Why Take a Divot in Golf?

Seeing a patch of turf fly through the air after you hit a golf ball is one of the most satisfying moments in the game. Yet for many golfers, the idea of taking a divot is either scary or misunderstood, often viewed as a mistake or damage to the course. The truth is, a proper divot is the signature of a pure, compressed iron shot. This guide will explain why taking a divot is so important for great iron play, what it tells you about your swing, and exactly how you can start making that beautiful bacon strip divot after the ball, every single time.

The Biggest Misconception: Is a Divot a Mistake?

Let's clear this up right away: a divot is not a mistake, it's the result of a correct golf swing with an iron. Many amateur golfers spend years trying not to hit the ground, develop a "picking" or "scooping" motion, and wonder why their iron shots are inconsistent, often resulting in thin or fat contact. They see tour pros taking these perfect pelts of turf and assume it's a special skill reserved for the elite.

The goal isn't to "take a divot." The goal is to strike the golf ball with a descending angle of attack. The divot is simply the evidence that you’ve done this correctly. It proves that the lowest point of your swing arc occurred *after* the golf ball, which is the secret to compressing the ball for maximum distance and control. When you learn to make ball-first contact, the divot becomes an automatic and very welcome consequence.

The real distinction to make is between a good divot and a bad one. A bad divot, or what golfers often call a "fat" or "heavy" shot, happens when you hit the ground before you hit the ball. This decelerates the clubhead dramatically, robbing your shot of all power. A good divot is one that starts where the ball was resting, or slightly after it, proving you hit the ball first and the turf second.

Why Hitting Down on the Ball Makes It Go Up

It sounds like a paradox, doesn't it? To make the ball go up, you have to hit down on it. This concept trips up a lot of golfers who instinctively feel they need to "help" the ball get into the air. They try to scoop under it, lifting with their hands and body. This subconscious desire to lift the ball is the cause of most poorly struck iron shots.

Here’s how it actually works. Your irons are designed with loft. A 7-iron, for example, might have around 30-34 degrees of loft. This built-in angle on the clubface is what sends the ball on a high trajectory. You don’t need to add any more lift to it. Your only job is to deliver that loft to the back of the ball with a downward strike.

Think about it like this: When you strike down on the ball, you are pinching or "compressing" it between the ground and the loft of the clubface. This compression is what creates the high backspin rate that gives a well-struck iron shot its signature stable flight and stopping power on the green. The club hits the ball first, the ball pops up and forward off the face, and only then does the club continue its downward ark to brush the turf in front of where the ball was. When you finally experience this feeling of pure compression, you'll never go back to trying to scoop the ball again.

What a Good Divot Looks and Feels Like

Not all divots are created equal. A good divot gives you valuable feedback about the quality and path of your swing. Once you start taking them, you can use them as a post-shot diagnostic tool.

• Location: The number one thing to look for. A proper divot always begins at or just in front of where the ball was positioned. If your divot starts behind the ball's original position, you've hit it fat. If there's no divot at all, you've likely hit it thin.
• Shape and Depth: A good divot resembles a strip of bacon or a dollar bill - relatively shallow and uniform in depth. It shouldn't look like you were digging for a buried treasure. A very deep, chunky divot can indicate too steep an angle of attack, while a divot that's barely there might mean your swing is a bit too shallow.
• Direction: The direction of your divot is a fantastic indicator of your swing path. For a straight shot, you want the divot to point directly at your target. If your divot points to the left of your target (for a right-handed golfer), your swing path was "out-to-in," which often produces a slice or a pull. If it points to the right, your path was "in-to-out," which can cause a hook or a push.

How to Make Ball-First Contact and Create a Proper Divot

Understanding the "why" is one thing, but applying it is another. Shifting from a picker to a clean ball-striker involves a few setup and swing adjustments that all work together to move the low point of your swing forward.

1. Ball Position: The Foundation

This is where it all starts. If your ball position is off, making consistent, ball-first contact is nearly impossible. For a mid-iron shot (like a 7 or 8-iron), your ball should be positioned in the absolute center of your stance. As you move to longer irons (6, 5, 4), the ball moves slightly forward, and with shorter wedges, it can be a touch back from center. A common fault is playing the ball too far forward in the stance with a mid-iron. This moves the low point of your swing arc behind the ball, making it very hard to hit down on it without some major compensation.

2. Weight Distribution: Get Forward

At address, your weight should be balanced 50/50 between your feet. However, the motion of a good golf swing involves a dynamic weight shift. As you begin the downswing, your weight must move toward the target. Many golfers make a great turn but then "hang back" on their trail foot, trying to lift the ball. This moves their swing's low point backward, resulting in fat and thin shots.

A good feeling to have is that as you strike the ball, about 80-90% of your pressure is on your lead foot. You should feel like your lead hip, shoulder, and knee are all aligned over your lead foot at impact. Your body should be moving through the shot, not away from it.

3. Hand Position: Shaft Lean is Your Friend

Look at any professional at address with an iron. You’ll notice their hands are slightly आगे of the clubhead, so the shaft is leaning slightly toward the target. This "forward shaft lean" is a powerful position. It presets your hands in front of the ball, which encourages a descending blow and helps you compress the ball at impact. Don't overdo it, but a gentle press forward so that your lead arm and the club shaft form a straight line is a great starting point.

4. The Downswing Sequence: Hips Lead the Way

So many swing issues stem from an incorrect downswing sequence. The most common ault is initiating the swing from the top with the hands and arms. This "casting" motion pushes the club head outward and forward too early, burning all your power and forcing the low point of your swing to be behind the ball.

The correct sequence is to start the downswing from the ground up. The first move should be a small shift of your hips toward the target. THIS is what delivers the club into the right hitting position from the inside and naturally allows you to make that descending, ball-first strike. Let a subtle hip slide and turn lead the way, and your arms and the club will follow.

5. The Key Feeling: Chest Over the Ball

If you need one simple swing thought to take to the course, this is it. Through impact, focus on keeping your chest, or sternum, covering the golf ball. When you try to "lift" the ball, your chest and head rise up and lean back, away from the target. By keeping your chest over the ball as you swing through, you will naturally stay on top of it, maintain your posture, and facilitate that downward strike. It almost forces your weight to shift forward correctly.

Two Simple Drills for Perfect Divots

Theory is nice, but drills build feeling and create habits. Here are two incredibly effective drills for grooving ball-first contact.

The Line Drill

This is a classic for a reason. On the driving range, find a straight line on the turf or use foot spray or a tee to draw one. Set up to the line as if it were your ball position. Without a ball, make swings with the single goal of having your divot start on or just after the line. This gives you instant, undeniable feedback on where the low point of your swing is. After a few practice swings, place a ball directly on the line and repeat. The visual of the line forces your brain to understand it must contact the ball first to get to the turf after correctly.

The Towel Drill

If you struggle with hitting shots fat, this is the drill for you. Place a golf towel on the ground about six inches behind your golf ball. The setup now provides a clear obstacle. If your swing bottoms out too early (behind the ball), you will hit the towel. To avoid the towel, you have no choice but to shift your weight forward and achieve a more forward low point, brushing the grass after the ball. It’s a powerful self-correcting drill that teaches the feeling of proper impact conditions without a single complex thought.

Final Thoughts

Learning to take a proper divot is a game-changer. It signals a move away from hesitant, scooping swings toward confident, aggressive iron play built onsolid fundamentals. Remember, the divot is the evidence of a good shot - caused by delivering the club on a downward path, shifting your weight forward, and compressing the ball.

Building this consistent motion takes practice, and sometimes it can be hard to know what to fix when things go wrong on the course. Understanding concepts like swing path from a divot is useful, but getting personalized guidance is even better. We designed Caddie AI to be your own on-demand golf coach for exactly these situations, offering instant analysis and advice so you are never left guessing what you need to work on. It helps clear up the confusion, so you can focus on building a better, more repeatable golf swing.