Divot Repair
Divot repair in golf is the act of fixing turf damage caused during play, whether from a club striking the ground or from a ball landing on a putting green. The repair restores the playing surface and helps the grass heal.
What is a divot repair?
A divot repair is the simple act of fixing damage that golfers cause to the playing surface. That damage takes one of two forms. The first is a divot in the strict sense, which is the strip of turf an iron tears out of the fairway or tee box when the club strikes the ground after the ball. The second is a ball mark, also called a pitch mark, which is the small crater an incoming ball leaves when it lands on the green.
In everyday golf vocabulary, both fixes are often grouped under “divot repair,” partly because the small two-pronged tool used on the green is widely sold as a “divot tool.” Only the fairway version involves a true divot. The two repairs use different techniques and matter for different reasons, so understanding which one is being discussed prevents confusion in the course.
Divot vs. ball mark: clearing up the confusion
Many golfers, even experienced ones, use “divot” loosely for any damage to the turf. The two are distinct, and the difference matters because the repair method changes.
| Fairway/tee divot | Ball mark (pitch mark) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it happens | Fairway, tee box, rough | Putting green |
| What causes it | Club striking the ground during a swing | Ball landing from a high approach shot |
| What it looks like | Strip or chunk of turf removed, leaving a gouge | Small crater or depression in the green |
| How it’s fixed | Replace the turf, or fill with sand-and-seed mix | Use a pronged repair tool, working edges to centre |
| Tool used | Sand-and-seed bottle, foot, occasionally hand | Pronged divot tool, ball mark tool, or even a tee |
The “divot tool” naming is something of a misnomer. According to Golf Compendium, the same item is variously called a ball mark tool, pitch mark tool, ball mark repair tool, and divot tool. The last name is inaccurate because it fixes marks on the green, not fairway divots.
How divot repair works
The technique depends on which type of damage is being fixed. Both versions are quick and follow well-established methods.
For a fairway divot, the goal is to give the turf the best chance of recovering. If the displaced piece of grass is intact and still has soil attached, the player puts it back in place and presses it down with a foot. If the divot has shattered or the piece is missing, most courses provide a sand-and-seed mix in containers on the cart. The player fills the hole with the mix and tamps it level. Course preferences vary. Some courses prefer sand-only repair regardless of the turf condition; others prefer replacement when possible. Mark Patterson, a Florida-based superintendent at Legacy Golf Club at Lake Wood Ranch and Serenoa Golf Club, told Golf.com in 2023 that cool-season grasses like rye, bentgrass, and fescue can knit back together when a divot is replaced, and the roots are still intact, but warm-season Bermuda and zoysia grow from sprigs, so a replaced divot will not take root, and sand is the better fix. Checking with the pro shop is the safest approach.
For a ball mark on the green, the technique is more delicate. The repair tool is inserted at the edge of the depression, never the center, and the surrounding turf is pushed gently inward toward the middle. The player works around the rim of the mark, then taps the surface flat with a putter or foot. Pulling the center of the mark upward is the most common mistake. It tears the roots and tends to kill the grass.
Why divot repair matters
Time is the biggest reason. According to guidance from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, a ball mark fixed within 10 minutes can heal smoothly in 2-3 days, while a neglected one may take up to three weeks and leave an uneven surface behind. Fairway divots follow a similar pattern. The USGA reports that an unrepaired divot can take months to heal and sometimes never fully recovers.
The other reason is fairness. A ball that comes to rest in someone else’s unrepaired divot leaves the next golfer with a poor lie through no fault of their own. Ball marks left on greens can deflect well-struck putts off line, costing strokes that should have dropped.
Repair is also a tradition. Under the Rules of Golf, divot repair is not legally required. It belongs to etiquette, not the rulebook, and almost every course expects players to do it. Beginners typically pick up the habit early.
Related Golf Terms
- Dimples — The small indentations on a golf ball that create aerodynamic lift.
- Divot — A piece of turf displaced by the clubhead during a swing.
- Desert course — A course built in arid environments with desert landscaping and limited rough.
- Dew sweeper — A golfer who plays the first tee time of the day.
- Dispersion — The spread pattern of a golfer’s shots around a target.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are golfers required to repair their divots?
Not by the Rules of Golf. Divot repair is a long-standing point of etiquette, and almost every course expects it, but no scorecard penalty applies for skipping it.
Why is the ball mark tool called a divot tool?
It is a colloquial name. The pronged tool used on greens is technically a ball mark tool or pitch mark tool, but the “divot” label has stuck through years of casual use among golfers.
What if my divot piece is missing or shattered?
Use the sand-and-seed mix that most courses provide on carts or near tees. Fill the area level with the surrounding turf and press it down with a foot.
How many divots does the average golfer take per round?
Roughly 45, according to Back2Basics Golf. Across a busy course, that adds up to thousands of individual repairs needed from a single day’s play.
Should I fix other people’s marks too?
Most superintendents and the USGA encourage golfers to fix their own ball mark plus at least one other on each green. Doing so speeds up overall recovery and keeps putting surfaces smoother for the rest of the day.
Sources
- USGA. “Divot Repair: Why and How.” May 2019.
- USGA Green Section Record. “Back to the Basics of Course Care Etiquette.”
- Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (via Spokane County). “Golf Etiquette.”
- Golf.com. “How to repair a divot (and how not to), according to a superintendent.” June 2023.
- Golf Compendium. “The Divot Tool (Ball Mark Tool) in Golf and How to Use It.” November 2023.
- Back2Basics Golf. “How To Fix Ball Marks And Divots.” April 2021.
