Golf instruction is constantly evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s new series, Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have given in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today, we’re revisiting an article from our June 1974 issue about what you can learn from your divot. Join now for unlimited access to GOLF Magazine’s complete digital archive InGOLF Enjoy $140 worth of service today for just $39.99/year.

When you hit a clean shot with an iron or wedge, you’re likely moving some turf. That bit of grass that flies away—your divot—is one of the hallmarks of a well-struck shot. But divots aren’t just aesthetically pleasing. These bits of grass can tell you a lot about your swing.

In the 1970s, GOLF Magazine published a feature about divots and how you can interpret them. You can check it out below.

What can you learn from your divot?

Stop! Before you put that divot in place, take a moment to check your divot mark. It may just look like a scar in the dirt, but believe it or not, you can learn from it. In fact, if you’re off your game, it’s one of the first places you should check. Knowing the difference between a good divot mark and a bad divot mark can point you to the right fixes right away.

To establish a frame of reference, let’s first determine what a good divot mark should look like. When you hit an iron flush, the divot mark will start just below where the ball lies and point directly toward your target. It will land fairly steeply until a few inches past the ball, then become increasingly shallower toward the front end.

Now let’s look at various bad holes and what they tell you about your shot.

There are no holes

If you’re not getting any divots, or very few, the first thing to check is whether you’re playing the ball a little too far forward in your stance. This will result in a shot that flies higher than normal and a little less distance than normal. Of course, you can make this shot intentionally—for example, over a tree on your way to a high green or target, but you shouldn’t do this for a normal shot.

Another possibility is that you are slightly lifting your upper body on the backswing. This will raise the arc of the stroke so that you get little or no divot. An extreme case can result in a topped ball. If you suspect this is a problem, concentrate on rotating your shoulders around a stationary head, curling them in rather than lifting them.

Oil pit

If your divot starts behind the ball, you may be swinging to the right on your backswing. When you do this, you usually don’t swing far enough to the left to catch the ball cleanly. Instead, the lowest point of the arc is behind the ball and you catch it “wide.” To fix this, kick your right knee inward slightly at address and keep it braced inward as you take the club back.

Another cause of a “fat” dip is reverse weight shift. Instead of bending properly on the backswing, the golfer overbends the left knee and lowers the left shoulder. This places too much weight on the left foot at the top of the stroke, causing the weight to shift to the right foot as the player turns to the ball. Again, this puts the lowest point of the arc behind the ball, resulting in a fat shot. The key here is equal weight distribution at address. If your weight is even here, it will be natural for you to shift your weight to the inside of the right foot on the backswing.

Push pit

Although this dimple points directly to the hole, it is incorrect because it starts well in front of where the ball is.

The most common cause of a push hole is “frozen” wrists. On the downswing, the golfer is sliding forward and there is much less wrist freedom than on a normal swing. The resulting trajectory is lower than normal and therefore a good shot to have in your bag against the wind. But on a normal iron swing, your wrists should be free enough to fully set and release. You can test the freedom on the swing at address.

Hook hole

This dimple points to the right of the target and indicates that the arc of the swing is from the inside to the outside of the target line. If the club face is perpendicular to the target line at impact, you will hook the ball; if it is perpendicular to the swing line, you will push the ball directly to the right.

The first thing to check in this case is your alignment, as a hook swing can result from a closed stance (right foot drawn parallel to the line between the ball and the target). At address, first make sure that a line that goes over your toes is parallel or “perpendicular” to this target line. Also make sure that your hips and shoulders are perpendicular to the target line. The line that goes over your shoulders is especially important, as the arc of the swing is created by the shoulders as much as the feet, if not more.

If your feet and shoulders are perpendicular to the target line, you are probably on a very flat plane, much like a baseball hitter. The way to fix this is to emphasize turning your left shoulder down and under your chin on the backswing. This will give you a steeper swing arc.

Another reason for a flat swing is to stand too upright. Make sure your back is about 20 degrees from vertical for driver and more forward for shorter clubs.

Incorrect ball position can also cause a hook divot. Playing the ball backwards in your stance towards your right foot can lead to you making contact with the ball while the club is still moving from the inside out, i.e. facing right of the target. Often this will lead to a pushed shot.

Slice hole

This type of divot points to the left of the target and indicates that the arc of the swing is from outside to inside the line to the target. If your club face is open to the swing line, you will slice the ball; if it is square, you will pull the ball to the left.

Like a hook divot, a slice divot can be caused by misalignment. So first check that you are not standing too wide (left foot drawn on a line parallel to the target line). Also make sure that your shoulders are square. It is quite common for your shoulders to be misaligned even if your feet are square.

If your feet and shoulders are perpendicular to the target line at address, then a “slice divot” is a clear indication that the stroke is from the outside to the inside. One “early warm-up system” that can tip you off to this fault is that your shoulders will reach their final position too early. The left hand and arm will tend to stop and collapse on you as the ball passes through.

Basically, the most common cause of a slice divot is an overactive right side. So focus on setting up with a strong left side: Hold the left arm and hand fairly tightly with the arm and shaft in a more or less straight line, lighten the grip of the right hand, and let the right arm be ”soft” and more toward your body than the left. Emphasize a full shoulder rotation back. This will get you on the inside track initially and lead you inside to the desired downswing path.

As with the hook divot, be mindful of your ball position. Playing the ball too far forward in your stance with your left foot can lead to you making contact with the ball too late in the stroke, when the club head has already come in. The result is a slice divot and possibly a ball that is pulled to the left of the target.

As mentioned above, there’s a lot you can learn from your divot. If your divot is accurate, your swing is likely accurate. However, if your divot is one of the “bad” ones discussed here, a trip to the pro is in order.

In the meantime, there are some practical techniques that can help you get yourself back on track.

If you suspect you have a “greasy” or “fist” divot, check for it by pushing a tee into the ground at address that is off-center and opposite the ball. Once you’ve made the shot, you’ll be able to easily see where the divot started.

Another way to check this is to draw a line on the ground at right angles to the target line. Place your club just behind the line and play your normal swing. You can see not only whether the hole starts in the correct spot, but also whether it lines up with the target or points to the right or left.

If you’re still having trouble hitting a proper divot, push a tee into the ground just in front of the ball. This will not only encourage you to swing through the ball, but it’s also a great aid for correcting the divot and the resulting shot. One of the beauties of working on getting the proper divot is that it allows you to focus on the actual work of the swing, the area of ​​impact, rather than getting confused by the many details of the swing itself.

As a great teacher once said: There is only one categorical commandment in golf: Hit the ball!

To keep things as simple as possible, we previously defined a good divot as one that is directly at the target. However, the next time you go to a professional tournament, go to the practice range and examine the divots taken by a world-class player. In most cases, you will see that their divot is slightly to the left of the target, but the ball is essentially flying directly at the target. So it looks like they are using a slightly outside-in shot, but the shot is flying directly. Why? Why don’t the pros slice with this move?

The answer is that during the downswing, the shoulders rotate around the spine, or the axis of the swing. Therefore, for a flat shot, the downswing path approaches the ball from the inside, is perpendicular to the ball at impact, and then cuts back in toward the finish. This inside-square-in path of the club head means that the dimple on a flat shot will usually point very slightly to the left of the target, because the club moves inward after impact as the dimple is taken.

When you go back to the practice range in the professional tournament, you will notice that some players are taking divots that point directly at the hole. There are two reasons for this. First, the player may be aligned slightly to the right of the target. Second, they may have an extraordinary extension through the ball, allowing the club head to stay in line longer after impact.

This means you need to “read” your divot along with the flight of the ball. If your shot is straight, simply change the divot and hit the next shot!

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an associate editor at GOLF.com, where she spends her days blogging, producing and editing. Before joining the GOLF team, she attended the University of Texas and then went on to work for the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. She assists with all education matters and covers amateur and women’s golf. She can be reached at [email protected].