How To Take A Divot

By | on April 2, 2011 | 8 Comments |


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Paul Wilson is the creator of Swing Machine Golf and founder of Ignition Golf. Paul's golf swing technique is based on the Iron Byron swing machine. YouTube Channels: Paul Wilson Golf and Ignition Golf Tips. Please Join me on Google+

8 Responses to “How To Take A Divot”

  1. March 4, 2013

    WadeThames

    Paul,
    It is getting better everyday. I am carrying my drives off the tee a little less than 240 yards straight down the fairway. I am grateful but I worry about my iron play recently. I hit my 5 iron about 150 yards but no divot! Could this be from practicing on mats at the range? What do I need to work on?

    Thanks!

    • Wade,

      No divot = hitting with arms. Also, hitting a 5 iron 150 yards is an indication too. So keep working on turning the arms off. Search the red nav bar for impact and you will see the 7 chicken wing tips. Watch them and work on it.

  2. March 6, 2013

    WadeThames

    Paul,
    I am not sure at the point. I am not chicken winging or swing solely with my arms. Based on what you told me last week I was turning my hips too hard. My ball contact seems great but just no divot. Thanks anyway!

    • Wade,

      I guarantee you are hitting with your arms. In 22 years I have never met anyone with them completely turned off. Take a video of your swing. Freeze at impact to check. Also, freeze it at 3/4 when the right arm is parallel to the ground. If you are not using your arms this right arms will be perfectly straight at this point. If so, this puts you in the top 10% or less of all students I have ever seen.

      Next check your head movement throughout the swing. If you are standing up (typically because the person is avoiding the tightness of the coil) you would need to get back down the the ball. Maybe you are raising up.

      Watch this:

      Divot: https://ignitiongolf.com/divot

  3. March 7, 2013

    WadeThames

    Paul,
    one thing may have said was a mistake. Regarding the 5 iron going 150 yards. I just came back from the range and I was hitting a 7 iron averaging about 170 yards (carry). I think I missed calculated the distance or my memory was bad regarding the club I played.

    Regarding the swing, I will video tape my next session and check it out what you mentioned.

    My swing speed has increased and my playing partners have noticed. The thing that has help me is the fact that I have practice rotating so much that I do it without thinking about it. When I do think about rotating I seem to over do it. A few weeks ago I had too much hip movement in the backswing. Now I turn my shoulders towards 90 degrees until I am tight (resisting with the lower as much as I can) then I turn my lower body into the follow thru. I don’t think about impact. My thought is to go to a “pretty finish” with the club at the back of my head. Ok, I am still working on the “touching the back of the head part”. 🙂

    Not taking it to serious but tonight my driver swing speed is range is now in the high 90’s to low 100s. I had good run of a several straight shots in the 115 mph-ish range. I am not even physically trying hard as used to but I am using more mental concentration. People talking and chatting next to me at the range used to distract me but it doesn’t anymore. Also been using a shorter driver and that has help a lot.

    What has also help is my pre shot routine of dropping my looseness in my arms down several notches. Once I feel I am looser I try to take it down one more notch and then coil until my body is tight and release.

    Thanks again!

    • Wade,

      Wow, you hit your 7 iron farther than I do! Good job.

      I like the line “I have practiced rotating so much that I do it without thinking.” I wish everyone would do this.

      Going to the finish is a very important thought. This way you are not thinking impact. I like it!

      Everything else sounds good. I think you need to keep the wrists even looser to get it to 115mph consistently. The fact that you are hitting your 7 iron farther than I do should tell you that you can do it but once people get the driver in their hands they start to hit. The harder they hit the tighter they get. Stay loose.

      • March 10, 2013

        WadeThames

        Paul,
        I forgot to mention one thing about my clubs. They are game improvement irons (Taylormade Burner 2.0) so the loft are stronger. If you compare it to traditional lofted iron my 7 iron (31*) is probably more like a 6 iron. I think now days you have to mention that to put it in perspective.

        The shoulder and hips seem to be moving better than before but I still need to sync everything and get more consistent. I might have some timing issues and or some shaft flex issues. I am hooking my fairway woods (regular flex). I don’t have this problem with driver because I just switch to a stiff flex so I am thinking flex is the problem.

        Sometime if I try to rotate my hips faster I hit what I call a “super hook”. I could not believe the speed but the ball went a very short distance. So I am resisting most of the movement of the hips on the backswing, which is hard to do. This is limiting me a bit in the flow or the natural way I want to move. Sometimes, my hips seem fast, but not smooth if that makes sense.

        I might be working too hard but I am having fun trying to get better.
        Thanks!

        • March 10, 2013

          Paul Wilson

          Wade,

          If you are generating the clubhead speed you say you are those fairway woods are too weak. I would hook them too. Try out some stiff ones.

          Limiting the hips is tricky in the backswing. This gives you the simple look of a better player though plus it give you torque so it is well worth it.

          Watch:

          Move Less: https://ignitiongolf.com/moving-less

          I think you are getting there. I would be using a mirror nightly to check the positions and make the perfect. If you are this close working on precise movement should get you there. So many people fall into the trap of just beating balls. This only leads to bad habits and never making the necessary changes to your swing.

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