Does my divot matter?

[mashleyR7]

One of my playing partners commented on how big my divots were recently. I always though they were big but never really gave it much consideration until today. I was on the practice ground hitting some wedges 90 to 100 yard shots and the bloke practicing next to me says, "cor you could relay my garden with your divots!" So it got me thinking, am I taking to much? does it matter?

So pic one is my divots for 20 wedge shots, all 100 yards ish. Pic two it the outcome of the shots, all pretty neatly dispersed.

Should I be worried?

 

[mashleyR7]

This pis shows the depth better with the divots

 

[the_coach]

One of my playing partners commented on how big my divots were recently. I always though they were big but never really gave it much consideration until today. I was on the practice ground hitting some wedges 90 to 100 yard shots and the bloke practicing next to me says, "cor you could relay my garden with your divots!" So it got me thinking, am I taking to much? does it matter?

So pic one is my divots for 20 wedge shots, all 100 yards ish. Pic two it the outcome of the shots, all pretty neatly dispersed.

Should I be worried?

Depends are the shots being struck ball contact first divot starting in front, target side and not directly under the ball? are they going to distance you attempting within 20 feet diameter/radius of target (depending on handicap level)? Do they have too much spin?

If answer to first & second Q. isn't yes, then it's something to look at. If too much spin too that's also something to look at, Although the first two answers little more important. As is do they have pretty much the same shape in the air.

 

[One Planer]

Of those 20 shots (picture 2), were they over the flag or short of the flag?

As Coach says, if you're making a ball first contact you may be getting a little steep coming into impact.

You also want to consider the ground conditions. Remember we're had nothing but rain so far this year so sodden ground will give a bigger, maybe deeper divot.

If you feel the ground is in good condition, maybe consider the amount of bounce in your wedges and what kind of swing you have (slider, neutral or digger). Diggers need more bounce in their wedges, where sliders need less. I, myself am neutral so have 7 degrees of bounce in my gap wedge and 10 degrees in my SW.

 

[Foxholer]

As long as you are making good contact with ball first, I don't believe there's a problem.

Shape of divots looks sufficiently shallow that you don't seem to be 'too steep'. Especially with current ground conditions.

 

[standrew]

As someone once wisely said 'bacon strips not pork chops' when it comes to divot size and depth.

 

[mashleyR7]

Contact is with the ball first, all distances are about average 100yards with a 52 deg wedge. Spin wise I think they're spinning enough but with the soft ground its hard to tell. In terms of wet ground, my divots are equally as big when it's dry. The practice ground yesterday wasn't very wet.

 

[the_coach]

Contact is with the ball first, all distances are about average 100yards with a 52 deg wedge. Spin wise I think they're spinning enough but with the soft ground its hard to tell. In terms of wet ground, my divots are equally as big when it's dry. The practice ground yesterday wasn't very wet.

If your happy with contact and consistently getting the right kind of distance control + accuracy, then divots don't matter any much.

But if, say, your distance control isn't maybes consistent but prone to periods when that distance control is problematic, especially if the problem then becomes quite often a case of the fats or even on seemingly a decent strikes far too much height so often shots with wedges and short irons may well come up well short.


That would indicate that the maybes over large/deep divots are the result of the swing getting over-steep couple that with timing a bit off and the wedge (short iron) play deteriorates a ways.
You can even see this happen on the USPGA tour with players like de Jonge his very individualist swing motion is steep anyways, but at times if goes off through timing he can have a severe case of fatting wedges & short irons as he gets much too steep into the ball.


If maybes you don't have enough natural width going back as you always get more narrow coming down it also means you can get too steep and if the path is Out to In then naturally that path will also be pretty steep too.
If it is too steep, club digs in ground at impact and the speed doesn't transfer to the ball or it can just be out & out fat.


If stuff like this was happening off and on you'd need to work on a less steep path into the ball, in general the best consistent wedge players, chippers have a shallower path into the ball and take narrower and less deep divots.

 

[chrisd]

I'd say that they are no problem as, playing along side you in today's comp you shot nett 69 (par 71) with a few penalty shots in there!