Delo’s Divots: Many people ask me: Do I hit down on my irons or
simply sweep them off the turf? Well, the answer is yes, and
yes.
Many people ask me: Do I hit down on my irons or simply sweep them off the turf? Well, the answer is yes, and yes.
Depending on what club you are hitting, the ball position changes and therefore the “angle of attack” changes. Very simply stated, the shorter the iron the more in the center of the stance your ball should be played.
Thus, the angle in which you strike the ball will be steeper with those high-lofted clubs. As the club gets longer — 6-iron, 5-iron, 4-iron, etc. — the ball position is placed further forward in your stance, and you will not strike down so steep. It will be a more gentle “clip” of the turf and not a large deeper divot.
The hybrids and fairway woods are now even further forward and will just sweep the ball off the turf. So a good rule of thumb is: The shorter the steeper, the longer the flatter.