When I found this article over at Golf Digest, I was fascinated because this is something I've noticed for a long time -- namely, that many of the best players don't take much of a divot despite how often we're told that divots are important. Hank Haney's explanation in Make a Tour-Quality Divot is a simple one that makes some sense of this apparent contradiction.
Haney says that many weekend gamers take divots that merely gradual down their swings without growing backspin. You can read the article to get all of the details -- it is fairly short -- but here's the paragraph that sums up what he's speaking about:
To make better divots, remember that they must be something you are thinking about simplest with a quick iron in your hand. That's while you want to make a descending blow, catching the ball first. On whatever longer than a 7-iron, it is OK to make a sweeping swing that produces very little divot.Now bear in mind that a sweeping swing can take a divot without sending chunks of dirt and grass into the air. The longer clubs make a shallower swing so they merely skim the ground, rather than digging deep. In addition, a sweeping swing hits the ball on a higher trajectory than a steep swing, so the ball comes down more softly anyway.
Or, to place it every other way... While quick irons and wedges may additionally take a strip steak, divots with the longer golf equipment must appearance greater like a skinny strip of bacon!
And remember: Backspin is caused more by solid contact than by digging deep. Whether you take a deep divot or a shallow one, you won't get backspin unless you catch the ball crisply first.
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