What Your Golf Divots Can Teach You About Your Swing

For many amateurs, a divot is a daunting proposition – but should it be?

Anyone who has watched outstanding golfers play (whether in person or on TV) often sees their divots fly gracefully through the air and head straight for their target lines. The descending stroke that creates divots allows players to hit the ball with precision while adding spin for better control of the outcome.

However, if you’re like me and you’re trying to perform a divot, repel your shot and watch the ball roll about 15 yards.

But did you know that every single one of your divots, good or bad, tells a story about your shot? While it can be frustrating to analyze a divot after a suboptimal shot, it can lead to lessons that will help you improve your ball strike.

Regardless of where your ball lands (left, right, or center), here’s how your divots (or lack thereof) can actually help you score lower.

How to learn from your golf divots

Golf is tough… and confusing.

For example, in order to kick the ball up, a player must hit down, which allows the ball to be lifted into the air by the loft of the club (unless you are hitting from the tee). A downward blow creates compression that many amateurs struggle with.

So instead of trying to lift the ball, hitting it down and creating a divot after impact yields better results.

Here you can learn from your divots after each shot.

Front divot

When you hit the ball correctly, your divot is in front of the ball. When this happens, it means you are making proper contact with the turf, allowing the club’s loft to work its magic – and usually to a flush. shot leads.

backward divot

This type of divot in golf is more common among amateurs, as a backward divot often results in a big, fat, or wedged shot. This means you are likely to land too steeply on the ball.

Deep divot

As a general rule, each cut should resemble a strip of bacon. This means that there is very little digging into the lawn and that both the inside and outside edges should be of similar depth. Anything too deep will result in a bad shot.

directional deviation

If your divot is pointing right or left, it means you’re either opening or closing the clubface too far at impact – a problem often caused by an incorrect swing path. These types of divots result in hook or slice shots and usually mean you’re losing distance from a bad shot.

What is the perfect golf divot for each club?

Not every divot should be the same, so it’s important to understand how each one should look based on what racquet you’re using. Here’s a quick guide to follow:

driver. Nobody ever wants to deal with the driver. Sure it happens, but hopefully not often. This is the club you should be sure to meet.

fairway woods. You shouldn’t have a deep indentation, but when using your fairway wood there should be interaction with the turf, so a small indentation is fine. Remember not to get too steep on the swing. Otherwise it becomes a chunk city.

center iron. It depends on the club you’re using – a 4-iron should create smaller divots than, say, a 9-iron – but in general, those divots shouldn’t be too deep or too long. Anything between 4 and 6 inches is a good barometer.

wedges. Of all the clubs in your bag, wedges should be the ones that produce the largest and longest divot, with the deepest point being about “three inches from where the ball hits the ground,” according to the GOLF Top 100 Instructor Andrew Rice.

Hopefully now that you have a better understanding of divots you can apply some of the information to your game. By improving your compression and hitting the bottom of the racquet, you improve your ball shots and score better shots.

Even if you hit the ball wrong, take a moment to look at your divot and see what it’s telling you. Instead of just accepting the outcome of the shot, make a mental note and analyze what might have gone wrong with your swing. Every little detail (even a little like this) is a step towards becoming a better player.

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Nick Dimengo

Golf.com Editor