Practice swings without a divot

[timgolfy]

Is it possible to make a useful practice swing without taking a divot?

 

[richart]

With your driver, yes.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It depends. Some of Miguel Angel Jimenez's practice swings are baseball type rehearsals anyway. Hard to take a divot with the club three feet in the air

 

[ScienceBoy]

I practice without a club! I do it at work in my lab when I am in there alone and waiting for samples to run (its not like CSI where it takes seconds, in real like it takes like 15-30 mins for a single sample analysis run!)

I also do it in front of a mirror!

Out on the course I say yes, the practice swing is about feeling the shot, feeling the lines of the swing and the body. You do not need to make it an exact replicate of the shot you are about to play, more of a mind based version.

 

[goldenbare]

possibly not, but it saves wrecking the course, they cut up unlike range mats Tim.

oh, sorry, I forgot you have redeemed yourself at the recent centenary event

 

[goldenbare]

Out on the course I say yes, the practice swing is about feeling the shot, feeling the lines of the swing and the body. You do not need to make it an exact replicate of the shot you are about to play, more of a mind based version.

Nice comment science boy, quite right.
Remind yourself of what you should be doing and hope it works.

 

[Tiger]

A good practice swing for me brushes the grass with my irons. I try to keep them at a slower tempo as I naturally swing harder on a full swing hence the divot. That said I am a bit of a picker rather than a digger and take shallow divots on my shots.

 

[timgolfy]

A good practice swing for me brushes the grass with my irons. I try to keep them at a slower tempo as I naturally swing harder on a full swing hence the divot. That said I am a bit of a picker rather than a digger and take shallow divots on my shots.

Ah, that a very good point. Are you saying that the slow swing mirrors exactly the full-pace swing, and that the full-pace swing causes the club to flex and hence sit lower than the slow swing? That would make perfect sense if true.

 

[RGDave]

Is it possible to make a useful practice swing without taking a divot?

it must be.

i like to graze the grass.

 

[goldenbare]

A good practice swing for me brushes the grass with my irons. I try to keep them at a slower tempo as I naturally swing harder on a full swing hence the divot. That said I am a bit of a picker rather than a digger and take shallow divots on my shots.

Ah, that a very good point. Are you saying that the slow swing mirrors exactly the full-pace swing, and that the full-pace swing causes the club to flex and hence sit lower than the slow swing? That would make perfect sense if true.

bait loaded, what fly are you going to use Tim?

 

[timgolfy]

bait loaded, what fly are you going to use Tim?

This happens to be a serious thread.

 

[USER1999]

I think I took a divot once. It might have been on a Sunday, around 1980, ish.

Probably still shanked it though.

 

[quinn]

whats a "divot"

 

[richart]

whats a "divot"

Something Smiffy calls me.

 

[quinn]

thanks for clearing that up

 

[Tommo21]

Is it possible to make a useful practice swing without taking a divot?

No, I knock lumps out of the ground overy time.

 

[Region3]

Most players take a divot after the ball especially with short irons.

I've never seen anyone (intentionally) take a divot with a practice swing.

 

[quinn]

tried taking one today and nearly bent my club, fairways were like concrete,was easier playing from just off the fairway

 

[Tiger]

A good practice swing for me brushes the grass with my irons. I try to keep them at a slower tempo as I naturally swing harder on a full swing hence the divot. That said I am a bit of a picker rather than a digger and take shallow divots on my shots.

Ah, that a very good point. Are you saying that the slow swing mirrors exactly the full-pace swing, and that the full-pace swing causes the club to flex and hence sit lower than the slow swing? That would make perfect sense if true.

As has been mentioned the divot comes after you strike the ball. I'm not sure it is the flex but more of a conscious effort to hit down onto the ball as opposed to having the club brush the grass at the bottom of the swing. I think that's the key difference: you are hitting an object. Occasionally I will take a divot but normally that's when my tempo is faster than I'd like. Hope this helps.

 

[MashieNiblick]

Interesting question.

I could take a divot with a practice swing and have done unintentionally . I generally don't because the purpose of the practice swing for me is to loosen my muscles, rehearse the swing movements and get a feel for the shot. I don't think that requires me to exactly replicate the swing. However, if I am chipping I do try to make sure on my practice swings that my club brushes the ground as I want my actual swing to do.

I don't think that the slower tempo of a practice swing could make enough difference to the shaft flexing for that to be an explanation.