Picking my irons clean - i need divots !

So I am about a 12 hdcp and I strike my irons pretty good as far as ball flight and aim goes... my issue is that i rarely take a divot ...

I think its an issue because I lose alot of distance with my shorter irons/wedges... EX:  I hit my Pitching wedge 110 yds and my GW about 90 ...

Basically do I need to start changing ball position or maybe my weight shift is not as aggressive ?

I should be seeing divots with wedges but I rarely do ...

Thanks !

I rarely take divots and it doesn't affect my distance. I even get a good amount of spin on my shots getting them to sit pretty well on approaches. Divots aren't all that important IMHO.

I understand, but I notice in my swing when I take a decent divot it results in a better overall shot... I just need some help on getting that into my game more consistently.  I may try a few drills that I saw on youtube ...

I think what would benefit you, is the 5 simple keys, #1, 2 and 3. Since I started doing the drills for these key's, which are a priority for me, I'm now hitting a ton better. I.e. last night at the range, and these are old range balls, my 54* is normally 100 yds, if I get after it about 112, PW is a solid 130, and so on. My irons are mid size forged CB, and to top it off, I'm 66, have a bad back, since I was 18, arthritis now, and bad bone spurs in my left elbow.

I think if you adhere to these drills, you'll get your distance back, and then some, BUT, you need to be Committed and practice on a regular basis. Here's a link, and hopefully Mike, or Erik will chime in. Also, might post a video of your swing, in the member swing forum here.

http://purestrike5sk.com/videos.php

After several years of being a picker/sweeper, I've just begun to take divots. I tried everything and this is what has worked for me: At the same time I'm doing my downswing I think of moving my chest/sternum SLIGHTLY  to the left as I approach impact.  This is in fact a weight shift, but for me it is easier to think of slightly moving my chest towards the target That's it. By doing this it just becomes automatic to hit down on the ball without actually trying to hit down on the ball.

For me it has to be a very subtle movement. If I am too aggressive in the weight shift I take a huge divot and hit a bad shot.

I used to hit pretty good shots without taking a divot, but now that I take a small divot my shots feel and fly even better. I will never go back to being a sweeper.

Is it possible that you may be "standing up" through impact? I used to do the same thing, and an easy way to tell is to get a video of your swing. If your front foot ends up on it's toes at impact, this could be a potential cause.

I fixed it (and naturally started taking more divots) by swinging at half speed trying to keep the heel planted, then gradually working up to a full swing. I lost some yardage because I wasn't swinging as hard (it really helped me stay in control), but the 5 yards less per club was WELL worth the added consistency and accuracy.

I think you have a good point here ... I noticed that in my swing but I never actually worked on fixing it.   I guess that is my next improvement...  your talking about keeping the left heal planted? (RH golfer) ...

Yes, left foot planted. Once @mvmac had my flaring my left foot, and @iacas had my getting my weight forward, I started taking divots on just about every shot. Those seemed to be the two biggest things that contributed to my divot making.

I don't usually take divots unless it's a shot that might require taking one. I am a "thin to win" swing type. A thin brush of the turf is good enough for me. As long as I am using the effective loft of what ever club I am using, I am usually happy with the results.

One of my practice regimes  is picking the ball clean off the thin lies a dry lake bed offers with a 2 iron. I'll be out hiking with the dogs, and it is just another chance to hit balls.

One of the  main reasons I don't take divots is to reduce the possibility of injury to my wrists, and/or fingers. Quite a few courses I play on are simply not divot friendly. Their fairways are too hard for divots. Even if I were to take a divot, the turf would be torn up so bad, I could not effectively replace it back into the divot. That, and I save time by not having to retrieve the divot, and replace it. Also, I can't remember when I last hit a sclaffed shot.

Add an inch to your club length.  You'll make divots.

Great videos, I'm getting more of a "thud" sound now out of my irons, even the guys I golf with notice the sound. Lots of practice but hopefully it will pay off.

i hardly take divots also. No problem with distance. sometimes i take one just slightly thin but that's about it.

Just to change your ball position to further back is not always helping. I play with rather fast hands that's why i sweep

the ball off the grass. moving the ball position further back in my stance  in my case will result in an open clubface at the ball,

and a slice comes up.

So first think about why you don't hit divots

I can hit a wedge swing with taking a divot and not taking a divot. It doesn't really change my distance dramatically, I just get less back spin when I don't take one

sounds like my issue ... i get weight shift but its usually too late, almost like im forcing it... off to work i go..