What If I'm Not Taking A Divot
If you are not consistently taking a divot with your irons, there are really only two possible causes. The first would be that you are losing your posture by standing up, which is going to make it very difficult to control low point. The second cause would be that you are maintaining your posture, but bending your arms through impact. Or in other words, you are not fully releasing the club. As a quick fix, you can always make some "9 to 3" swings where you simply work on keeping your chest level and fully extending you arms through impact. If you do this, you should have no trouble creating solid contact. Of course, this should also give you a feel for what may be happening on your thin shots. So, as a general rule of thumb, always ask yourself after a thin shot: "Did I stand up or did I bend my arms?"
If you are not consistently taking a divot with your irons, there are really only two possible causes. The first would be that you are losing your posture by standing up, which is going to make it very difficult to control low point. The second cause would be that you are maintaining your posture, but bending your arms through impact. Or in other words, you are not fully releasing the club. As a quick fix, you can always make some "9 to 3" swings where you simply work on keeping your chest level and fully extending you arms through impact. If you do this, you should have no trouble creating solid contact. Of course, this should also give you a feel for what may be happening on your thin shots. So, as a general rule of thumb, always ask yourself after a thin shot: "Did I stand up or did I bend my arms?"
Video Transcript
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.000
This drill answered the question, what if I'm not taking a divot?
2
00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:07.360
So I give many of my students the simple rule.
3
00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:11.860
If you are not making ground contact, if you're not taking a divot, then one of
4
00:00:11.860 --> 00:00:12.360
two things
5
00:00:12.360 --> 00:00:13.800
are happening.
6
00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:18.590
Either you are losing your posture by standing up and so therefore the club is
7
00:00:18.590 --> 00:00:19.520
coming above
8
00:00:19.520 --> 00:00:21.960
the ground and I can't get it all the way down there.
9
00:00:21.960 --> 00:00:26.280
Or I'm keeping my posture but I'm bending my arms.
10
00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:31.290
Now I could be bending that left wrist or bending that left elbow or not fully
11
00:00:31.290 --> 00:00:32.360
straightening
12
00:00:32.360 --> 00:00:33.620
that right arm.
13
00:00:33.620 --> 00:00:37.630
But if I stay down and I don't take a divot, then the arms are preventing the
14
00:00:37.630 --> 00:00:38.200
club from
15
00:00:38.200 --> 00:00:39.840
getting all the way down there.
16
00:00:39.840 --> 00:00:44.070
If my arms are straightening and I don't take a divot or don't brush the ground
17
00:00:44.070 --> 00:00:44.680
, then my
18
00:00:44.680 --> 00:00:46.400
body is standing up.
19
00:00:46.400 --> 00:00:51.400
So this is the simplest application of the factors of low point.
20
00:00:51.400 --> 00:00:56.540
And if you're trying to make solid contact as your first key skill, I would
21
00:00:56.540 --> 00:00:57.880
highly recommend
22
00:00:57.880 --> 00:01:04.520
working on the chesting at about the same height and the arms extending through
23
00:01:04.520 --> 00:01:05.460
impact.
24
00:01:05.460 --> 00:01:08.820
If you do that, you will hit the ground and you'll have a much better chance of
25
00:01:08.820 --> 00:01:09.320
hitting
26
00:01:09.320 --> 00:01:14.330
the club or making contact higher up on the face, which is where the sweet spot
27
00:01:14.330 --> 00:01:14.940
for your
28
00:01:14.940 --> 00:01:16.280
irons are.
29
00:01:16.280 --> 00:01:23.740
So when you're worried about topping the ball or if you're worried about just
30
00:01:23.740 --> 00:01:24.920
making thin
31
00:01:24.920 --> 00:01:29.150
contact where you're having no turf interaction, the first question I want you
32
00:01:29.150 --> 00:01:30.060
to ask yourself
33
00:01:30.060 --> 00:01:33.640
after you've hit a shot is did I hit the ground?
34
00:01:33.640 --> 00:01:37.650
If the answer is no, then I want you to ask yourself, did I not hit the ground
35
00:01:37.650 --> 00:01:38.040
because
36
00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:43.060
I stood up or did I not hit the ground because I bent my arms or both?
37
00:01:43.060 --> 00:01:48.200
So if you stay at about the same height and the arms extend, then the club will
38
00:01:48.200 --> 00:01:48.860
have no
39
00:01:48.860 --> 00:01:52.960
choice but to make contact with the ground and if you have the club face in a
40
00:01:52.960 --> 00:01:53.900
good position
41
00:01:53.900 --> 00:01:59.420
and it's coming from a reasonable path, you will hit a solid shot dead online.
42
00:01:59.420 --> 00:02:03.900
But the first key for me is getting solid contact and in order to do that, if
43
00:02:03.900 --> 00:02:04.420
you're
44
00:02:04.420 --> 00:02:07.980
not taking divot, monitor those two key factors.
45
00:02:07.980 --> 00:02:10.480
Did I stand up or did I bend my arms?
46
00:02:10.480 --> 00:02:14.860
If you get good at answering those two questions, I guarantee you'll make a lot
47
00:02:14.860 --> 00:02:15.860
more solid iron
48
00:02:15.860 --> 00:02:17.060
shots on the course.
Have questions?
Ask Mulligan for helpWhat If I'm Not Taking A Divot
If you are not consistently taking a divot with your irons, there are really only two possible causes. The first would be that you are losing your posture by standing up, which is going to make it very difficult to control low point. The second cause would be that you are maintaining your posture, but bending your arms through impact. Or in other words, you are not fully releasing the club. As a quick fix, you can always make some "9 to 3" swings where you simply work on keeping your chest level and fully extending you arms through impact. If you do this, you should have no trouble creating solid contact. Of course, this should also give you a feel for what may be happening on your thin shots. So, as a general rule of thumb, always ask yourself after a thin shot: "Did I stand up or did I bend my arms?"
If you are not consistently taking a divot with your irons, there are really only two possible causes. The first would be that you are losing your posture by standing up, which is going to make it very difficult to control low point. The second cause would be that you are maintaining your posture, but bending your arms through impact. Or in other words, you are not fully releasing the club. As a quick fix, you can always make some "9 to 3" swings where you simply work on keeping your chest level and fully extending you arms through impact. If you do this, you should have no trouble creating solid contact. Of course, this should also give you a feel for what may be happening on your thin shots. So, as a general rule of thumb, always ask yourself after a thin shot: "Did I stand up or did I bend my arms?"
Video Transcript
1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.000
This drill answered the question, what if I'm not taking a divot?
2
00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:07.360
So I give many of my students the simple rule.
3
00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:11.860
If you are not making ground contact, if you're not taking a divot, then one of
4
00:00:11.860 --> 00:00:12.360
two things
5
00:00:12.360 --> 00:00:13.800
are happening.
6
00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:18.590
Either you are losing your posture by standing up and so therefore the club is
7
00:00:18.590 --> 00:00:19.520
coming above
8
00:00:19.520 --> 00:00:21.960
the ground and I can't get it all the way down there.
9
00:00:21.960 --> 00:00:26.280
Or I'm keeping my posture but I'm bending my arms.
10
00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:31.290
Now I could be bending that left wrist or bending that left elbow or not fully
11
00:00:31.290 --> 00:00:32.360
straightening
12
00:00:32.360 --> 00:00:33.620
that right arm.
13
00:00:33.620 --> 00:00:37.630
But if I stay down and I don't take a divot, then the arms are preventing the
14
00:00:37.630 --> 00:00:38.200
club from
15
00:00:38.200 --> 00:00:39.840
getting all the way down there.
16
00:00:39.840 --> 00:00:44.070
If my arms are straightening and I don't take a divot or don't brush the ground
17
00:00:44.070 --> 00:00:44.680
, then my
18
00:00:44.680 --> 00:00:46.400
body is standing up.
19
00:00:46.400 --> 00:00:51.400
So this is the simplest application of the factors of low point.
20
00:00:51.400 --> 00:00:56.540
And if you're trying to make solid contact as your first key skill, I would
21
00:00:56.540 --> 00:00:57.880
highly recommend
22
00:00:57.880 --> 00:01:04.520
working on the chesting at about the same height and the arms extending through
23
00:01:04.520 --> 00:01:05.460
impact.
24
00:01:05.460 --> 00:01:08.820
If you do that, you will hit the ground and you'll have a much better chance of
25
00:01:08.820 --> 00:01:09.320
hitting
26
00:01:09.320 --> 00:01:14.330
the club or making contact higher up on the face, which is where the sweet spot
27
00:01:14.330 --> 00:01:14.940
for your
28
00:01:14.940 --> 00:01:16.280
irons are.
29
00:01:16.280 --> 00:01:23.740
So when you're worried about topping the ball or if you're worried about just
30
00:01:23.740 --> 00:01:24.920
making thin
31
00:01:24.920 --> 00:01:29.150
contact where you're having no turf interaction, the first question I want you
32
00:01:29.150 --> 00:01:30.060
to ask yourself
33
00:01:30.060 --> 00:01:33.640
after you've hit a shot is did I hit the ground?
34
00:01:33.640 --> 00:01:37.650
If the answer is no, then I want you to ask yourself, did I not hit the ground
35
00:01:37.650 --> 00:01:38.040
because
36
00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:43.060
I stood up or did I not hit the ground because I bent my arms or both?
37
00:01:43.060 --> 00:01:48.200
So if you stay at about the same height and the arms extend, then the club will
38
00:01:48.200 --> 00:01:48.860
have no
39
00:01:48.860 --> 00:01:52.960
choice but to make contact with the ground and if you have the club face in a
40
00:01:52.960 --> 00:01:53.900
good position
41
00:01:53.900 --> 00:01:59.420
and it's coming from a reasonable path, you will hit a solid shot dead online.
42
00:01:59.420 --> 00:02:03.900
But the first key for me is getting solid contact and in order to do that, if
43
00:02:03.900 --> 00:02:04.420
you're
44
00:02:04.420 --> 00:02:07.980
not taking divot, monitor those two key factors.
45
00:02:07.980 --> 00:02:10.480
Did I stand up or did I bend my arms?
46
00:02:10.480 --> 00:02:14.860
If you get good at answering those two questions, I guarantee you'll make a lot
47
00:02:14.860 --> 00:02:15.860
more solid iron
48
00:02:15.860 --> 00:02:17.060
shots on the course.
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Ask Mulligan for personalized guidance on technique, drills, or how to apply what you've learned.
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