Chances you’ve hit some drives that have ended up in divots. Everyone finds one occasionally. It’s not a great lie to have because hitting from a divot is tricky. If you use your normal setup and swing, you’ll hit the ball thin or top it. The problem: Your normal swing doesn’t dig down deep enough to hit the ball solidly. The solution: make some adjustments to your setup and swing to compensate.
Below are six keys to digging out from a divot:
- Take one more club than usual
- Lean your body forward
- Play the ball back in your stance
- Keep your hands ahead of the ball
- Strike down hard at the ball
- Make ball first contact
The key to hitting from a divot is to create a steep angle of attack. To do that, you must adjust your set up and swing. You should also take an extra club. If you usually use a 7-iron, use a 6-iron and choke down on it.
Take your normal setup, position the ball back in your stance, and shift your weight forward slightly. You want more weight on your front foot than usual. This is critical. Also, lean your hands and the shaft toward the target. You want both of them ahead of the ball.
These adjustments ensure a steeper angle of attack into the ball. And focus on making ball first contact. It’s critical to hitting a shot solidly from a divot.
The ball comes out lower and “hotter” when hitting from a divot. That means it will run more when it lands. So be careful. Make sure you choose a good landing spot before hitting from this type of lie.
