| How To Repair Divots | |
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Most good swings
on well-struck iron shots produce a divot in the fairway
(or tee box). The word "divot" actually refers to two
different things: the top layer of turf that is sliced
off and sent flying as your iron enters the ground; and
the resulting scar, or patch of bare earth, that is left
in the fairway. Repairing divots is an important duty of golfers who create them. According to the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, a repaired divot can speed up the healing process (meaning: the grass will cover over the scar in the fairway) by a couple weeks, as opposed to an unrepaired divot. |
| If you look closely, in the photo above, just to the left of the golfer you can see the divot left in the ground from his shot. | |
| The golfer's iron has sliced off the top layer of turf grass, exposing the sod underneath. (This happens because irons are designed to strike the ball on a descending path, meaning that they continue downward and into the ground after making contact with the ball. |
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There are two ways of repairing, or
"fixing," divots. One is to fill the divot with sand or
a sand-and-seed mixture; the other is to retrieve the
turf grass/sod patch that was sliced off and put it back
in place. How do you know which is the proper course of action? Check the golf cart. If the course wants you to use sand, they'll provide it for you. The sand (or a mixture of sand and seed) will be in a carafe that sits in a what looks like a large cup holder, which is usually attached to the frame of cart. If you see this container, the golf course is telling you to use sand. If not, then you'll put the turf back in place. Take the container of sand and simply pour the sand, or sand/seed mix, into the divot. Pour enough to fill the divot and smooth it out. |
| When no sand is provided, find the
turf that was sliced off from the fairway. If you've
taken a "clean divot," you'll find the turf still in
one, neat piece. But sometimes, the turf will be in bits
in pieces. Just retrieve it as best you can, and replace
it in the ground. If your divot is in one piece, then
fit it back into the ground the same way it came out (as
you would a puzzle piece). If it's in multiple pieces,
just do the best job you can to make it fit neatly back
into place. When the turf is back in the ground, tamp down with your foot, and you're done. Repairing divots is not always a necessity; with certain types of turf grasses, at certain times of the year, repairing the divot won't make any difference, good or bad, to the health of the golf course. Unless you are certain that's the case, you should always repair your divots. |
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