Do you pay much attention to your divots? If you don’t, it’s time to start because you can learn a lot about your golf swing by studying your divots.
I’ll never forget watching my former college teammate, Tim Herron, constantly staring at his divots on the practice range. At the time, it didn’t mean a whole lot to me. I quickly learned, however, that he was learning everything he needed to know about his golf swing by the pattern of his divots.
Most golf instructors will tell you that a perfect divot is one that is the shape of a dollar bill and is facing your target. This is generally the sign of a proper swing path with a proper face angle at impact.
Unfortunately, this is not the divot most of you probably experience.
Many amateur golfers take divots that are facing to the left of their target (for right-handed golfers). This is a classic divot pattern for someone who swings a bit “outside to in” with an open clubface. This divot typically results in a slice, and is the cause for much heartache on the golf course!
If this is your divot pattern, you should focus on changing the direction of your divot. If your divot points to the left, try taking a divot that will face to the right.
If you have an alignment stick, it’s a good idea to place that on the ground and point it to the right of your intended target.
Next, practice attempting to take a divot that points in the same direction of the stick. If you don’t have an alignment stick, you can just place a golf club on the ground instead. If you do use a golf club, make sure the grip end is in front of you rather than the club end … just in case of a ricochet!
Studying your divot pattern is a great way to improve your golf swing in 2019. Get your divots pointed toward your target and you will be on your way to an amazing year of golf!
