Hitting out of divots

[hoselpalooza]

practiced hitting out of different lies in divots with an 8i yesterday and was very inconsistent. how do you all practice hitting out of divots? which clubs do you use? any other advice?

 

to me it seems a steeper swing could be better to get the ball airborne. my regular swing produced worm burners the first couple of shots. and i noticed more turf on one side of the ball will cause the face to open or close more quickly. so if the ball was behind a little lip on the right side ,the face seemed to open up before contact and push the ball right (am a righty).

 

anyway, i hope it's not a shot i have to use often but it's something that was fun to mix into a quick practice session. still not at the point i'd be confident hitting out of divots during a round. hopefully y'all can help a bit with that.

 

thanks!

[kylemd]

Its a hard shot! Ball wants to come out low. I remember a instructional tip from Cory Pavins book ( from the 90’s) ... make the divot deeper and its seemed to work for me. I usually club up one and accept that flush contact wont be there and focus on front ( green side ) of the ball and commit and hit it. Its a shot I am just trying to get on the green not close.  

[hoselpalooza]

found some supplementary info this morning in case anyone's interested (pasted below). here's a summary based on what i've found:

 

edit (9/11): have updated with people's helpful comments. thank you all!

 

* assess the lie first and adjust accordingly. e.g.:

- ball toward front of divot or in shallow/sand-filled divot? easier shot -- see "normal divot set-up" below.

- ball toward back of divot or in  deeper divot? set up with the ball even further back to ensure you come in steeper and maybe use more lofted club to get out.

- is there turf in the way of one side of the ball? it may open/close the club face so adjust accordingly. 

 

* distance control: the ball will probably come out lower and with less spin so pick club/landing spot accordingly. 

 

* normal divot set-up: (perhaps think of it like a fairway bunker shot - thx hawkeye)

- after selecting club/shot, set up with ball slightly back of center

- put more weight/pressure on front foot

- open stance up a bit (thx scooter)

- depending on lie, club up and grip down

- perhaps open face a little if the lie doesn't already promote an open face (this is to increase loft and help get the ball out)

- Stand a little closer to the ball or as close as you can be comfortable (thx bladehunter) 

- Try hovering the club and focusing ahead of or on the front of the ball (thx bladehunter) 

- Keep your legs quiet (thanks bladehunter)

- depending on lie/comfort level, make abbreviated backswing to promote better balance and better contact

- make sure you come into ball with a steep downswing. this seems especially important if you normally have a shallow swing

- make full/high finish to promote higher ball flight

- (hopefully) get it on the green!

 

there are different variations depending on whom you ask so i've copied/pasted below. as far as i'm concerned this is all theoretical at this point because i haven't tried any of this yet. it would be interesting to get feedback from people who've tried this or have their own tidbits of advice to add.

 

thanks!

 

Quote

 

The secret to making good contact here is hitting down on the ball. Play it back an inch or two in your stance, and put more weight on your front foot. That promotes a steeper backswing, which, in turn, steepens the downswing. You'll catch the ball first and drive it out (above).

 

Also, open the clubface a little. This might go against what you've heard, that closing the face helps you dig out of bad lies. But as long as the ball isn't down deep, an open face is better. It'll help the ball jump up and out.

 

As for the swing, don't be timid. Focus on hitting through the ball. You've set up the right kind of swing with your adjustments at address, so don't try to do anything special. Just think down and through. No reason you can't knock it on the green.

 

source: https://www.golfdigest.com/story/butch-harmon-how-to-hit-the-green-from-a-divot

 

 

Quote

 

If your ball is in a divot, it is even more imperative than normal to hit the ball with a descending blow. To do this, you'll want to:
- Put the ball a little further back in your stance
- Move your weight and hands a little more forward
- Grip down on club for more control

Know the ball will come out lower than normal and will run out longer.

Take a practice swing or two and visualize taking or extending the divot towards the green. That is what you'll want to do when you take your actual swing.

 

source: https://www.pga.com/story/hitting-out-of-divots

 

 

 

 

Quote

Assess the nature of the lie. All lies in a divot are not the same. If the ball is near the back edge of the divot, your primary concern is just getting the ball out; if the ball is near the front edge of the divot, you have more options -- especially if the divot is shallow. In either case, you'll need to make sure your club has enough loft to get the ball over the front edge.

Choose the golf club you intend to use based on the lie. Unless you're close to the green, you probably won't be close enough to hit the club you normally use from this distance. Remember, especially if the ball is in the back of the divot, you must use a club with enough loft to make sure the ball gets out. Because you won't hit the ball as far with this club, choose one that will land you in a safe area from which to hit your next shot.

Set up with the ball back in your stance. If the ball is in the back of the divot, or if the divot is particularly deep, you'll have to set up with the ball further back in your stance. But even if the ball is in the front of the divot, you'll need to set the ball back a little farther than normal. You want to make sure you hit the ball first, with a more downward stroke so it spins more and flies higher.

Set your weight more on your forward leg. Again, this will encourage the downward strike you need to dig the ball out.

Shorten your backswing slightly. It's important that you hit the ball solidly to get it out of the divot. Remember that your weight is already positioned forward in your stance. By making a shorter swing, you'll be more balanced during your swing and make better contact with the ball.

Make a strong full finish. You want to get the ball up out of that divot so you'll have to take more turf than normal. And if you cut your finish short, the ball will come out lower than you want.

 

source: https://golftips.golfweek.com/stop-pitch-shot-20402.html

 

Edited September 11, 2020 by hoselpalooza
add helpful suggestions and format

[sprcoop]

Kudos for practicing something besides a fluffed lie.  Hitting out of tough lies makes those pristine fairway lies look pretty simple.  You may not be confident but practicing it will make you competent.

[hoselpalooza]

7 minutes ago, sprcoop said:

Kudos for practicing something besides a fluffed lie.  Hitting out of tough lies makes those pristine fairway lies look pretty simple.  You may not be confident but practicing it will make you competent.

 

thanks, and completely agree! practicing out of weird/gnarly lies is also a lot more fun than repeatedly hitting the same shots. there's a range close to my place where you can hit from thick rough on severe downhill-sidehill lies at each end of the range. hitting target greens from those spots is much more gratifying than from perfect lies in the middle. 

[scooterhd2]

as a true WRXer I usually just drive it past all of those pesky fairway divots..... but I do occasionally practice this shot. 

 

I prefer to club up, but the ball back in the stance a hair, open my stance up, and keep more weight than normal on the front foot. we're accepting that contact isnt going to be perfect. so we set up to come in a little bit steeper to get more of the ball, and have a little more club than usual to make up for the distance lost from contact. 

[Hawkeye77]

Probably wrong, but I try to play it like I would play a fairway bunker.  

[hoselpalooza]

7 minutes ago, scooterhd2 said:

...open my stance up...

 

this is a nice addition. surprised it wasn't mentioned in the posts i found. definitely going to try this.

 

7 minutes ago, Hawkeye77 said:

Probably wrong, but I try to play it like I would play a fairway bunker.  

 

that actually seems like a good approach since ball first contact is so important. though i suppose it ultimately depends on your fairway bunker strategy ?

[Hawkeye77]

35 minutes ago, hoselpalooza said:

 

this is a nice addition. surprised it wasn't mentioned in the posts i found. definitely going to try this.

 

 

that actually seems like a good approach since ball first contact is so important. though i suppose it ultimately depends on your fairway bunker strategy ?

LOL, true. For me in a fairway bunker I generally take one more club, focus on a quieter lower body. Those work for me, maybe there’s a lesson in there for me in general, haha. 

[bladehunter]

Try focusing ahead of or on the front of the ball. Stand a little closer. Or as close as you can be comfortable , and make the divot  deeper.  In other words go down and get it.  I find hovering the club and focusing on the front of the ball and not the back works for solid contact.  And like @hawkeye77 said.  Just like a fairway bunker.  Keep your legs quiet. Take one more club and think smooth swing with downward attack.  

[hoselpalooza]

17 minutes ago, bladehunter said:

Try focusing ahead of or on the front of the ball. Stand a little closer. Or as close as you can be comfortable , and make the divot  deeper.  In other words go down and get it.  I find hovering the club and focusing on the front of the ball and not the back works for solid contact.  And like @hawkeye77 said.  Just like a fairway bunker.  Keep your legs quiet. Take one more club and think smooth swing with downward attack.  

 

thanks, there are a few more tips in your comment i didn't find on the web. i think i'll update/organize OP later and include some of these. 

[Jackal66]

Move the ball back an inch or so.

Make sure to contact ball first.

Take one more club, and don't muscle the shot.

Always use a less than full power swing.

Sometimes it's a 7 iron, 5 wood, or a wedge if within 100 of the green.

I never plan to score with it, just get the ball in a good area.

[Noodler]

Just play it as ground under repair and take your drop...  ?

 

(I like poking bee nests too)... ?

[hoselpalooza]

2 hours ago, Noodler said:

Just play it as ground under repair and take your drop...  ?

 

(I like poking bee nests too)... ?

 

haha more like murder hornets ?