Taking Divots

[westerndevon]

I never seem to take a divot with any of my irons or wedges and find I’m picking the ball off the grass. Although I can make great contact I will often play several duff, bladed shots within a round, I also feel that not being able to play through the ball correctly is affecting my control from within 100 yards

If I try and take divots I find my club just digs into the ground behind the ball and if I try to play through the ball the results can be terrible

[boogielicious]

  westerndevon said:

I never seem to take a divot with any of my irons or wedges and find I’m picking the ball off the grass. Although I can make great contact I will often play several duff, bladed shots within a round, I also feel that not being able to play through the ball correctly is affecting my control from within 100 yards

If I try and take divots I find my club just digs into the ground behind the ball and if I try to play through the ball the results can be terrible

It could be you are not getting your weight forward enough at impact. Divots, in general, shouldn't be huge, but it does help to have a negative angle of attack with irons.

Check out this thread.

[dave s]

I usually get though the ball, making ball-first contact and bottom out my iron swings ahead of the ball.  I do NOT take a divot like the pros you see on TV.  I still hit the ball solid, but just don't tear out a beaver pelt on every iron and wedge shot.

OTOH, when a bad swing shows up and I hit BEHIND the ball, that's when part of the course comes flying out of the ground.

Taking 6" long divots the width of your iron isn't exclusive to hitting a good, solid iron shot.

dave

[RayG]

Why worry about it..? Nicklaus never did. He was a 'sweeper' and usually only flipped a few blades of grass. Since he hit a high fade (usually), it wasn't necessary to really clank down on the ball. I seem to think he did okay with it.

[mvmac]

  westerndevon said:

I never seem to take a divot with any of my irons or wedges and find I’m picking the ball off the grass. Although I can make great contact I will often play several duff, bladed shots within a round, I also feel that not being able to play through the ball correctly is affecting my control from within 100 yards

If I try and take divots I find my club just digs into the ground behind the ball and if I try to play through the ball the results can be terrible

Probably an issue with Key #2 or #3. Feel free to start a swing thread and give this drill a try.

  RayG said:

Why worry about it..? Nicklaus never did. He was a 'sweeper' and usually only flipped a few blades of grass. Since he hit a high fade (usually), it wasn't necessary to really clank down on the ball. I seem to think he did okay with it.

Except Nicklaus had a shallow AoA with impact alignments that looked like this.

@westerndevon is most likely lining up the shaft with the lead arm well before impact.

[metbid]

Maybe you are too focused on the ball and 'hitting' it.  once you have set up don't think about hitting the ball. keep your head still. eyes open, but have something different in your mind.

Also, the bottom of your swing arc should be when your arm, wrist and club line up vertically with your left shoulder, in other words still coming down on the ball at impact.  I only take a very small divot or cut the grass, but it is after I have contacted the ball.

A way I have been able to overcome 'hitting' the ball is to actually concentrate on something about an inch in front of the ball and 'swing' through that mark.

[arturo28mx]

  RayG said:

Why worry about it..? Nicklaus never did. He was a 'sweeper' and usually only flipped a few blades of grass. Since he hit a high fade (usually), it wasn't necessary to really clank down on the ball. I seem to think he did okay with it.

Tom Watson was also a sweeper.

I just brush the grass and that seems to be enough to get a solid hit.

[Patch]

I am a sweeper, and do not take many divots. Maybe around the green where taking a divot might help with back spin, and stopping the ball. That said, I hit more flop shots near the pin which allows the ball to stop just as well. I learned a long time ago that I did not have the talent to make the ball spin backwards on the green, so I never really worried about it. Some of the fairways I play from are not divot friendly because of how firm they are. Plus, quite a bit of my practice with my irons is all about picking the ball clean off a dry lake bed while hiking 2-3 miles.