The hallmark of a proper iron strike is a divot. But the goal in golf is to hit the ball, not displace the turf. And Tiger Woods is one of the legends whose swings directly hit the ball and not the ground. However, this act once left Scottie Scheffler in confusion. 

About two years ago, during an interview, Scheffler was asked about his confusion. The conversation reflected a time when Scheffler and Woods were hitting balls, and the 29-year-old noticed Woods wasn’t making divots. He inquired it to the 15-time major winner. But his response left him stunned. 

Woods' response was, “When I’m swinging well, I don’t take divots… When I'm flushing it, I don't take divots. It just is what it is.”

Scheffler recalled that they were hitting balls early morning, right after he made his first TaylorMade shoot, singing Christmas carols in costumes. But was his confusion real? 

Scottie Scheffler said, “I haven’t seen the video. I don’t know what the look on my face was. But I’m sure I was pretty confused, because I’ve asked him some questions in the past and he’s typically given me answers.” 

“And this time, he was just like, ‘Do I need to make a divot?’ And I was like, ‘I’m asking you, man. You tell me what it is.’”

The answer came in early January 2025. 

Tiger Woods Finally Cleared All Confusion

Back in January 2025, Woods engaged in a conversation with Grant Horvat, who asked the former world number one about the ‘divots’ comment. 

“When I’m hitting my best,” Woods answered. “But if I have to hit a shot, I’m going to hit turf. I’m going to lean the shaft. I’m going to take turf. Now, if I’m just here flushing it, with no wind, no I don’t take divots … it depends on how the wind is.”

“Now, if I’m on that range, I would feel that wind slightly into me, I’m going to start leaning on it. Now, if we had no wind, and I’m just hitting shots with no consequence or distance — I’m just sending it — yeah, I don’t take a lot of turf. I sweep it.”

Woods’ clarification showed that divots depend on conditions and intent, not dogma. For Scheffler, the moment reinforced that elite ball striking is guided by feel, adaptability, and context rather than fixed rules.

But what do you think about Woods not making divots? Tell us in the comments.

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu