In a divot

This has probably happened to you all before, and if it hasn’t it will do. You hit a nice drive down the middle and you find yourself in an old divot. First thing to do: Get over it. It’s probably not as bad as you think, especially if the hole has been filled with sand. You can play a normal shot with a few adjustments.

The secret to making good contact is hitting down on the ball. Play it back an inch or two in your stance, and put more weight on your front foot. That promotes a steeper backswing, which, in turn, steepens the downswing. You’ll catch the ball first and drive it out.

Secondly, open the clubface a little. This might go against what you’ve heard, that closing the face helps you dig out of bad lies. But as long as the ball isn’t down deep, an open face is better. It’ll help the ball jump up and out.

As for the swing, don’t be timid. Focus on hitting through the ball. You’ve set up the right kind of swing with your adjustments at address, so don’t try to do anything special. Just think down and through. No reason you can’t knock it on to the green.

l For more on this and improving your golf contact Rory on 39215224.