Paying attention to the shape, direction, and location of your divots can offer valuable insights into what’s going right—and wrong—with your technique.

What Is a Divot?

A divot is a small patch of grass and dirt that gets displaced when your club makes contact with the ground during a swing.

Ideally, your divot should be taken after you hit the ball, signifying that you made clean contact.

It’s most common on full iron shots, where the club is designed to strike the ball and then take a shallow piece of turf as it follows through.

Different Types of Divots

Divots come in various shapes and sizes, each telling a different story about your swing.

Understanding the type of divot you’re leaving behind can help diagnose potential swing issues and guide you toward improvement.

Here are the main types of divots:

• Thin Divots: These are small or non-existent divots, often resulting from hitting the ball too high on the clubface, or “topping” the ball. This can lead to low, weak shots with reduced distance.
• Fat Divots: When a large chunk of turf is taken before the ball, it’s known as a fat divot. This happens when you hit behind the ball, resulting in a loss of power and a shorter, less accurate shot.
• Toe Divots: If your divot is deeper on the toe side of the club, it indicates that you’re striking the ball with the toe of the club, often due to an overly steep or inside-out swing path.
• Heel Divots: A divot that’s deeper on the heel side means you’re striking with the heel of the club. This is often caused by an outside-in swing path, leading to sliced shots for right-handed golfers.
• Straight Divots: A straight, shallow divot that’s taken just after the ball is the ideal outcome. It signifies that your swing path is solid, and you’re making good contact with the ball before hitting the turf.
• Deep Divots: These divots occur when the club digs too far into the ground, usually from a steep downswing. While it can lead to powerful shots, overly deep divots can reduce control and cause inconsistencies in distance.

What Do Divots Tell You About Your Shot?

Divots can act like a feedback mechanism, helping you analyse your swing.

Here are the main things to watch for:

Direction:

A straight divot means your swing path is solid, but if it veers left or right, it suggests issues with your swing path.

• Left divot (for right-handers): Your swing is likely too steep or coming from the outside, leading to a slice.
• Right divot (for right-handers): This suggests an inside-out swing path, often causing a hook or draw.

Depth:

• Shallow divot: Indicates that your club is skimming the ground, which can be a sign of solid ball striking.
• Deep divot: Could mean your swing is too steep, causing the club to dig too much into the turf, potentially reducing distance and control.

Placement:

• Before the ball: If your divot starts before the ball, you may be hitting the ground too early, leading to a “fat” shot.
• After the ball: A divot that begins after the ball shows you made proper contact, compressing the ball before the club hits the turf.

How to Improve Based on Divot Feedback

Understanding what your divots are telling you can be the key to improving your golf game.

Divots are like a blueprint of your swing, showing exactly where and how your club is interacting with the ground.

Fixing Swing Path Issues

If your divots reveal an outside-in swing path (where the divot points left for right-handed players), you’re likely struggling with a slice.

This is when your club approaches the ball from outside the target line and cuts across it, creating unwanted sidespin.

To fix this issue, focus on swing drills that encourage an inside-out swing path.

Here are a few tips to help you correct your path:

• Alignment Drills: Place alignment sticks or clubs on the ground, parallel to your target line, to help visualise the correct swing path.
• Gate Drill: Use tees or headcovers on either side of your swing path to create a “gate.” Practicing swinging through the gate can train you to avoid coming over the top and slicing.
• Shoulder Alignment: Ensure your shoulders are aligned with the target during setup. Over-rotation of your shoulders can cause an outside-in swing path.

By focusing on these drills and becoming more aware of your swing path, you can hit straighter shots and avoid leaving curved, misaligned divots.

Correcting Fat or Thin Shots

Fat and thin shots are often caused by improper weight shift or incorrect ball position, both of which lead to poor contact with the ball.

Fat shots occur when you hit the ground before the ball, resulting in a deep divot and a weak, short shot.

On the other hand, thin shots result in little or no divot, as the club strikes the ball above its center or barely touches the ground.

• Fixing Fat Shots: Focus on weight transfer. Many golfers make the mistake of hanging back on their trailing leg during the downswing, causing the club to hit the turf before the ball. Practice drills that encourage a full weight shift onto your lead leg, such as the “step drill,” where you take a small step toward the target as you begin your downswing. This will help you strike the ball first and take a proper divot afterward.
• Fixing Thin Shots: Thin shots often come from raising your body or flipping your wrists too early, resulting in a topped ball. Pay attention to your posture and ensure that you stay down through impact. Placing the ball slightly further back in your stance can also encourage better contact, as it forces you to hit down on the ball with a descending blow.

Both fat and thin shots can disrupt consistency, but focusing on weight transfer and proper ball position can help you create the ideal shallow divot.

Improving Consistent Ball Striking

To improve consistency, it’s essential to pay attention to where your divots begin and how they align with your target line.

Ideally, your divot should start just after you strike the ball, indicating that you’ve made clean contact.

If your divot starts before or far after the ball, this is a sign that something in your setup or swing is off.

• Ball Position Check: The position of the ball in your stance plays a crucial role in determining when your club makes contact with the turf. For short irons, the ball should generally be in the center of your stance. As you move to longer clubs, gradually position the ball slightly forward. Correct ball position ensures the club hits the ball first, followed by a divot.
• Posture and Balance: Maintaining a balanced posture throughout your swing is crucial for consistent ball striking. A stable spine angle and proper knee flex will help keep your club on the right path, ensuring that your divots are uniform and in the correct position. Focus on a smooth, controlled swing rather than trying to overhit the ball, which often leads to loss of balance and poor contact.

Improving consistency will help you make solid contact more frequently, leading to cleaner, more aligned divots and better results on the course.

Practicing Divot Awareness

Once you understand the types of divots you’re creating and what they say about your swing, practicing with divot awareness in mind can help you make meaningful improvements.

After every shot on the practice range, take a moment to assess your divot.

Does it start after the ball? Is it pointing toward the target?

By keeping track of your divots, you can immediately identify swing flaws and work to correct them in real-time.

• Visualisation: Picture where the divot should be before taking your shot. This mental focus helps guide your swing and encourages a cleaner strike.
• Repetitive Drills: Repetition is key when it comes to fixing divot-related issues. Set up drills that encourage the correct divot shape and placement, repeating them until it becomes second nature.

With divot awareness and consistent practice, you’ll start to see a noticeable improvement in your ball striking and accuracy.

Divot Etiquette: Take Care of the Course

As much as divots can help improve your game, it’s also crucial to take care of the golf course.

Most courses provide sand and seed mix for filling in divots, or you can replace the turf chunk you removed. Proper divot repair keeps the course in good condition for everyone and allows the grass to heal quickly.

Final Thoughts

Divots in golf are more than just patches of turf—they’re a mirror into your swing.

Paying attention to their direction, depth, and placement can help you understand what’s happening in your swing and guide you toward improvements.

So next time you hit a shot and see a divot flying, take a moment to analyse what it tells you about your game!