Repairing Pitch Marks
Repairing pitch marks is the act of pushing the displaced turf around a ball mark back into place so the putting green returns to a smooth, level surface.
What does repairing pitch marks mean?
A pitch mark is the small crater a golf ball leaves when it drops onto the green from height and dents the surface. Repairing it means working that displaced turf back together so the grass can knit and heal. The job takes only a few seconds, and every golfer is expected to do it after a shot that lands on the green.
The term travels under two names. In the United States, the same dent is usually called a ball mark, while pitch mark is the common phrasing in the UK and most other golfing countries, according to Golf Compendium. Both refer to the same thing: a ball-shaped depression in the putting surface.
Why bother? An unrepaired mark leaves the grass roots exposed and the surface uneven, which spoils the green for everyone who putts across it afterwards. A quick, correct repair is one of the simplest ways a player looks after the course.
Why repairing pitch marks matters
When a ball lands on the green, it does more than press a dent into the turf. It stretches and tears the grass roots below the surface, leaving something closer to an open wound than a bruise, as coaching site Caddie explains.
Timing changes everything after that. A mark repaired correctly within a few minutes can recover in roughly 24 to 48 hours, per Caddie, and greenkeeping guidance cited by Gulf News puts a good repair back to health in about a day. Left alone, the exposed roots dry out, the grass in that spot dies, and the brown scar can take several weeks to grow back. Melville Glades Golf Club notes that a mark repaired badly can take over three weeks to heal, against 15 to 30 seconds to fix it properly in the first place.
There is a scoring cost too. A bumpy, half-healed mark on the putting surface can knock a well-struck putt off line, and it keeps doing so for every group that plays through afterwards.
How a pitch mark is repaired
A correct repair works from the outside in. The repair tool goes into the turf at the edge of the crater, not down into the middle of it, and the surrounding grass is gently nudged toward the centre from several points around the mark until the gap closes. A light tap with the sole of the putter then smooths the surface flat.
The mistake worth recognising is the opposite motion: levering or prying the turf up from underneath. That tears the strained roots away from the soil and tends to leave a dead brown circle, which is why a poorly repaired mark often looks worse than one left untouched. Because a ball travels forward as it lands, the turf is actually pushed up the green rather than straight down, so the grass is coaxed back toward the direction the ball came from. Greg Fitzmaurice, course manager at Hunley Golf Club, describes proper repair as one of the most important parts of green maintenance, with a poorly repaired mark taking weeks to heal and a correct one recovering almost at once.
A dedicated repair tool, whether the classic two-prong fork or a single retractable prong, handles this better than a golf tee. Tees are thin and sharp enough to cause extra root damage, so they are a last resort rather than a first choice.
Pitch mark vs divot
Golfers often use “pitch mark” and “divot” to mean the same thing, but they describe different kinds of damage in different places on the course.
| Feature | Pitch mark (ball mark) | Divot |
|---|---|---|
| What causes it | The ball landing and denting the turf | The clubhead scraping turf away during a swing |
| Where it happens | Mainly the putting green | Mainly the fairway and tee |
| What it looks like | A small, ball-shaped crater | A strip or chunk of removed turf |
| How it is fixed | Push the surrounding turf back together | Replace the divot or fill with sand and seed mix |
The overlap in everyday language runs deep enough that repair tools are frequently sold as “divot tools” even though their real job is fixing pitch marks on the green.
The rules on repairing pitch marks
The Rules of Golf are firmly on the side of repair. Under Rule 13.1c(2), a player may fix ball marks and almost any other damage on the putting green without penalty, using a hand, foot, tee, repair tool, or club, as long as it does not unreasonably delay play. The United States Golf Association confirms this covers repairs whether the ball sits on or off the green, and the fix need not be limited to a player’s own mark, since anyone’s mark on the green is fair to repair.
This was not always the case. Before the 2019 rules overhaul, the older rule let players repair old hole plugs and ball marks but little else, so damage such as spike marks had to be left alone. The USGA notes the 2019 change opened up repair to nearly all damage on the green and removed a lot of on-course confusion.
One limit still catches players out. A pitch mark sitting off the green, on the fringe or apron, that lies on the line of play generally cannot be repaired before the next stroke, because flattening it would improve the line under Rule 8.1 and bring the general penalty. Golf Digest explains that on the green a player is free to repair marks any time, but off the green the same fix can cost two strokes in stroke play or the hole in match play.
Worth remembering: the rules encourage repair but do not demand it. As golf.com’s Rules Guy points out, a player whose putt is deflected by someone else’s unrepaired mark has no claim, since golf is played as the course is found.
Related Golf Terms
- Going for the green — The rate at which a player attempts to reach par-5 greens in two.
- Tending the flag — Holding and removing the flagstick so a partner can putt.
- Marking your ball — Placing a marker behind the ball before lifting it on the green.
- Bounce back — The rate of scoring under par on the hole after a bogey or worse.
- Greens in regulation percentage — The percentage of greens reached in the expected number of strokes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is repairing a pitch mark required by the rules?
No. Etiquette strongly encourages it, and most clubs expect it, but the Rules of Golf do not compel a player to repair marks. The course is played as found, as golf.com’s Rules Guy confirms.
Can a golf tee be used instead of a repair tool?
Yes, as a last resort, using the same push-from-the-edge motion rather than a prying one. Caddie notes that a tee is thin and can cause more root damage than a proper tool, so it is a substitute rather than a replacement.
Can you repair another golfer’s pitch mark?
Yes. Anyone may repair any mark on the green. A common habit, echoed by the Central Texas Golf Association, is to fix your own mark plus one more that someone else missed.
How long does a repaired pitch mark take to heal?
A good repair can recover in about 24 to 48 hours, according to Caddie. A poor repair, or none at all, can leave a brown mark for several weeks.
Can you repair a pitch mark on the fringe?
On the green itself, yes, at any time. If the mark is off the green and sits on the line of play, it generally cannot be repaired before the stroke, since that would improve the line under Rule 8.1.
Sources
- United States Golf Association. “Major Change: Repairing Damage on the Putting Green (Rule 13.1c).”
https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules-hub/rules-modernization/major-changes/repairing-damage-on-the-putting-green.html. Accessed August 2026. - The R&A. “Touching the Putting Green – Repair or Damage.”
https://www.randa.org/en/players-rule-finder/players-rule-finder/putting-green/touching-putting-green-repair-or-damage. Accessed August 2026. - Golf Digest. “Rules of Golf Review: Can you repair divot holes or pitch marks in your line before hitting a shot?”
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/rules-of-golf-review-can-you-fix-divot-holes-pitch-marks-on-your-line-off-the-green-before-hitting-shot. Accessed August 2026. - Golf.com. “Rules Guy: Can you take relief from your own pitch mark on the fringe?”
https://golf.com/instruction/rules/rules-guy-relief-from-your-own-pitch-mark/. Accessed August 2026. - Golf Monthly. “How To Repair A Pitch Mark Correctly.”
https://www.golfmonthly.com/features/the-game/how-to-repair-a-pitch-mark-correctly-12186. Accessed August 2026. - PGA Play. “How to correctly repair your pitch marks and divots.”
https://www.pgaplay.co.uk/learn/how-to-correctly-repair-your-pitch-marks-and-divots/. Accessed August 2026. - Golf Compendium. “Definition of ‘Pitch Mark’ in Golf.”
https://www.golfcompendium.com/2023/09/what-is-a-pitch-mark.html. Accessed August 2026. - Caddie (caddiehq.com). “How to Repair Pitch Marks in Golf.”
https://www.caddiehq.com/resources/how-to-repair-pitch-marks-golf. Accessed August 2026. - Melville Glades Golf Club. “How to Repair a Pitch Mark.”
https://www.melvilleglades.com/cms/2023/11/how-to-repair-a-pitch-mark/. Accessed August 2026.
