Why do I not take divots with my irons?

If you don't take a divot on your approach shots, you're probably pulling up (above, right) or falling onto your back foot during the downswing. Here's my favorite drill for learning to take good divots. Get into your normal setup, then lift the clubhead a few inches off the ground.

Should you always take a divot with irons?

You should take a divot when striking a golf shot, but not with every club. Wedges and short irons when hit correctly will create a clear divot, imparting backspin on the ball, yet longer clubs like 5-irons and hybrids should 'brush' the turf, rather than take a deep chunk out of the ground.

Why is it so hard to take a divot?

When a player's center of mass tends to stay on the back foot, with considerable rear side bend (I call it hang back), the bottom of the swing arc can be too far behind the ball and the club is ascending when it reaches impact. This shallow attack angle will not take much, if any, turf.

Which clubs should you take a divot with?

First - you should make a divot with every club in your bag besides your driver (off the tee) and your putter. Why - it may seem obvious, but the driver and putter are the only clubs that the club is moving up at impact. All other clubs, the club head should be moving down.

Why do pros take big divots?

Why do golfers take a divot? The majority of shots that are played with an iron or wedge will scrape off a thin layer of turf where the ball was resting. The reason is because these clubs are designed to strike the ball on a descending path.

Why You Don't Take Divot and does it matter?

Do pro golfers replace divots?

The players know this fact so they don't replace their divots when playing on Bermudagrasses but they do when they play on the northern grasses. The holes left by the players are filled with sand by the maintenance staff after each round.

Should I aim in front of golf ball?

Trying to keep your eye on the ball pretty much ensures that your club will bottom out too soon. If you want to hit crisp irons from the fairway, your focus should be well forward of the ball.

What your golf divot tells you?

Your divot is either going to point to the right, to the left or straight. For right-handed players, if it's pointing to the left, it means your swing path is coming from outside to inside (a path that produces a slice). If it's pointing right, you're swinging inside to out (a path that produces a hook).

Should I hit down on the golf ball?

Hitting down on the ball is what creates that pure, powerful feeling of flush contact. No matter how fast you swing, you can hit shots that hiss off your clubface.

What causes a golfer to hit behind the ball?

During the backswing, the player's weight is on the back foot. Failure to naturally transfer the weight through the ball and onto the left commonly causes the club to drop behind the ball. The body and the club must work together in a proper weight transfer.

How do pro golfers take divots?

By making a downward strike and hitting the ball first, you put backspin on the ball; that makes it go up into the air. After you hit the ball, the club continues to go down toward the ground. Since you're turning through the shot, the club will hit the ground in front of the ball and take a divot.

Why do I take a divot before the ball?

If you stance is significantly wider, it can often cause your hips to move too much side to side and your hip seeks being over each foot. As your hips move too much side to side, this can often cause the club to hit the ground before the ball if you do not recenter yourself exactly the same amount.

Why am I hitting the ground first with my irons?

Instead of keeping their upper body over the ball (where the sternum is directly above the ball at impact), they lean back through the contact. This causes the sternum to move away from the target and the lowest point in the swing arc moves back too - causing the player to strike the ground before the ball.

Where is the sweet spot on golf irons?

Hold your iron with the face open and drop a ball onto it, you will recognize the sweet spot when it springs off the face, this is the point where the metal is set to have its optimal flex and responsiveness. Usually, the sweet-spot is located in the center of the club sometimes slightly to the heel.

What does yelling fore mean in golf?

Golfers yell fore to alert other golfers that they may be in danger of getting struck by their ball. You should always yell fore if you're unsure where your ball will land, and it is at risk of hitting a golfer. The term fore likely originated from the term forecaddie, although the exact history is unknown.

Do hybrids go further than irons?

In general terms, a hybrid will travel 8 to 12 yards further than the corresponding iron, but in reality accuracy and consistency are the keys. Due to the fact that most golfers carry either a hybrid or an iron, it is very difficult to compare them directly.

Why do hybrids go left?

Alternatively, hybrids with too flat or upright lies also produce hooks. A large angle between the shaft and the top of the club head of the hybrid also results in hooks because this causes the club to rotate more than what is needed. As a result, the ball moves from right to left and produces a hook.

Do you hit a hybrid like an iron?

The key to hitting a hybrid well is to swing it like an iron, not a fairway wood. If you hit down on the ball with a hybrid and take a little divot (above, right), it can be just as easy to maneuver as a middle iron. I'll show you my keys to the most important hybrid shots.