Divots...do you take them?

As the title really.  I was chatting with a friend who said that you can't really be a "proper" player unless you take a divot after the ball.  I don't often take a divot, but still get good connections, distance etc, but is it something I should practice more on doing?  I have spent a bit of time on the mechanics of taking a divot, but don't know whether I should concentrate on trying to take more, or just leave my game as it is and try to progress.

The course I am a member of can be realy hard in the summer, as there is no fairway watering, so in the periods of hot weather, it dries it out...a lot, which won't help, but still, should I try?

It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the matter...

Taking a divot is the way the better players play this game and because of it they generate far more power than those who take it cleanly as there is no resistance created by taking it cleanly. The resistance is like hitting a football on the half volley, a much more positive and powerful strike.

The added bonus of course, is that the divovt method will help to produce the backspin required to control the shot the way it was intended.

Of course the depth of divot is vital, a shallow divot is all that is required, especially when playing the shorter irons into the pin.

hit the small ball first. Certain shots when executed well will leave a divot, but focussing on taking the divot will likely lead to hitting the big ball first (not good!)

I prefer to replace mine rather than take them!

Can't magine what I would do with all those bits of turf, and they would rarely be viable by the time I got them home http://www.golfshake.com/scripts/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/wink_smile.gif" title="wink" width="20" />

More seriously I tend to be more of a sweeper or grass trimme, get under the ball but do not ever take anything off the fairway (when there!) enough to ever replace unless its a miss hit.

cheers guys.  I am just going to concentrate on my game and getting finishing in as few strokes as possible.

Muchly appreciated!

Chris' comment is the most important one. Little ball before big ball.

I take divots, not intentionaly, just the way my swing is. If playing with some higher handicappers, it can puzzle them how I can rip a 9 inch piece of turf out the ground and strike the ball cleanly.

As long as the steel strikes the back of the golf ball it doesn't matter

Tom Watson, Greg Norman and Raymond Floyd, amongst others, rarely took a divot. And I'd always thought they were pretty good players until now; what a fool I've been.

Well, Pete if you manage to get round Berkhamstead on those tigtt fairways without taking a divot, then you have my admiration..

The three players you mentioned have taken divots, as I have seen them do so.

The "Big Ball" is the Earth. I guess they just mean to hit the golf ball before the ground, not the other way around!

Hi John

I didn't say I don't take a divot. Sadly there isn't too much in common between my game and Tom Watson's!!

Watson, Floyd etc were renowned for sweeping the ball off the turf, barely bruising the grass, though I'm sure you are correct that they sometimes took a shallow divot. My point is that there are a variety of ways of getting the job done in golf and that whilst some very good players always take a big divot, especially with their short irons, others do not and that changing one's swing purely to take a divot (rather than to hit the ball further or straighter or with more control) is a patently daft idea.

Personally I would think the most likely efffect of a 25 handicapper consciously trying to take a divot  would be the development of a steep, over-the-top swing which will see him slicing it into the next postcode in no time.