Drawing a line in the sand

By T.J. TOMASI

Despite what the photos might lead you to believe, this article isn’t about sand play. It’s about where you should start your divot for any iron.

I chose to illustrate this lesson in a fairway bunker because it’s easy to see that I picked the ball cleanly off the surface, after which my clubhead continued down and forward, so the divot starts slightly ahead of where the front of the ball used to be. Most golfers don’t do this. Far too many think they must get the club “under” the ball, a critical mistake.

A properly struck golf ball comes off the clubface spinning, so the air moving over the top of the ball produces a low-pressure flow while the air flow under the ball creates high pressure. This pressure differential causes lift; all you have to do is supply the correct amount of force and direction — and up she goes.