Working On Taking A Divot

[Jensen]

As the title says I'm working on taking a divot with my irons. Beforehand I would nip the ball off the turf ,the bottom of my swing arc would be as the club face contacts the ball.
Now however I'm working on hitting down on the ball and taking a divot. My question is do I aim to hit down on the back so that the ball rolls up the face or should I focus on the bottom of my swing being in front of the ball by an inch. With the later it would be like the ball is merely in the way as the club comes to contact with the ground, so it feels like my concentration is not on the ball but a point an inch in front.
Cheers

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Why do you want to take a divot ? As opposed to your normal swing

Ie why do you feel the need to change ?

 

[Jensen]

Because I think I'm not compressing the ball. My swing thought before is as though I hit the ball at the bottom part of the arc, so that as the face makes contact with the club there is little shaft lean. Unless I'm imagining things it seems that when I do take a divot the ball seems to fly better, there's more penetration through the air, distance is up and the flight is not so high.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Because I think I'm not compressing the ball. My swing thought before is as though I hit the ball at the bottom part of the arc, so that as the face makes contact with the club there is little shaft lean. Unless I'm imagining things it seems that when I do take a divot the ball seems to fly better, there's more penetration through the air, distance is up and the flight is not so high.

Have you had a go on a Flightscope to see the readings of the ball strike to give you a better picture ?

 

[Jensen]

Have you had a go on a Flightscope to see the readings of the ball strike to give you a better picture ?

No I haven't, but the strike feels way better.....

 

[Deleted member 15344]

No I haven't, but the strike feels way better.....

Then go with how you feel but be wary when you start to play when the courses are bit hard under foot or too soft. A recipe for clubs bouncing or hitting it fat

 

[Foxholer]

Check out the couple of drills that will encourage this - which i have found to really work well.

the_coach mentions one that involves a towel placed 3-4 inches behind the ball, with the idea being to hit the ball without hitting the towel.

bobmac has described one using another ball - placed 15-18 inches behind the target ball and on the path of the club. Same principle.

I use both - the towel one on a closed range and the ball one on an open range - where I can collect any 'failures'.

That way, you are concentrating on the target ball and impact, with the 'tool' giving you (instant) feedback. If you concentrate on 'taking a divot' you are likely to overdo it and get too steep - a much greater problem than too flat imo.

Divots should not be deep, simply taking a thin-ish layer of grass off. But they should start an inch or so AFTER the ball!

Good luck.

 

[garyinderry]

you don't compress the ball into the ground. it compresses off the face.


I only found this out in the last year or so. hitting down certainly got my swing into a better place when I first got into this game properly. I found I could make decent contact pretty much every time.

 

[sam85]

Should I be taking a divot with every iron or is it possible to have a perfectly acceptable swing without taking a divot?

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Should I be taking a divot with every iron or is it possible to have a perfectly acceptable swing without taking a divot?

Don't need to take a divot to have a perfect acceptable swing - I don't really take divots

 

[sam85]

Sometimes I do sometimes I don't, but then my swing is very inconsistent anyway. Had never really given it much thought really. All the pros seem to do it is there a reason/benefit to doing this?

 

[DaveM]

I was always told the divot should be between 2.5 to 3 inches in front of the ball. Works for me then I only really bruise the grass rather than take a big divot.

 

[Airlie_Andy]

you don't compress the ball into the ground. it compresses off the face.

I was under the impression the ball doesn't compress at all. It simply changes shape briefly due to the impact.0

 

[Foxholer]

Should I be taking a divot with every iron or is it possible to have a perfectly acceptable swing without taking a divot?

Indeed possible to have a perfectly acceptable swing without taking a divot. However, that means that you have to be significantly more precise, so consistency may not be as good. 'Picking' means that the club is at the bottom of the swing at impact. A fraction off one way and a thin will be the result; a fraction off the other way and it'll be a fat! By hitting on the way down, a slightly inaccurate swing is not punished as much!

I was always told the divot should be between 2.5 to 3 inches in front of the ball. Works for me then I only really bruise the grass rather than take a big divot.

Depends whether you are talking about the start or the middle. I was talking about the start. Though 2 inches or so isn't all that far in front - depending on the club.

Check this out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im5UAZHeoDc

I was under the impression the ball doesn't compress at all. It simply changes shape briefly due to the impact.0

Er. That's compression! What doesn't happen is the club compressing the ball by pressing it into the ground - that's feel, not real!

 

[Airlie_Andy]

Er. That's compression! What doesn't happen is the club compressing the ball by pressing it into the ground - that's feel, not real!

I just think the word compress is misleading as it suggests the ball is being pressed together between 2 things when in fact it is simply deforming on the club face.

 

[the_coach]

Pretty big thread about this (compression) a while back. The word really came about through golf coaches looking for a short-hand term as an explanation of pressure onto the golf ball to have a solid strike, rather than a 'flick' with the arms & hands to help it up some. So although not a completely correct description of what really happens in a lot of ways the terms does pretty well 'sum up' impact, as saves the much longer completely correct answer to what really happens at collision & the transer of energy to the ball.

Simply, you will get a much better, truer trajectory & flight & a more solid strike at impact if you strike the ball first, ground second. The divot is the result of a real sound strike. Which is all really about swing plane, face angle, speed, path & AoA etc. but importantly all in relation to where the bottom of the swing arc is.

As 'Fox' rightly points out it's also the way you get a good strike also giving yourself the most margin for error by having the lowest point of you arc target side of the ball. Trying to pick the ball off the ground (if that's not a natural common result of your swing motion, say less wrist set more arm swing motion like Stricker) is a much more difficult thing to achieve consistently good contacts because it's putting the lowest point of your swing arc right at the back of the ball, get this wrong a fraction & you get fat's & thins a ways too easily. 'Picking' you also add more loft through impact so higher flight which can often give you less distance with a higher spin rate plus it's then a ways more trouble in the windy conditions.

To get the lowest point of the swing arc target side of the ball, means you have a motion which delivers a good forward leaning shaft angle.

Assuming you can get to the top of the swing with everything in order, to achieve the above, so good strike. The transition move has to start from the ground up, gentle ground pressure downwards into the lead foot moves lead knee & thigh into a position where it can post solid so the left high clears around the left hips socket (you need this clearance to allow hands arms & club 'space' to move through to arrive leading the handle past the ball, so forward leaning shaft then club head strike through impact, then the resulting divot.

So it's the transition move you need to concentrate on, just thinking about the divot may well result in getting a ways too steep & digging some, not what you'd want.
At top of swing, transition you can imagine having your lead foot 'squeeze' a sponge to get a little water out, just before the right shoulder, arms, hands & club moves downwards towards the ground. (not right shoulder out wards towards ball/target line)

As 'Fox' says I advocate a towel some inches behind the ball in practice, gives you a visual that helps promote the right AoA, & also gives you feedback if you get it a ways wrong. (as Bobmac's golf ball 12" or so behind does too, you might need to be a bit more proficient before your try this especially at a range with anything solid the ball will ricochet off! good drill though)

Here's another way of getting the pressure in the lead foot to trigger a good transition move, an alternative to my 'sponge' analogy.

[video=youtube_share;aTJc5f-ZxeM]http://youtu.be/aTJc5f-ZxeM[/video]

 

[the_coach]

As the title says I'm working on taking a divot with my irons. Beforehand I would nip the ball off the turf ,the bottom of my swing arc would be as the club face contacts the ball.
Now however I'm working on hitting down on the ball and taking a divot. My question is do I aim to hit down on the back so that the ball rolls up the face or should I focus on the bottom of my swing being in front of the ball by an inch. With the later it would be like the ball is merely in the way as the club comes to contact with the ground, so it feels like my concentration is not on the ball but a point an inch in front.
Cheers

Something else worth looking at (not because of the title!) But if you can work to get the handle of the club going back in the area you can see in this vid (in relation to the handle of the club on the ground) so you end up at the top with the same kind of upper body spine tilt away from target.

Then as discussed here start transition from the ground up (lead foot) while paying attention to the move down to the 'delivery position' having the handle in the position is now is in relation to the handle of the club on the ground.

This then means you'll deliver the club into impact, hands leading the club head a little ways so forward leaning shaft, so ball first lowest point of the swing arc some inches target side of the ball (so divot is the result of that motion) & so get best AoA for optimum strike, optimum penetrating trajectory, so distance.
{Get face angle square, swing path in to in & optimum accuracy to, get swing plane (shaft angle) through impact to be near shaft angle of club at address & you'll be able to generate optimum speed too}

[video=youtube_share;xvMiZQo70-E]http://youtu.be/xvMiZQo70-E[/video]

 

[JCW]

The idea of hitting down on the ball and taking a divot for a better strike and also get back spin on your shorter irons but then you also need the right ball to do so .................EYG

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Have you discussed this with your teaching pro. If you are hitting it well and more importantly straight without the need to take a big divot why change. What makes you think you aren't compressing it enough?