A golfer takes a divot because the golf club and golf swing are designed to hit the ball with a descending blow. Hitting the golf ball while the club is ascending makes iron shots thin and much less powerful. Golfers make divots because this is the way the game is designed to be played, and it has been this way for hundreds of years.
What do your divots say about your golf swing?
The divots you take can say a lot about your golf swing, giving evidence as to whether you are hitting the ball too heavy or too thin. The direction of a divot can also provide great information as to why a shot went left, right, sliced or hooked.
What is a divot Golf Club?
Rather than a smooth rounded arc which bottoms out just after the ball creating a nice crisp divot, the club comes in steep, makes contact with the ball and then digs into the ground heaving up mounds of earth.
Why do some golfers take divots with wedges?
It almost always happens in the northern states, where the ground is wet and soft, they are only ever taken with wedges and the player is taking a divot not because they are trying to do it but because of good mechanics. The way the average golfer interprets this is quite the opposite however.
Are deep divots in my golf irons common?
The angle of attack you use with your irons is an important part of the swing equation, and your divot does a great job of showing you what that angle looks like. Should you find that deep divots are common in your game, take the necessary steps to correct the problem as soon as possible. Should I Hit The Ground When Playing A Golf Iron Shot?
Why do pro golfers take such big divots?
Divots are part of golf, especially out on tour. Pros swing with more speed, and they're usually hitting shorter clubs into the greens from really tight fairways, so it's always raining clumps of turf. But not all divots are created equal.
How do you stop big 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.
What your divot says about your swing?
Your divot is either going to point to the right, to the left or straight. For right-handed players, if it's pointing to the left, it means your swing path is coming from outside to inside (a path that produces a slice). If it's pointing right, you're swinging inside to out (a path that produces a hook).
Should my golf swing make a divot?
0:453:03Should You Take Divots With Your Irons? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIt really helps getting a tee peg. And what we're going to do is we're gonna stick it in the groundMoreIt really helps getting a tee peg. And what we're going to do is we're gonna stick it in the ground an inch past the golf ball. So it's going in the ground an inch past the golf ball push.
How do you hit a golf ball without a divot?
0:263:21Do NOT Take a Divot! - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipLet's have a look where that strike point is quite high up the face and with the grass being soMoreLet's have a look where that strike point is quite high up the face and with the grass being so spongy it is we've had a lot of growth.
Should you always take a divot with irons?
You should take a divot when striking a golf shot, but not with every club. Wedges and short irons when hit correctly will create a clear divot, imparting backspin on the ball, yet longer clubs like 5-irons and hybrids should 'brush' the turf, rather than take a deep chunk out of the ground.
What should a golfer do when she creates divot?
The easiest answer to this is to let the club do the work. Remember, all clubs are designed to do this but so many amateurs try to help lift the ball into the air. The club's loft will do this automatically as long as you hit down and through the shot.
Why do I never take a divot?
If you don't take a divot on your approach shots, you're probably pulling up (above, right) or falling onto your back foot during the downswing. Here's my favorite drill for learning to take good divots. Get into your normal setup, then lift the clubhead a few inches off the ground.
What do toe deep divots mean?
Divots which are too deep are almost always a sign of a steep angle of attack. All iron shots have their own swing arc which bottoms out just after impact with the ball. This is what causes the slightly descending blow on well struck iron shots and a nice crisp divot to appear.
Do pro golfers replace divots?
The players know this fact so they don't replace their divots when playing on Bermudagrasses but they do when they play on the northern grasses. The holes left by the players are filled with sand by the maintenance staff after each round.
Should you take a divot when chipping?
The goal is avoid taking a divot. If you do this and start feeling the ground your margin for error will be much higher. In fact, if you keep the club from digging you can hit slightly behind the ball and still hit a good shot.
Should you take a divot with a hybrid club?
0:391:24Damron: Take a divot with your hybrids - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clip- take this hybrid out and not hit it left well one key I like to use is. I'm gonna come down onMore- take this hybrid out and not hit it left well one key I like to use is. I'm gonna come down on this hybrid. And just like an iron I'm gonna take a divot.
What is golf swing?
The golf swing is a circular motion, and every circle has a low point. Better players all have the low point of their swing in front of the golf ball (which is indicated by the black line in the image below).
Who wrote the article "The Golf Swing"?
Adam Young wrote this article a few months ago that got a lot of attention, and for good reason. He explains a very important concept of the golf swing, and gives a strong visual representation that helps make sense of why golfers fail to consistently hit great iron shots.
What does "hit down on the ball" mean?
‘Hit down on the ball’ is a phrase that has been told to golfers struggling to improve their ball striking for decades. The conventional wisdom has always been that better golfers will take a huge divot with their iron shots, and the key to “compressing” the golf ball is to produce an extremely steep club path towards impact.
Does hitting down on the ball increase compression?
One of the main points Andrew discusses in this article is that hitting down on the ball does not necessarily increase your compression. Translation – the ball will not go farther, or spin more simply because you are steepening your angle of attack with your irons.
Do golfers hit down on the ball?
The problem is that most golfers fail to translate such terms as ‘hitting down on the ball’ into an actual swing move. It might be explained to them by their local teaching pro; they will nod their head in approval, and then when they go to swing the club they end up hitting these terribly fat shots that go nowhere.
Should I hit down on a golf ball?
It’s the exact opposite of how the pros do it. In my opinion, this is the reason why most golfers should not try to hit down on a golf ball. Your conscious mind will be telling your body something that it will not completely understand, and your results will likely not improve.
Is it better to hit down on the ball or compress it?
Hitting down on the ball on its own does not necessarily produce a better golf shot. You can still properly compress the ball without taking a divot, or a steep angle of attack with the golf club. The pursuit of a steeper golf swing can cause more harm than good by moving the low point of your swing behind the ball.
Are you supposed to take a divot in golf?
Generally, the shorter the club, the deeper the divot should be in golf. This depends on shot type, though, as sometimes even a 60-degree wedge will need to be clipped off the top of the grass. As a basic rule, the deepest divots should be taken with wedges, getting shallower as the club gets longer.
Why is it good to take a divot in golf?
It is good to take a divot in golf for several reasons including to compress the golf ball, strike the ball first then turf, and to utilise the loft of the club to get the ball airborne. If you are regularly taking a divot right after contact with the ball, it will lead to more consistent and effective ball-striking.
Why am I not taking a divot with my irons?
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.
Should I take a divot when chipping?
No, you shouldn’t take a divot when chipping, but you should definitely be making contact with the grass and ‘scuffing’ the surface. If you want to impart spin on the ball it’s crucial to strike the ball first, then the ground, which should lead to only a slight disruption of the earth beneath.
Why am I taking a divot before the golf ball?
If you take a divot before the ball you are shallowing the club out too early, leading to a fat shot. This could come about through setting up with too much weight on the back foot or an attack angle that is too steep.
Why am I taking a divot with my driver?
If you take a divot with your driver it is because you are shallowing out the club too early in the golf swing. The driver should ideally create a neutral or positive attack angle when swung correctly, so try and avoid swinging with too much of a negative descent as you might strike ground first or hit too far down on the ball.
What does your divot say about your golf swing?
The divots you take can say a lot about your golf swing, giving evidence as to whether you are hitting the ball too heavy or too thin. The direction of a divot can also provide great information as to why a shot went left, right, sliced or hooked.
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.
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.
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.
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.
