Ball sitting in a divot? Here’s how to hit it

At GOLF’s recent Top 100 Teacher Summit at Cabot Citrus Farms, my colleagues and I had the chance to pick the brains of some of the best instruction minds in the game. It was a great opportunity to not only familiarize ourselves with the latest developments in the world of game improvement, but also to pose some burning questions of our own.

During a chat with longtime Top 100 Teacher Krista Dunton, one of the questions I asked her was which shot she loved to teach the most. Her answer was the low punch, which she described as a multi-purpose shot that every player can benefit from learning how to hit. The technique for the low punch is also useful when executing a shot recreational players tend to dread: a ball sitting down in a divot. How do you attack this intimidating lie? Dunton shared some keys.

How to hit a ball out of a divot

According to Dunton, working on shots from unconventional lies — like a divot — can actually be beneficial.

“I think it gets people focused on impact and contact into the ball and a lot of the other minutia kind of goes away,” she said.

The focus here should be catching ball first, Dunton said. To do that, make sure your sternum and your nose are positioned right over the ball. The ball should be a little bit back in the stance, and the hands a little forward to prevent your weight from shifting on the backswing.

Dunton recommended taking a half-swing and trying to feel as though you’re hitting the ball with a downward blow, and exiting slightly toward the left.

Instruction

“We’re not trying to swing up and help the ball out,” Dunton said. “Let the loft of the club do it, and then just keep an abbreviated follow- through, very similar to the technique you would use if you’re hitting a little low punch shot.”

Dunton recommended using a short-to-mid iron for this shot, like a 7 or 8. Despite the loft, you can expect the ballflight to be low, given the ball-first-contact set-up.

“You’re really just trying to get it back down the fairway and out of trouble with this shot,” Dunton said. “It’s a good go-to shot to have.”

So whether you’re looking to escape a lie in a divot or simply want to groove a shot to get you out of trouble, give Dunton’s advice a try to add another weapon to your shot arsenal.