A golf divot is a piece of grass displaced from the ground when playing a golf shot.
The term “divot” can also refer to the now grassless area left behind after a divot was taken (also known as a divot hole).
How To Take A Divot
Divots are mainly taken with wedges and irons, but slight divots can be taken with hybrids or woods.
Generally, the higher lofted the club, the bigger the divot will be.
Solid contact with a wedge or iron is predicated on a descending blow. A player should always hit the ball first, then the ground. In this case, the low point of the swing will be just after contact with the ball, thus creating a divot.
Swing path and shape will dictate how deep or shallow a player takes a divot.
Flatter swings will take shallower divots, and steeper swings will take deeper divots.
Divot Path And Your Swing Path
Divots reveal a lot about a golf swing:
Divot starts behind the ball
- Fatted it, chunked it, hit it heavy
- Ball will travel much shorter than intended
Divot points to the left of target line
- Swing path was outside to inside
- Ball will pull, fade, or slice depending on where your clubface was in relation to the swing path at impact
Divot points to the right of target line
- Swing path was inside to outside
- Ball will push, draw, or hook depending on where your clubface was in relation to the swing path at impact
Divot is in line with target line
- Swing path was on target line
- Any deviation of the golf ball off of the target line was due to club face orientation at impact
FIX YOUR DIVOTS
It is very important to always fix your divots.
There aren’t many things better than playing golf on a well-maintained golf course.
A large part of that maintenance is predicated on repairing divots and ball marks. Every golfer has an obligation to do their part to maintain the golf course they are playing.
It is truly as simple as fixing your divots in the fairway and repairing your ball marks on the green.
There are two ways to fix your divots and help keep the course in great shape:
- Replace the divot hole with the divot (piece of grass) as long as the divot is fully intact.
- Fill in the divot hole with the seed and sand mixture that is provided by the golf course.
One of the worst breaks you can get on a course is when you hit a great shot in the middle of the fairway, only to find that your ball has settled in a divot that someone didn’t fix.
Don’t be that guy.
Fix your divots.
Related: What is a Mulligan in Golf? Understanding the Unofficial Do-Over