Why Hitting the Ground Is Actually a Good Thing
Learning to Trust the Divot
Settle in. Let’s talk golf.
When I took my first lesson, my instructor said something that stuck with me:
“This is one of the hardest things for new players to get over.”
He was talking about taking a divot.
Not accidentally.
On purpose.
The Fear
The concept felt wrong.
You want me to hit the ground?
Isn’t that… bad?
Part of my brain was convinced:
“If I hit the ground, the club head is going to snap off.”
So what did I do?
I hit the ball thin.
Over and over.
And if you’ve ever done that, you know the sound.
That thin, sick, almost metallic click.
Not solid.
Not compressed.
Just… wrong.
Fat vs Thin
Let’s simplify it.
Thin shot:
You hit the ball too high on the face, often just skimming it.
Little to no turf interaction.
Fat shot:
You hit the ground before the ball.
The club slows down.
The ball goes nowhere.
Neither is ideal.
But here’s what is:
Ball first. Turf second.
The divot should start in front of where the ball was sitting.
That means:
You strike the ball, and then your club continues downward into the grass, creating a divot.
That flying slice of grass?
That’s a good sign.
The Mental Block
Even today, I still struggle with this.
Part of me hates tearing up the grass.
It feels destructive.
It feels wrong.
I have to literally tell myself:
“It’s okay to destroy a small piece of this beautiful grass.”
The course will survive.
My confidence won’t if I keep thinning everything.
Why Divots Matter
Most solid iron shots:
• Strike the ball first
• Then contact the turf
• Create a divot in front of the ball
That downward strike creates:
• Compression
• Clean contact
• Better trajectory
• Better distance control
When I finally allowed myself to trust that motion?
The sound changed.
That crisp, powerful “click.”
You know it when you hear it.
The Tool That Helped
One thing that helped me overcome this fear was a simple training tool.
It forces you to hit the ball first and then the turf.
No cheating.
No scooping.
No protecting the grass.
I’ll link it below.
Not trying to be salesy.
Just sharing what worked.
Because once I trained my brain that the club wasn’t going to explode…
Everything improved.
A Reality Check
Yes, there are elite players who take very shallow or almost invisible divots.
Tiger Woods is one of them.
But let’s be honest.
We’re not that exceptional.
We need the structure.
Most pros create a divot.
We should too.
The Bigger Lesson
Golf is counterintuitive.
You have to hit down to make the ball go up.
You have to destroy a little grass to create better shots.
You have to trust something that feels slightly wrong.
Small change.
Big impact.
The Next Shot
Your next shot doesn’t have to be perfect – just intentional.
Strike the ball. Then trust the turf.
Are you a thin hitter or a fat hitter?
Or are you still afraid to hurt the grass?
Drop it in the Clubhouse – I know I’m not the only one.
Real Talk. Play Better.
Effort builds results.
