REPAIRING YOUR PITCH MARKS

Pitch marks and divots are a gripe for most golfers and yet many of us make the same repair mistakes. Read on for five tips to help put us all on a level playing field…

Refill with removed grass
Divots come in many shapes and sizes, and if the lawn you’ve lifted stays intact, your repair job becomes significantly easier. Once you’ve found the offending patch of grass, place it back where it came from so that all gaps are filled. Use the heel of your shoe to push down on the grass and secure it in place.

Push your repair fork
Many golfers make the mistake of lifting back on their repair fork. In fact, you should insert the fork at a 45-degree angle behind the pitch mark and push into the centre of the hole. Work your way around the hole in this way and you’ll notice the grass starting to cover the exposed soil. Gently walk over the repaired area and the pitch mark should repair within three days.

Use sand to fill the gaps
If you’re unlucky enough to lift a chunk of grass from a hole and find it instantly falls apart, your best bet is to use a sand mixture to repair the damage. Golf courses will often supply a combination of fast-growing grass seed with sand to improve seed-to-soil contact. Fill the mixture just below the height of the grass and level with the floor of the green. Smooth everything over with your putter or by gently stepping on the affected area.

Look for others’ divots
We’ve all suffered the frustration of a divot or pitch mark and many of us will claim that we always repair the damage we make to a hole. So something doesn’t add up. The most helpful approach is to look out for markings left by other players. Responsible players will always look to repair their own divots and pitch marks and those made by others. A golfing karma we can all benefit from.

Check for pitch marks away from your ball
We tend to look for pitch marks close to where a ball becomes stationary, and with good reason. If the trajectory of the ball causes a mini crater you can expect its speed to dramatically decrease. However, this thinking can see you overlooking pitch marks. When you consider wind and declines, shots can travel a fair distance from their initial point of impact. Be sure that you look back to spot any inconspicuous indentations.

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