Alright, so today I really wanted to hammer down this whole divot business. You know, actually taking one after the ball like you’re supposed to. For the longest time, it’s been hit-or-miss for me. Mostly miss, if I’m being honest.
Went down to the range, got myself a large bucket, found a decent patch of turf. The plan was simple: hit balls until I could consistently get that nice, bacon-strip divot starting just past where the ball sat. Easier said than done, right?
The Usual Struggle
First dozen shots or so? Pretty much garbage. Took some big, ugly pelts way behind the ball. Felt that awful jarring shock up my arms. Then, trying to correct, I’d thin it, sending the ball screaming low across the grass. It felt like the same old story. You get told what to do, you think you’re doing it, but the result is just… bad. It really takes the fun out of it sometimes, just feels like you’re digging trenches for no reason.
I remembered this one round, must’ve been last summer, standing on the fairway, perfect lie, and I took a divot that started a good six inches behind the ball. The ball weakly popped up maybe fifty yards. Just brutal. You feel like such an idiot.
Trying to Get it Right
So, I stopped. Took a breather. Had to really focus. What was I actually doing? Decided to concentrate on just a couple of things:
- Getting my weight moving forward, onto my front foot, before impact.
- Keeping my hands feeling like they were ahead of the clubhead when I hit the ball.
Sounds basic, I know. But actually making your body do it consistently is another thing entirely. It’s like your brain knows, but your body’s got other ideas. I started making slower practice swings, really exaggerating the feeling of shifting my weight and compressing down and through where the ball would be.
Then I started hitting balls again, but focusing only on hitting the grass just past the ball. Didn’t even care where the ball went initially. Just hit that spot. Hit the little ball (the golf ball) then the big ball (the earth), as they say.
Finally, a Breakthrough
And then, it started happening. That crisp click sound, followed by the thump of the club brushing through the turf. I looked down, and there it was: a shallow, neat little rectangle of grass missing, starting right where the ball had been and pointing towards the target. That felt good. Really solid impact.
I kept at it, trying to replicate that feeling. Hit some bad ones still, sure. You don’t just flip a switch. But more and more shots were producing that proper divot. It wasn’t about swinging harder, it was about the sequence. Getting the low point of the swing in the right place.
It’s funny how you can practice something for ages, feel like you’re getting nowhere, like you’re just stuck doing the same wrong thing over and over. Then one day, concentrating on one tiny feel, something clicks. It’s not like magic, it’s just… the pieces finally fitting together after banging them around for long enough. Practice can be a real grind, but those little breakthroughs make it worthwhile.
Left the range feeling pretty satisfied today. Still got a long way to go, always do in golf. But actually feeling the difference between a fat shot and a proper compressed iron shot with a divot in front? Yeah, that’s progress. Felt like I actually learned something today, instead of just beating balls.
