Golfers come in all shapes and sizes, and so do their divots. The ability to make a divot mostly has to do with how much “down” you have in your swing. The latest launch monitors can measure how much down you have in your swing. This is referred to as angle of attack. The PGA Tour average with a 7 iron is down about 5 degrees at impact. With an iron, or any club that you hit off the ground, the angle of attack should be down. Imagine a duck flying down to make a landing on a pond. The duck is traveling down as he approaches the water. If the duck comes in too steep he will crash. The idea is to swing the club down to the ball and catch the ball first and the ground second, producing a divot. The divot should be pretty shallow but can vary. Having your hands slightly ahead of the ball at impact and having your weight on your front foot will help to produce a nice divot. If your divots are really deep your swing is too steep and you risk hitting fat shots. Your divots are a good indicator of the path your club is traveling through the hit. Pay attention to your divot and adjust accordingly.
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This article was written by PGA Professional Dale Ketola exclusively for Eat Sleep Golf. Dale is an expert in Flightscope launch monitor technology, TaylorMade club fitting, and V1 coaching software. He is currently the owner/operator of Potential Golf in Myrtle Beach, SC.
For more information on Potential Golf and their instructional programs visit their website at: www.potentialgolf.com
