When golfers use their irons they hit a divot behind the ball wouldn’t it be a more efficient transfer of energy if they did not hit a divot?
In: Physics
Like others have said here you hit the ball before the ground (ideally) then the club head, which was on a slightly downward trajectory still, takes the divot. 100% of your divot should start at the ball then continue beyond where the ball was. Also, hitting slightly down into the ball imparts backspin on the ball and helps you stick it.
What no one else has mentioned is that the pros are usually also playing on very well groomed and maintained courses. The fairways have very short grass compared to most public courses and taking a divot in the fairway takes almost no effort (the ground is very soft, but not squishy if that makes sense). Many public courses the fairways have slightly longer grass than pro courses and the fairways, even if watered, are slightly harder.
Playing on a top end course with tight (short) fairways will throw off a lot of weekend golfers that don’t hit down into the ball and also like the ball fluffed up on grass a little as they are used to picking the ball off the ground vs hitting down into it.
Source: Caddied one summer at Oakmont CC in Pittsburgh and back in my playing days was a single digit handicap (though not at that course!)
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