Everyday Etiquette: Divots

Etiquette: The customary code of polite behavior in society or among members of a particular profession or group. (New Oxford American Dictionary)

Every golfer wants to play from the fairway.  After all, it is the fairest way to the green.  It allows opportunity for optimum shot selection and control.  When a golfer strikes a ball, sometimes a void is left in the turf that needs to be addressed.  Does the piece of turf removed get replaced?  If the divot is in pieces, what happens next?  What if the golfer does nothing?  How do they impact course conditioning?

Golfer Perspective:

The void left from a divot not repaired causes difficult lies for the golfers in later tee times.  The reward for hitting from a fairway should be having a fair lie.  If a ball happens to settle in a divot, the shot becomes incredibly difficult and can simply hurt to hit.  They also look awful and can take a long time to recover.

Superintendent Perspective:

Any time a void is left in the playing surface, it allows the opportunity for Poa annua or annual bluegrass to establish.  As you may know, Poa is very invasive and considered a weed by many Supers.  It does not handle weather well, requires more inputs to be maintained properly, and creates uneven, inconsistent surfaces.  We take many measures to reduce the amount of Poa we have on our finely cut surfaces and it adds to the bottom line.  Taking measures to repair divots will lessen our chances of Poa establishment.

The Etiquette:

The answers to the questions above are simple:

- If your divot has soil and is in tact, replace it in the direction it was removed.

- If your divot is in pieces, use the divot mixture provided by the club.

- Give friendly reminders to players in your group or grief if playing with friends to repair their divots.

- If you come across a divot that has not been repaired, be honorable and replace the turf removed or fill with sand.

Our divot mixture consists of sand and organic fertilizer.  I choose not to add seed since germination can occur while in the containers effectively negating any positive impact on the course.  When the maintenance staff fills divots, we add seed since we use what we make and it does not sit around long enough to start germination.

Below is a video from the USGA further explaining divot etiquette and repair.