How to take a proper divot

With an iron, you want the low point of the swing to be a few inches in front of the ball. In other words, the club still should be moving downward after impact, cutting a divot on the target side of the ball. Proper ball position is critical, with the hands ahead of the ball at address and again at impact. —Chris Gotterup

For a middle iron, play the ball just forward of center in your stance.
Push your hands a couple of inches ahead of the ball (above).
Your head should be centered between your feet.

At address, set the leading edge of the face perpendicular to your target line.
Rehearse the first few feet of your takeaway, keeping the face “looking” at the ball (above).
A good feel is your trail wrist staying above your lead wrist in the takeaway. If you spin the face open, the trail wrist curls under.

Here's how to groove a consistent ball position.
Place an alignment rod between your feet and perpendicular to your target line.
To set ball position with a middle iron, position the rod slightly closer to your front foot (an inch or two up or back for longer or shorter irons, respectively).
With the ball in line with rod, practice hitting shots (above).

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