Golf is known to be a technical sport full of expressions and technical terms that you may not know the meaning of. One of those expressions often thrown out in conversation and television broadcasts is the word “Divot”.
If you are reading this article, you may wonder: What exactly does “Divot” mean in golf?
In this article, we will explain to you exactly what a Divot is in golf, along with some examples to solidify your comprehension.
What Is A Divot In Golf?
In golf, a divot is the little hole or groove created when taking a chunk of turf out of the ground during a golf swing. A divot can sometimes also refer to the chunk of turf chipped out of the ground. A divot is most often created when using specific clubs, such as irons and wedges.
In the great game of golf, the term “Divot” is a word that is fairly common to hear. Most golfers have heard of the term “Divot” before, as divots occur every day in every round of golf.
When you hear the word “Divot”, it will almost always be right after a player takes a shot, especially with a wedge or iron.
In golf, a divot is the hole left by taking a chunk of turf out of the ground while swinging down at the golf ball. A divot also sometimes refers to the chunk of turf chipped out of the ground.
You can see a real-world example of a divot, down below.
In the image above, you can see that the divot is a shallow groove dug into the healthy green turf. This groove is created during a normal golf swing with certain types of golf clubs.
In general, a longer, shallow divot is preferred to a short & deeper divot, as it is often the result of a smoother swing with less energy loss.
It is important to note that although divots are part of golf, it is part of proper golf etiquette to avoid making divots on the putting greens. Putting greens are expensive to maintain and essential to giving golfers a fun experience when it comes to the short game.
On the putting green, you should usually avoid using wedges and favor putters, for the purpose of turf quality protection. If you would like more information about this, you can read our article: Can you chip off the green in golf?
You can use a divot tool to fix divots, as this is proper golfer etiquette. The proper way to use a divot tool is to dig it into the turf around the divot and push the turf back to the center of the divot. You can then tap on the recentered turf with your club in order to flatten it into place.
The term Divot’s origin is vocabulary based. In general, a divot is a small dent in something (such as a ball, a pastry, etc). In all sports, a divot is a piece of turf chipped out of the ground by some piece of equipment. The term divot has simply been reused in this case to give it a specific meaning for golf.
If you would like to lower your golf score and improve your chances of making the perfect divots, you can read our guide: How To Improve Your Golf Score? – 9 Pro Tips.
Which Golf Clubs Create Divots In Golf?
In golf, for most people, just about any club besides the driver and the putter can create divots, but divots will be most pronounced when using wedges and short irons. Wedges and short irons typically dig into the turf more than the other clubs, thus creating larger divots. Hitting down at the ball is what causes a divot.
Not all clubs, if used correctly, create divots. For example, drivers and putters work best when used without damaging the turf much. With a driver, you will often want to scoop up on the ball rather than down at the turf like with others clubs.
With the putter, you typically will barely hit the turf, leaving the bottom of the club head to travel almost horizontally.
With most of your golf clubs, a small divot is often a good sign, as they can mean you have a consistent stroke. Professional golfers’ shots create small divots by hitting down at the ball with most clubs, which makes it more likely to hit the ball cleanly than if they were to try to hit just the ball.
The clubs that create the biggest divots are wedges and short irons. These clubs work best when you hit down at the golf ball, which in the process hits down at the turf and creates a divot.
You can get more divots by ensuring your hands are in front of the club head during the ball impact portion of your golf swing. This should get you more consistency in your shots, as it takes the wrist rotation somewhat out of the swing equation.
Conclusion
There you go! After reading this article, you have learned exactly what the term divot means in golf. You also got to read about some real-world examples to further improve your understanding of the meaning of a Divot.
Do you have any other words you wish to know more about? Which clubs do you and do you not create divots with? Let us know in the comments down below!
