Why Do Golfers Take Divots?
Golf is a difficult sport and the difference between the really talented players and the amateur players can be seen just by watching them swing the golf club.
A Golf Professional will take a clean divot with their mid to short irons and this means that their swing is balanced, and they are hitting the golf ball on the required descending angle of approach.
A Golf Club, especially the irons have a lot of loft on the clubface. In order to get the ball in the air with the required force, a golfer must hit down on the golf ball. This generates spin and launches the ball in the air towards the target.
Why Do Golfers Take Divots?
Golfers take divots because in order to get the golf ball in the air, they must hit the ball on a descending angle of approach.
This means they must hit down on the golf ball, which means the clubface will smash into the turf and take a divot.
A good well trained golf swing will take a nice clean golf divot, but the divot of the novice golfer will be inconsistent and tend to dig into the ground on a regular occurrence or not take a divot at all.
Why do Golf Pros take Clean Divots?
If you ever watch the golf on the television, you will notice that Golf Tour Professionals always take a consistent clean divot. This is because they have a finely trained golf swing and hit the golf ball with speed and strength on the desired descending angle of approach.
They are consistently hitting the golf ball on the required descending angle of approach and cut into the turf at the perfect time.
A good clean golf divot that points directly at the intended start line suggests that the golfer has a smooth clean golf swing and are able to repeat it many times over.
You will rarely see a golf professional hit a golf ball fat and take a massive divot before the golf ball is struck. This is because they have learned how to build a consistent and repeatable golf swing where the golf club in in perfect sync with the hands and the body.
Why do some Amateur Golfers take no Divots?
A driving range practice area can be a little deceiving because of the mats, but if you are ever on the grassed area, you will notice that a lot of golfers simply do not take divots.
There are exceptions to this as hitting the turf before the golf ball happens quite regularly when learning the game and golfers can continually hit the turf before the golf ball.
Most beginners golfers or intermediate players have not got the speed and tend to try and force the golf ball into the air.
Clubhead speed is needed to take a golf divot and a lot of the amateur players don’t have the required clubhead speed to take a divot.
Amateur Golfers will also have a swing that is inconsistent and lacks timing, which makes it rather difficult to get the clubhead back and through on the correct patch on a consistent basis.
With the correct technique and guidance, golfers will learn how to swing the golf club in better sequence and will start taking a consistent clean divot once they master some of the basics of the game.
Should I take a Divot with my Golf Irons?
In order to get the golf ball to fly in the air, a golfer must hit the golf ball on a descending angle of approach.
A golfer needs to hit the golf ball before the turf and hitting up on the golf ball will not achieve this and will make it very difficult to take a divot.
A golfer should definitely take a divot with their irons as it indicates that they are hitting the golf ball with speed and on the required angle of approach.
Golfers that take consistent divots with their irons will play more consistent golf and should always make sure that they are hitting the golf ball on the correct path.
This can be figured out by taking a look at where the divots may be pointing. If they are pointing to the left, and are deep, a player may be coming into the ball too steep, which will cause a slice.
If the divot points to the right, a player may be coming into the ball at a shallow angle and the divot will not be all that deep. This means the golfer would tend to draw or hook the golf ball.
Should my Golf Divot Point Straight to the Target?
The Golf divot should always point on the intended start line.
More accomplished players may choose to draw or fade the golf ball which means the divot may points slightly left or right of the intended target.
When practicing on a driving range, players should try and swing the golf club on the correct path, but this comes with practice and repetition.
The Golf Divot can help golfers figure out what their swing path might be, but technology has come a long way in recent times and there are gadgets and radars that can help with this.
A good golf coach is generally the best way to go in order to fix a swing path issue.
A lot of the time it can be a simple issue from the golf setup, but there are a range of other problems that can occur in the swing if the setup is incorrect in the first stages of learning the game.
How Deep Should a Golf Divot Be?
Golf divots should never be more than an inch deep, and the low point should be about 3 inches forward of where the ball was.
This is the lowest point of the arc of the golf swing and would suggest that the ball was struck on the desired angle of approach.
A Golf divot that is too deep would suggest that the golfer has a very steep angle of attack and would have a bad shot that tends to be a slice.
The Golf divot can determine the path of a golfers swing and a good golf coach would be able to determine swing faults by taking a look at the divots of some golfers.
Can I play Good Golf without taking a Divot?
As mentioned earlier in the post, golf professionals have a consistent and repeatable golf swing and will consistently take a divot with their mid to short irons.
To play more consistent golf, a golfer should learn how to take divots, but sometimes this cannot be achieved.
Clubhead speed is needed to take the divots seen by the many golf professionals on the golf tours, but golfers can still get their games to a decent level without taking a divot.
There are many forgiving golf clubs out there that have a lower centre of gravity and a larger sweet spot. These clubs are designed to help golfers get the golf ball in the air and don’t require the golfers to take a divot with their irons. They slide underneath the turf a lot better as opposed to a traditional golf iron and help amateur players achieve more consistency.
Golfers can play good golf without taking a divot but achieving an elite level of performance will be difficult.
Which Golf Clubs should I Take a Divot with?
Golfers should aim to take a divot wit their mid to short irons. These golf clubs need to be hit down onto the golf ball on a descending angle of approach.
Some golfers will take divots with longer irons, i.e., the 3 or 4 iron, but the ball would be a little more forward in the golf stance and the required angle of approach would be a little more shallow.
Golfer should generally never take divots with woods and especially the driver. These clubs require an ascending angle of approach to get the ball in the air because they don’t have as much loft as the irons.
Conclusion
A clean golf divot is a sign that a golfer is swinging the golf club on the right angle of approach and in good sequence with the rest of the body.
If a golfer struggles to take a golf divot, they may need some golf lessons to help improve ball striking.
Golf irons have a lot of loft on the clubface and in order to get a golf ball in the air, the clubhead needs to hit down on the golf ball to achieve the desired compression, spin and force through the ball.
The sound of a sweet struck iron shot will be followed by a lifting of some turf, which shows that a decent divot was taken after the ball is struck.
Golfers of all levels should aim to take clean divots with their long irons, but golfers can still perform well without taking a divot.
Always remember to repair you golf divots when out on the golf course and use the required sand buckets that the many golf courses provide.
If you want to learn more about some of the basics of the game of golf, check out the posts below.
Why is the Golf Setup Important?