Look at your Divots to Fix your Golf Shots. Swing Tips for Senior Golfers (Video) - by Dean Butler
Look at your Divots to Fix your Golf Shots. Swing Tips for Senior Golfers (Video) - by Dean Butler

Right, we are going to talk about your divots, the shape of your divots, the depth of the divots, because from your divots, you can actually learn a lot about what's actually happened or what's gone wrong in the swing. So there is two areas here, so first of all let's talk about the depth of the divot and how deep the divot is. Basically, if you find yourself hitting the golf ball and you find that the divot is starting too far behind the ball, then we are coming in far, far too steep. And we are basically coming in, releasing that club too early. So the club hits the ground first and then from that, are we going to get a shallow divot or a deep. Now it’s very, very deep, that divot, we have got a very, very steep angle of attack.

So from there, we are going to think to ourselves, right, it’s a steep angle of attack. So let's go for the procedure. Was the ball too far back in the stance, because if you put the ball back in the stance, that would make you swing steep. So if we go through our routine, the club is fine, we move to put the ball position. If it’s that, the problem should be solved. But let's say, it wasn’t that, so we go for the procedure again, we put the ball position there and I am still doing the same problem. So the third thing we have gone through the aims and grips, so from here, the next thing is now as we take the club back, did I actually sway off the ball. And if I sway off the ball, then unfortunately as they come back down, the tendency will be to hit the ground behind the ball. So what you do is through elimination, so you could actually do this on the practice ground within half a dozen golf shots. And first of all, check the ball position, because that’s going to be the favorite here for hitting it a little bit too deep, okay. So there is a depth to the divot, now we are talking about the direction of the actual divot. On this golf ball here looking at down the avenue here with the two sticks, did the divot come in and was it at this angle. And if you look at the angle, you will know for one thing for sure, we know that the club and from the top of the backswing has traveled from the outside to the inside. And if the divot is the opposite way, that club has traveled again from the inside to the outside. So you can see, for the divot, lots and lots of information, so really, within one or two golf shots from the golf course, we should be able to really get rid of this quite quickly. So if we are swinging the club outside the divot coming across, well get over to the next ball and think okay, what have I got to lose. I am on the golf course, I am not on the practice ground, let me take that club a little bit more in the inside. And when you take the club on the inside, it has to now come back from this angle here, from the inside. So straightway we shouldn’t be seeing a divot that’s here and vice versa for the other shot. So looking at divots, there is a lot you can learn for your divots, whether they are too deep, too shallow, but mainly shallow is not so much of the problem, too deep, coming across the line, going outside, you can pull that thing thinking about that direction of the divot is the direction that the club has traveled from the top of the backswing through the ball and from that, change the swing. You can see that the evidence, right, take that club back on a different direction and for you to do that same shot or that same divot is almost not saying it’s impossible, but it’s not likely to happen. So there you go on a golf course, you can put those things right, but ideally, go to the practice ground, put a couple of sticks down, so they can show you the direction you want to go. And just work your way through so many golf balls, I think this is a lot easier than people think to cure. So looking at divots is valuable information, use it, put it right.
2013-10-29

Right, we are going to talk about your divots, the shape of your divots, the depth of the divots, because from your divots, you can actually learn a lot about what's actually happened or what's gone wrong in the swing. So there is two areas here, so first of all let's talk about the depth of the divot and how deep the divot is. Basically, if you find yourself hitting the golf ball and you find that the divot is starting too far behind the ball, then we are coming in far, far too steep. And we are basically coming in, releasing that club too early. So the club hits the ground first and then from that, are we going to get a shallow divot or a deep. Now it’s very, very deep, that divot, we have got a very, very steep angle of attack.

So from there, we are going to think to ourselves, right, it’s a steep angle of attack. So let's go for the procedure. Was the ball too far back in the stance, because if you put the ball back in the stance, that would make you swing steep. So if we go through our routine, the club is fine, we move to put the ball position. If it’s that, the problem should be solved. But let's say, it wasn’t that, so we go for the procedure again, we put the ball position there and I am still doing the same problem.

So the third thing we have gone through the aims and grips, so from here, the next thing is now as we take the club back, did I actually sway off the ball. And if I sway off the ball, then unfortunately as they come back down, the tendency will be to hit the ground behind the ball. So what you do is through elimination, so you could actually do this on the practice ground within half a dozen golf shots. And first of all, check the ball position, because that’s going to be the favorite here for hitting it a little bit too deep, okay.

So there is a depth to the divot, now we are talking about the direction of the actual divot. On this golf ball here looking at down the avenue here with the two sticks, did the divot come in and was it at this angle. And if you look at the angle, you will know for one thing for sure, we know that the club and from the top of the backswing has traveled from the outside to the inside. And if the divot is the opposite way, that club has traveled again from the inside to the outside. So you can see, for the divot, lots and lots of information, so really, within one or two golf shots from the golf course, we should be able to really get rid of this quite quickly.

So if we are swinging the club outside the divot coming across, well get over to the next ball and think okay, what have I got to lose. I am on the golf course, I am not on the practice ground, let me take that club a little bit more in the inside. And when you take the club on the inside, it has to now come back from this angle here, from the inside. So straightway we shouldn’t be seeing a divot that’s here and vice versa for the other shot. So looking at divots, there is a lot you can learn for your divots, whether they are too deep, too shallow, but mainly shallow is not so much of the problem, too deep, coming across the line, going outside, you can pull that thing thinking about that direction of the divot is the direction that the club has traveled from the top of the backswing through the ball and from that, change the swing.

You can see that the evidence, right, take that club back on a different direction and for you to do that same shot or that same divot is almost not saying it’s impossible, but it’s not likely to happen. So there you go on a golf course, you can put those things right, but ideally, go to the practice ground, put a couple of sticks down, so they can show you the direction you want to go. And just work your way through so many golf balls, I think this is a lot easier than people think to cure. So looking at divots is valuable information, use it, put it right.