Your divot can tell you a lot about your swing.
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Golf instruction is always changing, but the best advice is timeless. In GOLF.com's new series, Timeless Tips, we highlight the greatest pieces of advice from teachers and players in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we revisit an article from our June 1974 issue about what you can learn from your divot. For unlimited access to GOLF Magazine's digital archive, join Inside GOLF today; you'll enjoy $140 worth for just $39.99 per year.
When you hit a hot shot with an iron or a wedge, you're probably going to shake up a little turf. This patch of flying grass – your divot – is one of the hallmarks of a well-hit shot. Divots aren't just aesthetically pleasing, though. These pieces of turf can tell you a lot about your swing.
Back in the 1970s, GOLF Magazine did a feature on divots and how to interpret them. You can check it out below.
What can you learn from your divot
Wait! Before you replace that divot, take a moment to check your divot mark. It may seem like a scar in the dust, but believe it or not, you can learn from it. In fact, if you're off your game, this is one of the first places you should check. Knowing the difference between a good and bad divot mark can quickly indicate the appropriate repairs.
To get a frame of reference, let's first pin down what a good divot mark should look like. When you hit an iron flush, the divot mark will start below where the ball lies and point directly to your target. Go deep into the ground a few inches or so past the ball, then gradually shallower toward the front end.
Now let's get to the various bad divots and what they tell you about shooting.
There is no divot
If you are not taking the divot at all or very little, the first thing to check is whether you are playing the ball too little forward in your stance. This will result in the gun flying higher than normal and a little less distance than normal. Of course, you can play this shot on purpose – on a green field, for example, or over a tree on your way to your destination, but you shouldn't do it for casual photography.
Another possibility is that you lift the upper body a little in the backswing. This raises the arc of the swing to take little or no divot. An extreme offense can lead to an over ball. If you suspect this problem, focus on turning your shoulders into a tight head, hunching instead of shrugging.
Oil divot
If your divot starts behind the ball, you may be going to the right in the backswing. When you do that, you usually don't throw to the left to catch the ball cleanly. Instead, the lowest point of the arc is behind the ball and you hold it ''fat.'' To correct this, hit your right knee slightly at address and, as you bring the club back, keep your right knee locked in. .
Another reason for a “fat” divot is reverse weight shift. Instead of bending properly in the backswing, the golfer bends the left shoulder while excessively bending the left knee. This puts more weight on the left foot at the top of the swing, and leads to a shift in weight to the right foot as the player returns to the ball. Again, this places the lowest point of the arc behind the ball, and produces a fatter shot. The key here is to distribute the weight evenly across the address. If your weight is here, you will find it natural to shift your weight inside the right foot on the backswing as it should.
Push the divot
Although this divot points directly to the hole, it is incorrect because it starts far from where the ball lies.
The most common cause of push divot is “frozen” wrists. In the downswing, the golfer moves forward and there is much less release of the wrists than in a normal swing. The resulting trajectory is lower than normal so this is a great shot to have in your bag against the wind. But in a regular iron shot, your wrists should be relaxed enough to fully explode and release. You can check for freedom as you navigate the address.
Hook divot
GOLF Magazine
This divot points to the right of the target and indicates that the arc of the swing was from inside to outside of the line to the target. If the clubface was square to the target line, you would hook the ball; if it was square on the swing line, you would push the ball straight to the right.
The first thing to check in this case is your alignment, because the hook swing can be caused by a closed stance (the right foot is withdrawn in a line parallel to the line from the ball to the target). At address, first check that the line through your toes is parallel or “square” to the target line. Also check that your hips and shoulders are square to the target line. The line across the shoulders is very important, as it is the shoulders that create the arc of the swing as much, if not more, than the feet.
If your feet and shoulders are square to the target line, then you are swinging on a very flat plane, that is, more like a baseball batter. The way to fix this is to emphasize turning your left shoulder down and under your chin on the backswing. This will give you a more straight turning arc.
Another cause of slouching is standing too straight. Make sure your back leans forward about 20 degrees from vertical on the driver and more on short clubs.
Improper ball positioning can also cause a hook divot. Playing the ball backwards on your right foot can result in hitting the ball when the club is still moving from inside to outside, that is, to the right of the target. Most of the time this leads to a pushed shot.
Cut the divot
GOLF Magazine
This type of divot points to the left of the target, and indicates that the arc of the turn was from the outside to the inside of the line to the target. If your clubface is open in relation to the swing line, you will cut the ball; if it is square, you will pull the ball to the left.
Like a hook divot, a slice divot can be caused by misalignment. Therefore, first check that you are not standing too wide (the left foot is withdrawn in a line parallel to the target line). Also check that your shoulders are square. It is common to find that your shoulders are not aligned even though your feet are square.
If your feet and shoulders are square to the target line at address, then a “'slice divot'' is a clear sign that it's an outside-to-inside swing itself. An “early warming system” can warn you. in this error that your shoulders will reach their finishing point early. The left hand and arm will often stop and fall to you as you pass the ball.
Basically, the most common reason for an episode divot is the right side being too active. Therefore, focus on addressing the posture with a strong left side: Keep the left arm and hand properly strong and the arm and shaft more or less in a straight line, simplify the grip of the right hand and leave the right arm “softer” and more on your body than the left. Emphasize full shoulder rotation to go back. This will put you on the inner track to start with and lead to the desired downward path from within.
As with the hook divot, don't forget your ball position. Playing the ball forward off the left foot can result in hitting the ball too late in the swing, when the clubhead is already coming in. The result is a divot of the piece and possibly the ball being pulled to the left of the target.
As the above shows, there is a lot to learn from your divot. If your divot is good, then chances are your swing is good, too. However, if your divot is one of those “bad” ones discussed here, a trip to your professional may be worth it.
In the meantime, there are some practices you can use to help you get back on track.
If you suspect you are taking a “fat” or “punch” divot, check this by pushing the tee into the ground at address outside and opposite the center of the ball. After you hit the shot, you can easily see where the divot starts.
Another way to test this is to scratch a line down at right angles to the target line. Place your club just behind the line and take your normal swing. Not only can you see if the divot starts in the right place, but also if it is dead on the target line or pointing to the right or left.
If you still have trouble taking the correct divot, press the tee into the ground just in front of the ball. Not only does this encourage you to spin the ball, but it's a huge help in targeting the divot and the resulting shot. Another beauty of working to find the right divot is that it focuses attention on the end of the business – the point of impact – rather than being distracted by the many details in the turn itself.
As one great teacher put it: There is only one requirement for a round of golf – hit the ball!
For the purposes of keeping things as simple as possible, we previously defined a good divot as one that points directly to the target. Well, the next time you go to a professional tournament, go to the practice range and study the divots taken by a top player. You will find that, in most cases, their divots point slightly to the left of the target, yet the ball flies straight to the target. So, it looks like they used a little outside swing, yet the shot flies straight. How? Why does the expert not do this action?
The answer is that, during the downswing, the shoulders rotate around the spine, the axis of the swing. Therefore, the downward path of a direct shot approaches the ball from the inside, squares the ball with touch and goes in and out. This square-in approach to the clubhead means that the divot on a straight shot will usually point slightly to the left of the target, as the club moves inward after impact while taking the divot.
If you go back to the practice game in the pro tournament again, you will see that some of the players take divots that point directly into the hole. There are two reasons for this. First, the player may be aligned slightly to the right of the target. Second, they may have a special extension through the ball, which can keep the clubhead in place long after impact.
What this means is that you have to “learn” your divot in line with the flight of the ball. If your shot is straight, just replace the divot and hit the next shot!
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