when taking divots...

[Dr. Slice]

i get the part where the divots have to be in front of the ball. Mine pretty much are, my divots start just about on the ball and then move past it.

I have no idea how you would be able to take a divot like 3 inches in front of the ball.

i feel like im getting more than enough weight shift, and the ball is in the middle of my stance.

how do i take a real divot, like a couple inches in front of the ball?

[James_Black]

play with thin soled blades.

It's hard to take a proper divot with GI clubs

[RobS]

You don't necessarily have to take a divot. There are many famous golfers that have been "pickers", making solid contact without leaving a divot. So the question is, are you hitting the ball solid? If you are, no changes need to be made. If not, a good tip would be to look at the front of the golf ball or a little in front of it. Hope that helps!

[Dr. Slice]

well im not making great contact everyonce in a while i will pull it or push it, which is my biggest reason i want to figure it out. But thats only about 30 percent on the time, the 70 percent it is a pretty good shot

[RobS]

well im not making great contact everyonce in a while i will pull it or push it, which is my biggest reason i want to figure it out. But thats only about 30 percent on the time, the 70 percent it is a pretty good shot

You can still make great contact while pushing or pulling it! Pushes and pulls are caused by the swing path, not face angle, it would be square. You're probably pushing or pulling it because you're moving or swaying during the swing. Try to remain "locked" to the ground and keep your head in the same place throughout the swing. Also look in front of the ball like I mentioned before.

[Zeph]

i get the part where the divots have to be in front of the ball. Mine pretty much are, my divots start just about on the ball and then move past it.

Just to make sure we are on the same page here, the divot should always

start under or slightly in front of the ball, but it should reach the lowest point around 3-4 inches in front of the ball. Total size being somewhat the size of a US dollar bill.

I feel like im getting more than enough weight shift, and the ball is in the middle of my stance.

Feel is not real, you may not get the weight far enough forward, or your head does perhaps move too much forward.

how do i take a real divot, like a couple inches in front of the ball?

Weight forward with upper centers of the body not moving forward is a good start. If you throw the club away, you could also create some improper divots.

play with thin soled blades.

Why is that? The leading edge of the club going through the ground is the same on every club. What does it matter how much material there is behind the leading edge, which is what breaks the ground and drives through it? If anything, I'd think it was easier, since the club got a lower center of gravity.

[James_Black]

Why is that? The leading edge of the club going through the ground is the same on every club. What does it matter how much material there is behind the leading edge, which is what breaks the ground and drives through it? If anything, I'd think it was easier, since the club got a lower center of gravity.

Bounce, it's easier to take a divot with my 7* lob wedge compared to my 14* SW.

A fat sole makes it harder to dig into the ground.

[Zeph]

Of course, but is there that big a difference in bounce on GI clubs vs others? I took a quick look at the Mizuno line, no big difference in bounce there. If anything, some GI models had less bounce than the game enhancement clubs.

[iacas]

You can still make great contact while pushing or pulling it! Pushes and pulls are caused by the swing path, not face angle, it would be square.

To be sure we're all on the same page, both the face angle and the swing path have to be off to push or pull the ball. The face angle is square to the swing path, but it's not square to the target.

To the OP: paint or scratch a line on the ground and try to hit the ground in front of the ball as many times in a row as you can. You'll figure out how to do it...

[RobS]

[QUOTE=iacas;458118]To be sure we're all on the same page, both the face angle and the swing path have to be off to push or pull the ball. The face angle is square to the swing path, but it's not square to the target.QUOTE]

Yes, sorry I wasn't so clear.

[Stretch]

Was it in The Impact Zone book where they recorded a bunch of golfers of all ability levels hitting off a painted line and then measured the distance to the lowest/deepest point of the divots and averaged them? Anyway, I do remember there was a clear, and apparently fairly linear, relationship between handicap and position of the low point. Tour pros were about four inches forward of the ball position, 5 handicaps two inches ahead, 15 handicaps two inches behind and 25 handicaps four inches behind.

[Zeph]