Proper Divot Location – Well ahead of the ball!
Regular readers of this Blog know that the Low Point of any golf stroke is located in front of the left shoulder. Therefore, a standard iron shot should call for a divot located well ahead of the ball as the clubhead has to go DOWN and OUT after impact.
But do you have an idea of how much ahead?
A few years ago, my divot location was starting just under the ball and I thought that was not too bad. I was shocked when I discovered how much ahead of the ball it should be if you really hit DOWN on the ball and compress it properly. It’s common for Tour Players to create divots starting 3 inches after the ball!!!
Lets have a closer look at this phenomenon and tell me if you’re as shocked as I once was!
Check the video first!
Stroke sequence (Hitting!) – Details
Ball first, turf second: keep moving your hands forward!
The divot located in front of the ball with irons is a natural byproduct of clubhead Lag. As a consequence, you can look at your divots to check how well you are compressing the ball with a descending blow.
If your divots start before the ball, you certainly stop/decelerate your hands at the ball.
The only way to create a divot after the ball is to drag your hands as far as you can towards the target on the downstroke. If you are used to stop your hands at the ball it will feel like your hands are going past your left leg at impact (and of course this is not the reality but just the correct FEEL!).
Great explanation, the duffer really has the hardest time understanding this concept.
Clubhead lag is the product of constant acceleration through the ball. Can’t do that with accelerating at the top!
I will say for me when I properly execute the golf swing and create a good divot I get that deflection feel in the shaft as the clubhead enters the ground, combine that with a sweet set of blades….butter!
I would recommend anyone who is having trouble getting the concept of the hands ahead of the ball go out and by a Taly Mind Set training aid.
Greg
I’ve been toying with buying a Taly Mind Set but can’t decide if they work or not….some reviews say thy’re great,others not so?
Any chance of a review Greg?
Or John?
Cheers,
Damian (U.K)
I have been using the PBS and my game has been improving. However I recently moved and the course I play now is hard pan. I have never played that before. I am having a hard time being consistent with my irons. I have always been a digger and am trying to work away from that but I am hitting some hand jarring shots. Any help you can give on keys to more consistent iron play off hard pan would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Scott
A book to read while we wait for this site to become active again: “The Impact Zone”, by Bobby Clampett.
I just finished it. Bobby Clampett has been taught the Golfing Machine by Ben Doyle. In the Impact Zone, he clearly explains how to develop, practice and apply the Five Swing Dynamics: flat left wrist at impact, forward swing bottom, loading, lag and pivot, straight plane line.
There is also an extremely interesting chapter on the influence of equipment on the swing I had not realized that improper equipment can require a bad swing to produce acceptable results. Or that “game improvements” irons become a handicap when one develops a good lagging swing.
In the Mental Dynamics chapter, he explains how to make the load/lag swing concept work in the real world.
It’s all very accessible and entertaining. Bobby Clampett writes candidly about his own carreer and experiences, as well as the many sacred cows in today’s golf teaching.
In conjunction with what I have learned on this web site, “The Impact Zone” will be the foundation of my golf practice during the next season. Highly recommended. I hope the following link on Amazon.com works. You can even have a peek inside the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Impact-Zone-Mastering-Golfs-Moment/dp/0312354819/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258405931&sr=1-1#reader_0312354819
Hi BernardP and everybody
First of all, sorry everybody for the long blackout.
I was unfortunately put away from golf since September because of a huge heap of work after summer holydays and mainly because I completely ruptured my Achilles tendon while attempting a comeback in playing Tennis!
OUCH THAT HURTS!
6 weeks in a plaster and a total of 6 months of reeducation!
Tomorrow is a great day: I’ll remove my plaster and should be allowed to walk very carefully!
Expect me to become an awesome putter because this is the first thing I’ll go for as soon as I can jump in my car and reach a golf course!
The second thing will be to reactivate my site.
Be assured that I will answer EVERY question that hasn’t still got an answer from me during the last months.
So be patient a few days more and I’ll be back with a lot of very exciting stuff!
Thank to all for your support!
Good golf,
John.
It’s nice to know you are OK, John. Have you read Bobby Clampett’s book?
john,
I can not thank you enought for your help by providing priceless information about golf swing especially on lagging.
It took me 3-4 days of practice on a driving range, which I spent almost 7-8 hours total.
At first it was so frustrating, but kept believing things that I had read here….then guess what….I had that HAHA moment you talked about.
Right now, I am struggling with hooking the ball which I normally do. I record my swing often and realized that my hips were not cleared, and believe that it was causing all this bad hook shots.
I can not wait to show my new swing to my buddies at the course!!
Again, thank you so much for your help.
God bless you!
Mike
Oh….just wanted to ask you something though.
I think it is really important to clear your hips when you swing DOWN and OUT.
Swing down and out is similar to hitting from inside and out, right?
In order for a club to come from inside you need a space btw your hands and legs. And without clearing hips, you just do not have that space and it will lead you to come from outside. Bad Hook Shots!!
What do you think John?
This product is a great way to hone in your ballstriking accuracy and consistency. It shows exact point of impact, swing plane and club face position. Putting the visual with the feel shortens the learning curve and develops muscle memory much faster. I still have a long way to go, but it has made a huge improvement in my ability to deliver the club to the ball more consistently and accurately.
Which product?
The Taly?