Irons · Drill
Read Your Divot to Check Your Path
Part of our irons programs for slice, push or pull, topped or thin. Build a program with it
You stand to the side of the ball, so the club swings on a curve. Your arms go inside as you turn back. They come back inside as you turn through. So a good divot starts square at the ball and then curves slightly left, for a right-hander. If your divot points left right from the start, you may be coming over the top. Make half swings and look at the shape.
The drill
- Hit half-swing irons off turf.
- Check that the divot starts square.
- Look for a gentle curve left after.
- Left from the start means over the top.
- Let your arms follow your turn.
Why it works
You stand to the side of the ball, so the club swings on a curve, not a straight line. The club moves in from the inside, reaches the ball with the path near square, then moves back inside as your body turns through. The divot records this: it shows where the club was heading while it was in the turf.
Common mistakes
- Judging the divot after full swings, where speed makes the shape hard to read.Keep to half swings so the divot is clean and the path is easy to see.
- Hitting off a mat or a thin, hard lie that leaves no clear mark.Hit off real turf with some give, and move to a fresh patch after each shot.
- Pushing the hands out and away at the start of the downswing, which sends the divot left from the start.Let your arms follow your turn so the club drops in from the inside.
How you'll know it's working
- The divot starts square to your target line and then curves gently left, for a right-hander.
- The ball starts on or near the target line and does not pull left.
- Contact is ball first, then turf, with the divot beginning just past the ball.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Place a tee or a short line in the turf where the ball sits, and compare the start of the divot to it after each swing.
Harder: Hit with a longer iron and try to keep the same square start and gentle left curve at a fuller swing length.
Common questions
What should a good iron divot look like?
It should start just past the ball, be fairly shallow, and begin square to your target line. It then curves slightly left after that, for a right-hander.
What does a divot pointing left mean?
If it points left from the start, the club is likely moving across the ball from outside to inside, which is often called coming over the top. This usually leads to pulls.
