If the Driver and Iron swing motions are the same but with a different ball position ...

[nvr3putt]

... why does only the iron make a divot? 

[betarhoalphadelta]

8 minutes ago, nvr3putt said:

... why does only the iron make a divot? 

 

Because the ball is high up on a tee, and you hit the ball after the low point of the swing (typically). If you hit the ground with the club, it will slow down. I.e. "dropkicking" the tee ball. 

 

Watch the second shot here where Si Woo Kim hits driver off the deck and takes a divot.

 

 

[Krt22]

You can't be serious

[Trippels]

[ThePaineTrain]

You can perform the same motion but in different spaces. That's like saying how come when I kick a brick wall it hurts my toe but when I make the same motion without a wall, I don't feel anything

[golfer07840]

2 hours ago, Krt22 said:

You can't be serious

Is it the off-season already? 

[cgasucks]

Look at your clubs.  Notice that the shorter the club, the more forward the handle is ahead of the leading edge and that includes your driver.  Because of that, you can make the same swing regardless of club.  Ball position will change because of the club length but the swing is the same.  

 

You don't intentionally have to hit down on the ball because your clubs are already built to do so.  But you do have to work on your forward shaft lean and a full release in order to make the most of your club's design.

[Pepperturbo]

3 hours ago, nvr3putt said:

... why does only the iron make a divot? 

Surprising question. 

 

Let's place the ball on a tee.  Using a driver, the ball is higher and further away because the shaft is longer, which flattens the swing plane of most users, including me.  Driver clubhead never contacts the ground.

 

Iron on the tee or ground, we're closer to the ball, shafts are shorter, and we're hitting more down and through the ball, so turf interaction results.  How much interaction depends on each person's swing plane.  I am more of a sweeper so scrape down to turf roots, others steeper, dig holes.

 

Due to ball position and intended flight plan, my iron swing tends to be more aggressive than my more fluid driver swing.

[MonteScheinblum]

I’ve seen people take divots with driver on a 3 1/2” tee

 

Haaaaaaaaay yah!!!!!!

 

 

 

[Krt22]

4 minutes ago, MonteScheinblum said:

I’ve seen people take divots with driver on a 3 1/2” tee

 

Haaaaaaaaay yah!!!!!!

 

 

 

I occasionally play with a guy who does that. Last season he put a tee through the carbon on the bottom of his driver. Callaway still sent him a new one lol! 

[Cwebb]

5 hours ago, nvr3putt said:

... why does only the iron make a divot? 

 

There is change in angle of attack through different weight distribution and spine angle

[nvr3putt]

5 hours ago, Krt22 said:

You can't be serious

Dude. I am not sh*t-posting here. 😀

[nvr3putt]

2 hours ago, cgasucks said:

Look at your clubs.  Notice that the shorter the club, the more forward the handle is ahead of the leading edge and that includes your driver.  Because of that, you can make the same swing regardless of club.  Ball position will change because of the club length but the swing is the same.  

 

You don't intentionally have to hit down on the ball because your clubs are already built to do so.  But you do have to work on your forward shaft lean and a full release in order to make the most of your club's design.

 

Exactly!! Different swing planes.

Can anyone describe what adjustments are needed to make this change between iron and driver?

[RightHandRough]

Cut the driver down to 38" and play one length 🤣

 

Pelvic tilt can be your friend, but figuring it out is a lot less fun than it sounds lol.

[Krt22]

6 minutes ago, nvr3putt said:

Dude. I am not sh*t-posting here. 😀

You might want to reconsider being a golfer. I hear pickleball is all the rage these days

[ThePaineTrain]

One factor is the length of the driver puts the ball further away and requires a shallower lie angle, so the swing arc is more "mellow" near the bottom than for irons.

Another is that the ball is on a tee so the lowest point of the arc is above the ground.

Another is that you generally put it forward in your stance, so the impact occurs after the lowest point of the swing (i.e. if you were to take a divot it would happen behind the ball).

Yet another is that the head shape of a wood is vastly different than that of an iron, unless your angle of attack is crazy steep, it's going to glance off the ground like skipping a stone on water, and due to the aforementioned points (club length, tee, ball position, lie angle), you'd have to fight hard against physics to generate that steep of an AoA.

[Z1ggy16]

6 hours ago, Trippels said:

This is why I love the internet 

[Valtiel]

1 hour ago, MonteScheinblum said:

I’ve seen people take divots with driver on a 3 1/2” tee

 

Haaaaaaaaay yah!!!!!!

 

 

 

No idea what you're talking about....

[Santiago Golf]

I'm a scratch golfer and use a 12* driver ... typically on my good drives my tee bent forward a little, because my AA is around -1 to 0 

 

I play a ton of hickory golf and I will typically take a little divot with my Brassie (2 wood) when teeing off

[Krt22]

9 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

No idea what you're talking about....

That is called using the bounce 

[Valtiel]

3 minutes ago, Krt22 said:

That is called using the bounce 

Which sole grind is best for my driver? 🤣

[glk]

8 minutes ago, Krt22 said:

That is called using the bounce 

We call that a power chunk.    Accelerate club head into ball by bouncing off the ground to increase speed - you’ve heard of grf and using the ground, right.

Edited August 18, 2022 by glk

[farmer]

Manny de la Torre advocated playing all clubs out of the middle of the stance.  IIRC, the idea was to simplify the swing.

[Ri_Redneck]

20 hours ago, nvr3putt said:

 

Exactly!! Different swing planes.

Can anyone describe what adjustments are needed to make this change between iron and driver?

The ONLY CHANGE is the placement of the ball in the swing arc. Irons are before the bottom, FWs slight before or at the bottom and driver at or after the bottom. Yes, some hit the driver slightly before the bottom, but since it is on a tee, a divot is rarely made. I have no more spine tilt with the driver than I do with the wedge. However, I DO place a bit more of my weight on my left foot at address when hitting pitches and other partial shots to ensure crisp contact.

 

BT

Edited August 19, 2022 by Ri_Redneck

[glk]

I’ve posted this numerous times in the past.  The swings are different beyond just setup.  Major difference is in amount of secondary tilt.   Most have a bias toward driver or iron.   Those that don’t address this bias will struggle at one end of the club spectrum.  
 

can forward to around 29:00 to see case studies if a iron and driver biased swing and how Tyler worked with them to improve  their motion.

 

 

[cgasucks]

21 hours ago, nvr3putt said:

 

Exactly!! Different swing planes.

Can anyone describe what adjustments are needed to make this change between iron and driver?

Well, for me I was taught a long time ago from a pro in one of my first golf lessons that your hands in relation to your thighs at setup stays constant regardless of club.  Do that and the ball position takes care of itself.  My hand position never changes regardless of shot whether it is a full swing or a chip.

Edited August 19, 2022 by cgasucks

[KNOWMOREDOUBLES]

Because it's much easier to miss the ground in the same spot than hit the ground in the same spot...Confucius, or someone.

[Hilts1969]

On 8/18/2022 at 3:30 PM, nvr3putt said:

... why does only the iron make a divot? 

 

They’re not quite the same

[Saijin]

On 8/18/2022 at 1:22 PM, Krt22 said:

I occasionally play with a guy who does that. Last season he put a tee through the carbon on the bottom of his driver. Callaway still sent him a new one lol! 

 

you kidding right?... a TEE THROUGH his carbon driver???

 

What did he do? put the ball part in a 45* angle to the ground with the spike pointing up and he hits down on it???

[Krt22]

16 minutes ago, Saijin said:

 

you kidding right?... a TEE THROUGH his carbon driver???

 

What did he do? put the ball part in a 45* angle to the ground with the spike pointing up and he hits down on it???

Not kidding. Wild stuff happens when you take divots with a driver