No Divot!

Hi all!

Just been playing lately, and ive noticed that most of my freinds when we play take alot off divot, but when eva i hit a shot mine never take a divot, i can ply like this, but somtimes i get the odd one go in at knee height and just wonderin will not takin a divot afect my game? Thanks Steve

Hi Steve,

It is a good idea to take a divot with your irons. This ensures you are striking down on the ball, which is what the irons are designed to do. You will find that you will gain a bit of distance, a little less height on your ball flight and more spin on the greens. I also find with people who pick the ball that they have trouble striking the ball consistantly. To pick the ball, your club must be at the exact bottom of your swing and you can not hit lower than the bottom of the ball or you will hit it fat. If you gaurd against hitting the ball fat, you will likely hit the ball thin. I used pick the ball myself, with moderate success. I find that my game is much more consistant now that I take divots and the bad shots are very rare.

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall

Is there something i can do to try to get the divots, and what do you mean by people who pick the ball ?

Picking the ball is hitting the ball but not taking a divot- like sweeping the ball of the ground. That is what you do to hit fairway woods off the ground.

If you want to start taking divots, you need to move the ball about 1/2 a ball width in your stance and strike down on the ball. Just amke sure you are hitting the ball first then the ground - hit the little ball first, then the big ball. If you are still having problems, try this: push a broken tee intot he ground so it is flat to the ground. Set your ball just behind the tee so that tee is in between the ball and the target. Now, hit your ball and at the same time, try to dig up the tee.

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall

Ok, thanks ill try that drill tomorrow, or at the course as now i can ply 9 holes after school

Hi Steve,
I recently read an article in a golf magazine about a Canadian pro, sorry I can't remember his name, who many Canadians think was the greatest ball striker ever. I'm sure the Canadian guys will know his name. The thing I DO remember about the article was that this gentleman never took a divot. Good luck. D

You mean the father of what we now know as Natural Golf? The guy that Titleist gave a lifetime stipend to for all he did for golf? The guy who 'invented' the trick of 'napping' on the tees while waiting for fellow competitors to get out of range?

Mike Weir.

No, wait.












Moe Norman.

Steve,

Golf is full of opposites - Swing to the right to hit it straight, hit down to make the ball go up, and on and on and on! Here's a drill you can do to practice the "Art of Hitting Down".

As a player we MUST be able to hit down and through to full extension!

Thanks chuck, ill try it and also gords drill!

You're welcome.

Yes, and 1 more thing, nice site and do you have to use a shaft? as i dont have a shaft, can i use a plank of wood?

You can use a shaft, 2x4, piece of string, anything that gives you a reference line.

Ok thanks, so what happens if i hit a divot behinde the ball? just practise till i do after the string?

If the divot is behind the ball then there is no force into the ball and therefore a power loss. Think about trying to drive the ball into the ground. Since we play every shot before the low point of the arc this means that there should be a divot in front of the ball!

The key, is always striving to drive the clubhead into the ground and through to full extension. Experiment with your ball position until you can find a location that not only gives you straight away ball flight but also allows you to hit down!

If the divot is behind the string, you obviously hit the ground before you hit the ball. If this is done, it results in a fat shot.