Bad things happen to good golfers. In fact, they happen to all golfers. One of the worst things that can happen to a golfer is coming to rest in a deep divot after hitting one solidly. It’s just plain bad luck. But it happens to all golfers sooner or later. Savvy golfers learn how to hit from a deep divot.
Below are five keys to this shot:
- Assess the lie carefully
- Choose the right club
- Set weight on front foot
- Let hands lead in downswing
- Strike the ball with a forward leaning shaft
Start by assessing the lie. See how deep the divot is. The deeper the divot the more loft you’ll need to hit out of it. So if you normally use a pitching wedge from a certain distance, you might have switch to a sand wedge. If the ball is near the front of the divot, you may also have to switch to a club with more loft.
When in a divot, you have to hit down on the ball. So shift your weight to your front foot and keep it there throughout the swing. Also, let your hands lead the club into the ball when you make your downswing. This helps you strike the ball with a forward leaning shaft—which means the club will strike the ball at a descending angle. That’s ideal.
Keep two things in mind when hitting from a divot. First, striking the club with a down-ward blow delofts the club. So check the lie carefully. Divots often fool golfers when it comes to loft. Second, don’t try to lift or scoop the ball from the divot. Some golfers do. Scooping never works. Instead, let the clubhead’s loft do the work.
If you hit down on the ball in divot, you can pop it out of the divot and advance it for-ward. And in golf sometimes that’s all you can do.
