Expert: John Brott - 1/8/2004

Question
i have been playing for about 6 months now and play off about 20 but just recently i have been taken a large divot when i play a shot(DUFF)when i dont duff it i can get a lot of distance(160+) with my 9 iron.. could you shed some light on why i may have started to take big divots. i think it may be because i have started to bend over my shot to much?..yours hopefully barry

Answer
Dear Barry:  It's possible you're bending over too much but I would rather think you're either standing too close to the ball or letting your weight get outside your back foot on the backswing.  This would delay your weight shift forward just enough to cause the club to bottom out behind the ball.  These two problems are often connected; ie., standing too close can cause the 2nd problem.  

The best way to get consistency in your set-up from club to club is to make sure you're setting up the same way each time.  You'd do yourself a favor copying the pro's setup.  If you can get ahold of a Golf Digest magazine, you'll find a photo pictoral of a pro's swing.  Notice how they; 1. Bend from the hips just so their shoulders move out over the toes, 2. Just barely flex their knees and 3. play the ball far enough from them to allow their arms and hands to hang pretty much straight below their shoulders.  If you adopt this set-up, you'll soon be hitting more consistent shots and scoring better.

Good luck with your game.

Fairways and Greens,

John