[Jon Nolan]

I've been told a few times on a few courses that I shouldn't replace my divots.  That they won't heal and the grounds crew would prefer to have divot repair mix applied.  When you're walking the latter isn't going to happen so I'm stuck with fixing or pressing on.  I try to do the right thing and I do fix my divots whenever possible but I'd like to know if it's always appropriate.

What is proper given various types of turf and different seasons?  Is there a good rule of thumb?

[Bill Rocco]

I would say it depends on the golf course...if it is bermuda grass or certain bentgrasses it will fill in. Sometimes the divot will actually grow in but it is not always the case. It is worth it to put your divot back on courses that do not send crews out there with divot mix.

[John Moore II]

With bermuda grass, the grass will grow into the divot faster if the old turf is not there. The old divot turf will harm the growth in some ways. With rye overseed and a course that comes out with seed mix, don't replace them, they just add sand/seed mix into it and that grows in. I can't really tell you what kind of grass would work well if you wanted to replace the divot and that be better for the turf, I've never worked at a facility with anything other than bermuda.

[Anthony_Nysse]

If it's bent, replace it. If it's bermudagrass, fill it with sand. In most cases the bermudagrass will break up into many pieces and the bent will remain as one, whole divot.

[archie_struthers]

 



 bentgrass put them in ...in a perfect world use a little sand seed mix around the edges to fill the void...otherwise on hot/ dry days the divots will curl and die....you can aerate replace by judicious use of your shoe to anchor same

[Jon Nolan]

Thanks gents. 

Any truth to the notion that replacing bent grass divots in the winter is a waste of time? 

[Melvyn Morrow]

Irrespective what the course maintenance policy is I was told it was good practice to replace your divots from whence they came as a courtesy to following players. There is nothing more frustrating than to have a good shot come to a premature rest because someone did not consider others.

The Maintenance of the course is not within the remit of the golfer but courtesy and consideration under the etiquette rules is most certainly, so every effort should be made to reinstate the poor little sod back into his original home before he was so cruelly evicted. Leaving final repairs to those who know what they are doing

The question is rather simple do you care about other golfers, the answer seems to depend upon the courses one plays as some the answer seems a resounding no, while others show minimum problems therefore presuming the golfers replaces as he/she inflicts damage upon the course.   

Melvyn

[Michael Rossi]

Irrespective what the course maintenance policy is I was told it was good practice to replace your divots from whence they came as a courtesy to following players. There is nothing more frustrating than to have a good shot come to a premature rest because someone did not consider others.

The Maintenance of the course is not within the remit of the golfer but courtesy and consideration under the etiquette rules is most certainly, so every effort should be made to reinstate the poor little sod back into his original home before he was so cruelly evicted. Leaving final repairs to those who know what they are doing.....

As a turfhead I would ask that you please replace you divots. As a player I request the same, I agree with MHM.

Reasons to replace: Affects the following players with the void or pelt, divots make areas appear unsightly, divots left out affect the turf it is lying  on, affects mowing quality.

When I send out staff for divot repair duty the are asked to fill voids, remove dead or drying divots and fill, and clean up old divots.

Jon - It is never a waste of time to replace a bent divot, that said some turfgrasses (usually warm season grasses) will fill in a divot faster than a divot can reestablish.

[Ken Moum]

... the grounds crew would prefer to have divot repair mix applied.  When you're walking the latter isn't going to happen

Not necessarily. One of the young guys at my club carries a bottle of divot mix in his bag, i think he uses a Gatorade bottle..

And I saw a carrier at the GCSAA Show more than 10 years ago that made it really easy. It was a 2"-dia. tube with flip top and a clip on one side to hang on the bag. I might still have it laying around somewhere, but since I usually use either a Clubrunner or a push cart, carrying sand is not a problem.

K

[Brent Hutto]

I almost always carry a bottle of divot mix in my bag (our course is Bermuda everywhere). That's one reason I almost always use my three-wheel push cart. A decent amount of wet sand and seed weighs almost as much as everything else put together, given that I generally only carry 10 or 11 clubs in an ultralight bag.

[Kyle Harris]

Try to leave the course better than you found it.

In other words - make your best effort to leave a playable condition for the players behind you. Divot replaced or not.

[Craig Sweet]

I don't know, I would almost rather hit from a divot hole as hit off a freshly replaced loose chunk of grass....I have also noticed that fairway mowers send some old divots flying....

[Bill Rocco]

While I was at Quail Hollow volunteering for the Quail Hollow Championship they told us that the USGA would only allow a tablespoon of divot mix per divot.  We actually had to remove some of the mix after we were finished filling the divots.  I personally feel that at a top club, its rests heavily on the caddy to use proper divot mix that is provided.  At my course it is part of the maintenance routine to blow left over divots off the fairway and rough, due to the fact that caddys are suppose to be filling them immediately after the divot is taken and not actually replacing it.   

[John Moore II]

I don't know, I would almost rather hit from a divot hole as hit off a freshly replaced loose chunk of grass....I have also noticed that fairway mowers send some old divots flying....

Yes, I would certainly rather hit from in a divot (well, some of them, those real hacks, looking like they're harvesting some sod to put in the neighbors yard, well thats different) than off the scabby piece of turf someone put back in some crappy way. Even if the divot was sand filled. (that being said, I think sand filled divots should be classified as ground under repair, but thats a different issue)

[Jon Nolan]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

Kyle,

Definitely know to leave the course better than I found it. My question is more about effective maintenance practices than etiquette.      

John,

This is the first time I've heard a rules guy hold that opinion.  Separate thread probably but I'd LOVE to hear how one would decide when a sand filled divot isn't a divot any more.

edit:  Ooops, wrong John.  Never mind.

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