Repairing Divots

Published February 2, 2004

If you play golf, you create divots - it's part of the game. However, if you create divots, you should also repair them - that's part of the etiquette of the game. Repairing your divots ensures that the golfers who follow you have the same level playing surface you had when you started your round.

A number of different methods are used to repair divots, and each of them is designed to make sure that the type of grass growing around the divot fills in as quickly as possible.

Some courses ask that you simply replace your divot. In this case, you should replace it in the same direction that it came out and firmly tamp it down.

On courses whose tees and fairways feature actively growing Bermuda Grass, you will often be asked not to replace the divot, but rather to fill the hole with sand the course provides. In this situation, fill the divot and then tamp down the sand so it is level with the surrounding area.

At some courses in the North that feature ryegrass and in the South where dormant bermuda grasses are overseeded, you may be asked to fill the divot with a sand/seed mixture. Again, it is important to tamp the sand down so the seed will germinate.

Be sure to ask about the local procedure when you are playing at a new course.

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