Move Your Divot Forward the Simple Way

Divots play an important role in the game of golf – yet many amateur players don’t really understand how they work and what they are trying to tell you about your swing.  With a little bit of background knowledge, your divots can be one of the most powerful teaching tools in the game because they provide the physical evidence needed to decode the quality of your swing.

It should go without saying that divots are what is left behind after your club tears through the turf.  The size and shape of your divots indicate the kind of swing you made through the impact area, so you can gather a tremendous amount of information just by looking at these holes in the ground.  A golfer who ignores his or her divots is missing a big opportunity to improve.

That said, many golfers are left wondering how to “move your divot forward” to create a result similar to what we see when we watch the pros on TV.  So let’s dive right it to understand what it means to “move your divot forward” and what doing so means to your golf game in general.

Ball First, Divot Second

One of the basic fundamentals in golf is that you need to hit the little ball before the big ball.  What does that mean?  Well, in golf parlance, the little ball is referring to the golf ball, and the big ball is the earth itself.

If you are going to hit good shots, you will need to strike the golf ball before your club digs into the turf.  By getting this equation backwards, you will end up hitting the shot fat and the ball will come up well short of your target.  The reason for this is because when your club strikes the ground the impact slows your club head speed dramatically, thus reducing the power of your impact when you do actually strike the ball.  Clean and crisp ball striking requires that you hit the golf ball on the way down, starting your divot (i.e. making impact with the ground) only after the ball has been sent on its way.

Here’s an excellent slow-motion visual example of Jordan Spieth making contact with the ball first, and the ground second:

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skaYXnQ7iXY&start=23&end=52&width=742&height=419[/embedyt]
Unfortunately, hitting the ball fat is a common problem among amateur players.  There are a variety of swing flaws that can lead to hitting fat shots, but the result is always the same – the ball falls down short of the target, and a bogey or worse is usually added to the scorecard.

In order to correct this problem and begin to strike the ball cleanly, you will need to effectively move your divots forward.  Moving them ‘forward’ means moving them slightly closer to the target.  If your club digs into the turf even just an inch or two closer to the target, you will have a great chance at striking the ball cleanly and carrying the full distance to your chosen target.

The Dreaded Back Foot

By far, the leading cause of fat shots among amateur golfers is getting stuck on their back foot in the downswing.  When your weight stays on your back foot, your center of gravity will remain behind the ball, and the club will inevitably enter the turf too soon.  If you have been struggling with fat shots, you would be smart to make sure you aren’t hanging back on your right foot (for a right handed golfer) before moving on to other potential fixes.

To check on your balance during the golf swing, you actually want to look at your finish position.  Hit a shot and hold your finish – whatever it may look like. While you are holding your finish, observe where the majority of your weight is located. Are you stacked up on your lead foot, or are you stuck back on your trail foot, leaning away from the target?  The answer to that question will tell you everything you need to know.

If you are guilty of hanging back during your downswing, the best way to fix the problem is to engage your hips more actively when you transition from backswing to downswing.  As the backswing is finishing up, it is your hips that you jump into action to lead the way into the ball.  Turn your hips toward the target right from the top of the swing and you will be able to get your weight into the correct position by the time you get to impact.

If you need a bit more physical feedback you can try something like the SKLZ weight transfer and timing tool which will help force your weight shift during practice sessions.

Early Release

While poor balance is the leading cause of fat shots, an early release (also commonly referred to as “casting”) can be blamed for a number of these poor swings as well.  If you release the club too early, you may wind up hitting the ball fat even if your balance is in good shape.

For a right handed golfer, an early release would mean forcing the right hand down toward the ball before the rest of your body has had a chance to clear through the hitting area.  That early hand action will stick the club into the ground prior to reaching the position of the ball, and you will be left with a deep divot and a bad shot.

Avoiding this problem in your swing comes down to trusting your body to pull everything through the hitting area effectively.  A good golf swing is one in which the hands pretty much just go along for the ride as your body rotates aggressively toward the target.  When the hands decide to do more than just go along for the ride, problems will be soon to follow.

Not only will you be able to avoid fat contact when you prevent the early release, but you will also be able to add power to your swing.

If you would like to use a simple drill to learn how to hold off the release, try hitting some short shots on the range with just your left hand on the club (again, for a right handed golfer).  By only using only your top hand, you will be forced to swing through the hitting area without triggering an early release.  Hit a few shots with a short iron while focused on making a good shoulder turn to make up for the fact that you only have one hand on the club.  Once you get the feel for hitting one-handed shots, put your right hand back on the club and make your normal swing.  Hopefully, that quick drill will have enabled you to take the early release out of your motion.  If you need even more physical feedback during your practice sessions you may also want to try a simple tool like the TourAngle144 which will “poke” you in the wrist if you release the club too early.

Now you may be asking, “how can I practice moving my divot forward if my local range only has fake turf mats?”  That’s a good question and for all you unfortunate souls who do not have access to a “real grass” driving range luckily there is an answer.  Products like the FairwayPro Divot Simulator Golf Mat are certainly not a perfect solution in that you can’t actually “see” your divot like you would on real grass but the mat systems like this are a major improvement over stationary golf mats when it comes to “feeling” your impact strikes.

If you are like the vast majority of golfers, moving your divots forward to avoid fat shots is going to come down to making one of two adjustments – either getting your weight off of your back foot, or eliminating your early release.  Either way, once you have made the necessary correction, your divots should move forward and your fat shots should be a thing of the past.

Cover Photo by dnkbdotcom on Flickr