are failing to take a divot with your irons it usually means your angle of attack is too shallow and the club is on the way up, rather than down, when you make contact with the ball. This can lead to thin shots and won't produce the quality of strike you might when compressing the ball.
How do you stop a divot before the ball?
3:385:12HOW TO STOP HITTING THE GROUND BEFORE THE GOLF BALLYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipCheck set up ball. Position weight distribution. And in the goal swing focus on a point two to threeMoreCheck set up ball. Position weight distribution. And in the goal swing focus on a point two to three inches in front of the ball shift. In front of it.
Why do I hit the ground before the ball with my irons?
When a player hits the ground before the ball it is generally because their club is attacking the ball from too shallow an angle. Golf coaches refer to this as the "Angle of Approach".
Should you take a divot with every iron?
0:203:03Should You Take Divots With Your Irons? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou're going to get a more solid. Contact is going to control distances. Better it's going to beMoreYou're going to get a more solid. Contact is going to control distances. Better it's going to be more accurate.
Should I aim in front of golf ball?
Trying to keep your eye on the ball pretty much ensures that your club will bottom out too soon. If you want to hit crisp irons from the fairway, your focus should be well forward of the ball.
Why do pro golfers always take a divot?
Why do golfers take a divot? The majority of shots that are played with an iron or wedge will scrape off a thin layer of turf where the ball was resting. The reason is because these clubs are designed to strike the ball on a descending path.
How do you take a good divot with irons?
5:1911:05HOW TO TAKE A DIVOT WITH YOUR IRONS (The Secret) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBut you have to do that with your arms extended. Well sorry lead arm extended as you hit the ballMoreBut you have to do that with your arms extended. Well sorry lead arm extended as you hit the ball you can't do a chicken wing. And then both arms extended right here about two feet after contact with
Where should the divot be when hitting an iron?
When hitting an iron, you want the divot always in front of the golf ball. If I put the divot in the back you are hitting it fat, no divot thin. So the divot always wants to be in front of the golf ball when you are hitting it, very important.
Should you take a divot when chipping?
BITING CHIP Make a steep backswing, the clubhead rising abruptly as you hinge your wrists. The downswing will be just as steep, your hands leading the way as the clubhead comes down sharply into the back of the ball. Feel free to take a small divot (above).
Where should the divot be when hitting an iron?
When hitting an iron, you want the divot always in front of the golf ball. If I put the divot in the back you are hitting it fat, no divot thin. So the divot always wants to be in front of the golf ball when you are hitting it, very important.
Should you take a divot when chipping?
BITING CHIP Make a steep backswing, the clubhead rising abruptly as you hinge your wrists. The downswing will be just as steep, your hands leading the way as the clubhead comes down sharply into the back of the ball. Feel free to take a small divot (above).
How do I stop divots in golf?
3:375:37STOP HITTING TOO MUCH GROUND WITH YOUR GOLF CLUB - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo maintain your height as you come in to hit it with that very minimal knee flex. And just get theMoreSo maintain your height as you come in to hit it with that very minimal knee flex. And just get the sensation. You're going to hit the ball very clean off the surface.
Can I move my ball out of a divot?
Answer: No, you cannot move a golf ball out of a divot hole even when that divot is in the fairway - at least, not without penalty. (You can declare the ball unplayable, assess yourself a 1-stroke penalty, and drop.) This is probably one of the more disliked rules in the game by golfers of all skill levels.
Why do you divot in front of the ball?
Having your divot start in front of the ball is vital for ensuring a descending angle of attack and clean contact. It is also ideal in most cases to learn to take more shallow divots for spin and trajectory control. If you are taking massive, deep divots, it becomes very difficult to control the distance of your irons.
What hand do you use to divot in golf?
They'll do it with their left hand. You're not going to see very many guys sitting up like this with their right hand. The right hand has a very important job to do, but as far as making sure that your golf divot start in front of the ball, you need to focus on working on the left hand only.
What is shaft leaning?
Shaft lean is critical for a proper golf divot. Learning how to get your golf divots to start in front of the golf ball instead of even with it or even behind it is usually the ultimate goal for most amateur golfers who are used to hitting the ball really fat.
How far should a golf divot start?
Now hit full shots off the tee and try and make sure that the tee remains undisturbed. Your golf divot should start about an inch in front of the tee, and the tee should not be clipped or broken. While this drill may seem simple at first, many golfers struggle with it, so don't take it too lightly.
Why is lag important in golf swing?
Having lag in your golf swing is critical for having shaft lean at impact, which is critical for taking a divot in front of the golf ball. Lag allows more time for the hands to get in front of the golf ball before impact and, hence, produces forward shaft lean.
How to practice hitting a 7 iron?
Another good way to practice this is to actually hit balls off a tee. Take a 7 iron and place the ball on a tee but tee it very low such that the tee is barely above the level of the dirt (about 1/8"). Now hit full shots off the tee and try and make sure that the tee remains undisturbed.
What is a proper divot?
Taking a proper golf divot is something that is critical to crisp and consistent iron play, but if you don't know what a proper divot is, it's tough to know when things go wrong. Below, we're going to take a look at the proper divot from the face-on view.
Why are divots important in golf?
Divots play an important role in the game of golf – yet many amateur players don’t really understand how they work and what they are trying to tell you about your swing. With a little bit of background knowledge, your divots can be one of the most powerful teaching tools in the game because they provide the physical evidence needed to decode ...
What does it mean to move a golf club forward?
Moving them ‘forward’ means moving them slightly closer to the target. If your club digs into the turf even just an inch or two closer to the target, you will have a great chance at striking the ball cleanly and carrying the full distance to your chosen target.
Why do I get fat shots in golf?
By far, the leading cause of fat shots among amateur golfers is getting stuck on their back foot in the downswing. When your weight stays on your back foot, your center of gravity will remain behind the ball, and the club will inevitably enter the turf too soon. If you have been struggling with fat shots, you would be smart to make sure you aren’t hanging back on your right foot (for a right handed golfer) before moving on to other potential fixes.
How to get your weight into the correct position on a backswing?
As the backswing is finishing up, it is your hips that you jump into action to lead the way into the ball. Turn your hips toward the target right from the top of the swing and you will be able to get your weight into the correct position by the time you get to impact.
What happens if you release a golf club too early?
If you release the club too early, you may wind up hitting the ball fat even if your balance is in good shape. For a right handed golfer, an early release would mean forcing the right hand down toward the ball before the rest of your body has had a chance to clear through the hitting area.
Why does my golf club strike the ground?
The reason for this is because when your club strikes the ground the impact slows your club head speed dramatically, thus reducing the power of your impact when you do actually strike the ball. Clean and crisp ball striking requires that you hit the golf ball on the way down, starting your divot (i.e.
What is the difference between a big ball and a little ball?
One of the basic fundamentals in golf is that you need to hit the little ball before the big ball. What does that mean? Well, in golf parlance, the little ball is referring to the golf ball, and the big ball is the earth itself.
How to get a divot in golf?
Hit the ball first on your downswing. The ball doesn't need your help to get up into the air. By making a downward strike and hitting the ball first, you put backspin on the ball; that makes it go up into the air. After you hit the ball, the club continues to go down toward the ground. Since you're turning through the shot, the club will hit the ground in front of the ball and take a divot.
What is a divot after hitting the ball?
Divots are nothing more than strips of earth dug up after your club hits the ball. You might think it's silly to put so much emphasis on what you do to the ground. But if you take a good divot after you hit the ball, that's proof you made a good strike.
How to take a divot with a short iron?
A short iron is the easiest club to use when learning to take a divot. With a short iron, the ball will be in the middle of your stance. Put your weight slightly more on your left side (if you play right-handed) with the shaft tilted forward slightly.
What happens when you hit the ball in golf?
After you hit the ball, the club continues to go down toward the ground. Since you're turning through the shot, the club will hit the ground in front of the ball and take a divot.
How to keep your golf club on plane?
Keep the club on plane during your swing. Forget complicated techniques – all you need to do is make sure the butt of your club points toward the ball on the takeaway and on the way down. You can check this during your practice swing.
What happens if you divot too far in front of the line?
This divot looks just right, but if you find your divot is too far in front of the line, the ball could be too far forward in your stance; the club swung too much from the inside; your body was slow to turn through or you released the club early.
How to know if your downswing is too steep?
2. Behind The Line. The ball is too far back in your stance; the club swung too much from the outside; your body turned through too quickly; your hands were late to release. 3. Too Deep (Or No Divot) If it’s deep like this, your downswing is too steep, or your body is dipping toward the ball.
