Stuck in a divot? Here’s how to still make solid contact

By: Jim Murphy , Nick Dimengo February 21, 2024

GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jim Murphy explains how to still maintain good contact despite hitting your ball from a golf divot

Don't let a balling lying in a divot automatically ruin your next shot!

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Welcome to Shaving Strokes, a GOLF.com series in which we’re sharing improvements, learnings and takeaways from amateur golfers just like you — including some of the speed bumps and challenges they faced along the way.

You’ve done everything right off the tee, going through your pre-shot routine, rotating all the way back, and absolutely bombing it with your driver. Your confidence is high and you’re looking to score low.

But, out of nowhere, as you approach your second shot that sits in the middle of the fairway, you notice the ball is sitting in a terrible lie: somebody else’s divot.

golf divot — What your divots can teach you about your swing
By: Nick Dimengo

Your mind races and you immediately feel the anxiety sinking in, making you wonder how to even hit this shot without watching the result go about 50 yards.

Take a deep breath, though, because with the help of GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jim Murphy, you can still make great contact despite being in an unfortunate situation — so take a look below to see his tips.

How to make good contact when hitting from a divot

You’ve just hit a great drive right down the middle of the fairway, but, unfortunately, your ball rolled into a divot. At this point, most people get upset and think the worst is about to happen.

Instead of letting your mind become negative, by making a couple of swing adjustments, finding your ball in a divot shouldn’t impact your game at all!

Since the ball is down in the divot, it’s lower than normal (relative to the ground). By implementing the following adjustments, you’ll never worry about hitting a bad shot from a divot again.

1. Focus on your ball position

Put the ball slightly forward of where you normally play this shot from, because, when you get steeper in your swing, the low point moves slightly forward.

2. Keep the weight on your forward foot

Put a little bit more weight on your forward leg at address, which helps keep the low point of the club more forward.

3. Use a more vertical backswing

When you take the club back, swing a little bit more upright or vertical. This will produce a slightly steeper swing, and will help get the club get to the bottom of the ball easier. Remember, the ball is lower since it’s sitting in the divot, so this is critical to make solid contact.

4. Use a balanced finish on your lead leg

When the ball is down, there’s a tendency for amateurs to fall back and try to scoop it out. But this doesn’t allow you to get into a balanced finish. So make sure you keep the weight more towards your lead leg to avoid a bad mishit.