Taking a divot is not something all golfers do.
If you have been wondering why you don’t take a divot or have been working on trying to take a divot, then you are in the right place.
We will tell you that taking a proper divot is an excellent thing for your golf game.
Unfortunately, most golfers don’t know how to take a proper divot, and it ends up affecting the distance and the control you get with their shots.
Why Do Golfers Take a Divot?
Golfers take a divot to get more spin and better control of the golf ball.
If your club comes into the impact position at the proper angle and with the proper speed, you will take a divot.
Taking a divot helps get your golf ball up in the air and gives you plenty of distance.
A proper divot takes place after the golf ball is hit.
If you are an amateur golfer, you may struggle with this concept initially.
It takes a little bit to understand how taking a proper divot will impact your golf swing and get you to hit the ball the way you want to.
Are You Supposed to Take a Divot?
You should take a divot with almost every golf club in your bag.
If you don’t take a divot with your driver, your putter, and sometimes a fairway wood, then that is completely acceptable.
With all other clubs, there should be a slight divot.
However, there is one crucial thing you must remember: the divot should be taken after the ball is hit.
Taking a divot before the ball is going to cause you to lose distance.
This is called hitting the ball fat or chunking it.
If you are having a hard time taking a divot with your golf clubs, chances are your swing path is a bit off.
Taking a divot requires your club to be on the right plane and your clubface must be square.
If you are not taking a divot, chances are your golf swing is a bit too shallow, or your swing speed is very low.
There are some things you can do to increase your chances of taking a divot.
How to Take a Divot
Make sure your setup and your stance are perfect.
If you have the ball too far up in your stance, it is going to be very difficult to take the divot in the proper place.
If the ball is in the middle of your stance, you have a better shot at taking a divot simply because of the ball placement.
Another thing to check is that your golf swing is not too shallow.
If the golf club comes inside on the takeaway and gets a bit shallow, you will tend to pick the ball off the turf, not hit a divot.
This is not necessarily bad, but it can result in a slight loss of distance and potentially less loft on the shots as well.
What Your Divot Says About Your Swing
Golfers can learn a lot from their divot.
Not only will the divot tell you the path your club is swinging on, but it will also give you some idea of the direction as well.
Divots that are deep generally have a swing that is too upright.
Divots that start behind the ball could tell a player their ball position or placement is off.
Sometimes divots will go from left to right or right to left.
If your divot is left to right, you may be approaching the ball a little too far from the inside.
If your divot is right to left, you may be coming a bit over the top on your downswing.
There is a lot of information you can learn by paying attention to your divot.
Knowing how to look at the divots and apply the information you have learned about them is very important.
Golfers should consider a divot a feedback tool which helps them improve their golf game.
Should You Take a Divot with a Fairway Wood?
We know your driver and putter should not have a divot, but the fairway wood is a bit of a gray area.
If you take a divot with your fairway wood, it will be very minimal.
The divot does not need to be deep, and it will look like a sweeping of the turf.
When you hit a fairway wood off the tee, there will probably be no divot, and that is completely fine.
The only time you will see it is when you are hitting a shot out of a fairway lie with a fairway wood.
The divot will be in front of the golf ball if the shot is hit well.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this information about golfers taking a divot has helped you understand a bit more of the importance.
Divots are a good thing in the world of golf as long as they take place after hitting the golf ball.
If your divot is coming before you hit, you may have some swing flaws to look into.
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