Divot Path - Pointing Slightly Right

[One Planer]

Of late I've noticed that my divot path is slightly to the right of target.

Not by a great deal mind you. If you consider a clock face, with 12 o'clock pointing to target, my divot path is around 12.30.

My divots are quite shallow, often just leaving a scrape, but are a little deeper with a wedge.

My ball flight with a neutral/slightly weak grip is a soft draw, which if I get lazy and it turns a little strong, moves to an over draw or at worst a hook.

I notice that most divots I see point either to target, or slightly left, or some waaaaay left but rarely do I see anything pointing a little right.

I've heard people say you can tell a lot about a swing from divot path, but I'm not to sure what to make of mine.

Any thoughts?

 

[Hosel Fade]

You are swinging a bit in to out which is promoting your draw. Your grip will be affecting your face delivery so a stronger grip makes a bigger difference between path and face and more shape and vice versa

Most people swing left and therefore most people slice. Commonly they will be steeper as well with deeper divots than you are producing.

 

[garyinderry]

My divots are currently too far right. worked on getting a draw/pull back again. much better than the weak cut I had been playing for a couple of years there.

 

[the_coach]

Of late I've noticed that my divot path is slightly to the right of target.

Not by a great deal mind you. If you consider a clock face, with 12 o'clock pointing to target, my divot path is around 12.30.

My divots are quite shallow, often just leaving a scrape, but are a little deeper with a wedge.

My ball flight with a neutral/slightly weak grip is a soft draw, which if I get lazy and it turns a little strong, moves to an over draw or at worst a hook.

I notice that most divots I see point either to target, or slightly left, or some waaaaay left but rarely do I see anything pointing a little right.

I've heard people say you can tell a lot about a swing from divot path, but I'm not to sure what to make of mine.

Any thoughts?

there's a small bunch of stuff you able to learn from a similar consecutive divots pattern assuming the target line and aiming point, target is defined good - in what's happening at that particular time of making those particular swings - but divots not always that useful

so could show the path of the clubheads travel, so the swing direction through impact
also could help indicate the kind of AoA through depth
ground contact will show where the low point is within a swing arc of that particular swing - if there is ground contact at all

generality would be the more from the inside the clubhead is approaching then that's going to have a shallower depth to ground taken
any path coming from the inside is also bound to be swinging to some degree rightfield and the low point of that swing pattern will be further away from target so further back in the swing arc

but a wedge shaft is also shorter so the swing will naturally be still a tad steeper given the same path so a tad more ground taken all other things being equal in swing direction, shorter club length giving a tad steeper AoA

it's all a ways to do with your particular swing motion sequence in that how the dictates what happens in the bottom half of the downswing so when hands hip height and what follows down to and through the ball

if the dtl swing motion is analyzed then can see from the top that the shoulders/arms first off go a tad OTT in transition & the shaft initially gets a tad vertical
but then it's rerouted some by tilting the trail shoulder back and downwards puts then the shaft at a tad flatter angle (the inbuilt compensation to stop the whole swing being out over the top shaft vertical all the ways so then would be swinging leftfield through the ball - what would happen without that compensatory tilt back and down move)

so with that inbuilt swing compensation by the time the hands get to hip height the shaft/clubhead is now in an area of being either a tad behind the hands to being level with the hands
but also now that all has moved shaft/club a tad 'under' the plane so shallower so approaching from inside

and then the motion through impact a bit of a rising up of the body the hip angles that is sending the arms out aways from the body so hands/club going too aways from the body - so that in to out path little ways rightfield - so long as the clubface is pointing little ways left of the rightfield path the ball will move from right to left in flight assuming a pretty centered strike

 

[One Planer]

there's a small bunch of stuff you able to learn from a similar consecutive divots pattern assuming the target line and aiming point, target is defined good - in what's happening at that particular time of making those particular swings - but divots not always that useful

so could show the path of the clubheads travel, so the swing direction through impact
also could help indicate the kind of AoA through depth
ground contact will show where the low point is within a swing arc of that particular swing - if there is ground contact at all

generality would be the more from the inside the clubhead is approaching then that's going to have a shallower depth to ground taken
any path coming from the inside is also bound to be swinging to some degree rightfield and the low point of that swing pattern will be further away from target so further back in the swing arc

but a wedge shaft is also shorter so the swing will naturally be still a tad steeper given the same path so a tad more ground taken all other things being equal in swing direction, shorter club length giving a tad steeper AoA

it's all a ways to do with your particular swing motion sequence in that how the dictates what happens in the bottom half of the downswing so when hands hip height and what follows down to and through the ball

if the dtl swing motion is analyzed then can see from the top that the shoulders/arms first off go a tad OTT in transition & the shaft initially gets a tad vertical
but then it's rerouted some by tilting the trail shoulder back and downwards puts then the shaft at a tad flatter angle (the inbuilt compensation to stop the whole swing being out over the top shaft vertical all the ways so then would be swinging leftfield through the ball - what would happen without that compensatory tilt back and down move)

so with that inbuilt swing compensation by the time the hands get to hip height the shaft/clubhead is now in an area of being either a tad behind the hands to being level with the hands
but also now that all has moved shaft/club a tad 'under' the plane so shallower so approaching from inside

and then the motion through impact a bit of a rising up of the body the hip angles that is sending the arms out aways from the body so hands/club going too aways from the body - so that in to out path little ways rightfield - so long as the clubface is pointing little ways left of the rightfield path the ball will move from right to left in flight assuming a pretty centered strike

Thanks for that Coach.

Is there an issue with divots pointing slightly out to the right?

 

[Foxholer]

Thanks for that Coach.

Is there an issue with divots pointing slightly out to the right?

If you are getting the flight that you want, then it doesn't really matter what shape, size or depth they are!

If you are NOT getting the flight you want, then it might be worthwhile checking your divots to see whether there is a clue as to what might be happening - if not identifying the actual cause.

For me, pointing slightly right, but curving marginally left, is a desirable shape!

 

[One Planer]

If you are getting the flight that you want, then it doesn't really matter what shape, size or depth they are!

If you are NOT getting the flight you want, then it might be worthwhile checking your divots to see whether there is a clue as to what might be happening - if not identifying the actual cause.

For me, pointing slightly right, but curving marginally left, is a desirable shape!

True words :thup:

My divots don't curve, just straight and fractionally right of target.

For that matter, most of the time it isn't a divot (grass and soil), more a scrape just taking the grass

Strange really as before I started lessons I used to take a right clod of earth

 

[the_coach]

Thanks for that Coach.

Is there an issue with divots pointing slightly out to the right?

if the ball is mostly goin and finishing in the direction it's supposed to, then all good - mark in the dirt doesn't matter

(a little ways too much curvature right to left then maybes the path would be tad too much in to out and the face angle at strike pointing to far left of the path)

 

[One Planer]

if the ball is mostly goin and finishing in the direction it's supposed to, then all good - mark in the dirt doesn't matter

(a little ways too much curvature right to left then maybes the path would be tad too much in to out and the face angle at strike pointing to far left of the path)

In the latter is that more in relation to the grip maybe a tad too strong?

 

[the_coach]

In the latter is that more in relation to the grip maybe a tad too strong?

it might be
though once folks reached a certain level of reasonable strike consistency it's often times not a grip issue - unless folks as a norm are experimenting and moving the grip on a regular basis
would say it's more likely to be around stuff like intention of force strike applied to the ball so that 'extra' attempt to strike it harder so the sequence and balance get a tad off
and often times that instinctive piece of trying to 'save the shot' goin leftfield so the hips/body don't keep rotating so unfortunately with the arms going out from the body path rightfield with nil rotation clubface angle closes in a real hurry and bang a bunch more right to left ball waving goodbye to the target as it carries on leftfield

 

[One Planer]

it might be
though once folks reached a certain level of reasonable strike consistency it's often times not a grip issue - unless folks as a norm are experimenting and moving the grip on a regular basis
would say it's more likely to be around stuff like intention of force strike applied to the ball so that 'extra' attempt to strike it harder so the sequence and balance get a tad off
and often times that instinctive piece of trying to 'save the shot' goin leftfield so the hips/body don't keep rotating so unfortunately with the arms going out from the body path rightfield with nil rotation clubface angle closes in a real hurry and bang a bunch more right to left ball waving goodbye to the target as it carries on leftfield

So a sequencing issue.

Thanks Coach.

 

[the_coach]

So a sequencing issue.

Thanks Coach.

if now speaking to something other than just the divot pattern

so if now talking generally over too much curvature right to left in a ball flight then that's possible it could be sequence so getting arms/club a ways too far behind and under so path is traveling a ways further out to the right - and that could be down to maybes too much of a lower body violent lateral slide in target direction

but could just be a case of trying to hit the ball too hard, too much hands/wrists action along with the arms and club path moving away from the body on that in to out path

 

[One Planer]

if now speaking to something other than just the divot pattern

so if now talking generally over too much curvature right to left in a ball flight then that's possible it could be sequence so getting arms/club a ways too far behind and under so path is traveling a ways further out to the right - and that could be down to maybes too much of a lower body violent lateral slide in target direction

but could just be a case of trying to hit the ball too hard, too much hands/wrists action along with the arms and club path moving away from the body on that in to out path

Not so much an aside, more an understanding of what 'could' cause the pattern.

 

[the_coach]

Not so much an aside, more an understanding of what 'could' cause the pattern.

okay
that in to out path is more a product of your transition move then that intuitive reaction compensation move to get the club moving under the plane so then it's going to come from the inside to out {post #4 the piece in italics}

 

[One Planer]

okay
that in to out path is more a product of your transition move then that intuitive reaction compensation move to get the club moving under the plane so then it's going to come from the inside to out {post #4 the piece in italics}

:thup: