Kyle Voska Golf

Improve Your Swing By Studying Your Divots

LOVE THY DIVOT AND LEARN FROM IT

This is for all the divot lovers out there.  If you’re not one yet, prepare to be one.  It’s been proven time and time again though theories and opinions that one of the biggest thrills in the game comes when you replace a huge, honkin’ divot perfectly.  It’s not when you hit a perfect shot, but when you put your divot back with all your glory.

Here’s how it goes.  You take your wedge out and lash at the ball sending this 4-pound piece of dirt and grass flying like a small helicopter down the fairway.  A sight to be seen!  Then you proudly stomp down the fairway like a gladiator after winning a battle.  Picking up your behemoth piece of earth, you march back to your launching spot anticipating its return to home.  Such a thrill! As much fun as this is, clearly the highlight of many a round of golf, there’s actually more good news for divot lovers.  You can actually improve your game by studying them.

In all seriousness, if you were to look down at the ground after taking a divot you can usually see a lot.  Amongst others, you can tell the swing path, the face angle, how steep or shallow the swing was, and whether your club hit the ground with the heel or toe.  Pretty amazing, huh?

Here’s what to look for when checking out your divot in the ground:

1. Look where your club contacted the ground in relation to the ball – You can do this by placing a tee next to your ball when you practice and see where your divot starts in relation to the tee.  Ideally, you’d like your divot to start about an inch or so ahead of the ball/tee.  If you don’t strike the ground after the ball, you will lose power and increase the potential of hitting the shot fat.
2. Check the path of the divot – If it’s aiming too far to the left or right of your target then you’re swinging too much in that direction.
3. Check the face angle at impact by looking at the starting point of the divot – Most of the time, you’d like this to be perpendicular to your target line (square).  If it’s not square, there will be more sidespin on the ball creating bigger slices and hooks.
4. Check the depth of the divot – You’d like the divot to be about the size of a dollar bill and about a half an inch thick. If it’s a lot thicker or thinner, then you’re too steep or shallow in your angle of approach.
5. Check to see if the divot is favoring the toe or the heel – Sometimes one of the sides of the will be thicker than the other side.  If it is favoring a side it could be your swing is a little off, or it could mean that the lie on your clubs is incorrect.

I just gave you a lot of information on the education of divots.  I’d recommend reading this a couple more times to fully understand it.  Then, when you get a chance, hit some balls off grass and check your divot patterns.  Most likely, your divots will fall into one of the categories listed above.  Hopefully, you’ll know how to fix yourself, but if you don’t, check with your local PGA Professional for guidance.

March 4, 2010 - Posted by Kyle Voska | Golf Tips | better golf, check divots to get better, Golf Tips, learn from divots, learning from divot patterns, study divots