The Divot Repair Tool: Why You Need One, How to Actually Use It, and What It Really Means When You Make a Divot

For the longest time, I did not need a divot repair tool.

Not because I didn't know what one was. Not because I didn't understand that fixing your ball marks on the green is a fundamental piece of golf etiquette. I knew all of that. I had one in my bag from early on, just in case.

The reason I never used it? I couldn't hit the green.

I mean that very literally. A divot on the putting green- that little crater your ball makes when it lands and sticks- only happens when your ball actually makes it onto the green in the first place. And for what felt like an eternity of my golf journey, my ball was ping-ponging back and forth across the green in my approach shots, and then eventually trickling on with a hesitant chip to finally roll it on. Sometimes I would go from one green side bunker to the other one and back again! Those were frustrating days.

No green. No divot. No need for the tool.

And then one evening on hole six at Hickory Woods, the downhill par 3 that is 110 yards with a creek on the left, the woods on the right… something clicked. My ball went up, came down, and landed on the green with that beautiful THUNK. That sound the pros make. That sound I had been chasing for years.

I had made a divot.

I was so excited I almost forgot to fix it.

What a Ball Mark Actually Is (And Why Fixing It Matters)

Let's back up for a second, because there are actually two different things golfers call "divots" and beginners often mix them up.

A fairway divot is the chunk of turf your club takes out of the ground when you make contact with the ball on a shot from the fairway or rough. You replace that chunk of grass or fill it with the sand mixture often available on the cart. That's a different situation entirely.

A ball mark, which is also sometimes called a pitch mark, is the indentation your ball makes when it lands on the putting green. This is what a divot repair tool is designed to fix. When your ball drops onto the green from height, the impact creates a small crater in the turf. If it's not repaired, that depression can take weeks to recover on its own and creates an uneven surface that affects everyone putting on that green after you.

Repairing your ball mark is one of the most important acts of course etiquette there is. It takes about fifteen seconds. It directly protects the experience of every golfer who plays that green after you. And there is something quietly satisfying about being the kind of golfer who does it without being asked.

The Part That Made Me Hesitate

Soooo… even after I started hitting greens, I was embarrassed to fix my divots.

Not because I didn't want to. But because I had heard that if you repair a ball mark incorrectly, you can actually do more damage to the green than if you'd left it alone. And I did not want to be the person who made things worse out of good intentions.

So I hung back. I watched other players. I tried to mimic what I saw. And I was never completely sure I was doing it right.

Let me save you that particular anxiety with the proper technique… verified by the USGA.

How to Repair a Ball Mark Correctly

Insert your divot repair tool behind the ball mark and gently push the top of the tool toward the center. Continue working around the ball mark, pushing the surrounding turf in toward the center of the indentation. Golf Digest

The key word there is push toward the center. You are coaxing the turf back into place from the outside in. You’re not prying upward, not lifting the roots. Work around the perimeter, starting on the high side where the turf has been pushed up higher by the angle of the shot, and move in a circle around the depression, pulling the surrounding turf toward the center until the mini-crater is filled.

The biggest issue with how many people repair pitch marks is that they twist with a two-pronged tool. That rips the roots and damages the grass, creating those brown spots you see on some greens. No twisting. Push in, work around the circle, push in again. USGA

Once the turf is pushed back in from all sides, use the bottom of your putter to gently tap the surface flat. That's it. Using the proper technique is the key to success. With the correct technique, almost any pointed tool can be used to successfully repair a ball mark. In a pinch, a tee works fine. But a proper divot repair tool makes it easier and more consistent. Golf Digest

The whole process takes fifteen seconds. The green thanks you. The golfers behind you thank you. You'll feel a little proud every time you do it.

The Tool I Use and Why I Recommend Retractable

I want to show you mine because the style actually matters here, and the photo tells the whole story.

I have a blue retractable fork-style divot tool. I specifically recommend the retractable style for one practical reason: if you keep a fork-prong divot tool in your pocket, you will eventually get stabbed by it. Not dramatically, but enough to be annoying. The retractable version keeps the prongs tucked away until you need them, which makes it safe to keep in your pocket, your valuables pouch, or clipped to your bag.

Mine also has a ball marker built right into the handle, which, as we've already established in this series, is exactly the kind of thoughtful design detail I appreciate. One less thing to track down on the green.

And this particular one came home with me from Perry Park Golf Resort in Kentucky… which brings me to the story I really want to tell you.

The Round That Changed Things

I went to Perry Park Golf Resort on a golf trip with friends. It's a beautiful course in Kentucky, and something about that trip just clicked for me. I started hitting greens consistently… not just occasionally, not just on one lucky hole, but repeatedly throughout the round.

And on that trip, I made my first birdie EVER.

I want you to understand what that felt like: years of playing golf, hundreds of holes, and finally — a birdie. On a course I'd never played before, on a trip with women who cheered like I had won a championship.

After that round I went to the pro shop and bought myself a divot repair tool. The blue one you see in the photo, with the Perry Park ball marker right on it. It felt like the right way to mark the moment — I had finally become the kind of golfer who needed one.

That tool has been in my bag ever since.

What Making a Divot Actually Means

I want to reframe something for you, because I think beginners might see a ball mark on the green as a mistake. Like you did something wrong. Like you should apologize.

You should not apologize.

A ball mark on the green means your ball had enough height and enough backspin to land and stick. It means you hit a real golf shot. It means something in your game is working. The pros make ball marks on every hole. The best players in the world make ball marks.

Making a divot means you hit the green. And hitting the green is the goal.

So yes… repair your ball marks every single time, both out of etiquette and respect for the course. But also let yourself feel good about the fact that you made one in the first place.

Here's to making more divots. And fixing them.

The Short Course

Keep a retractable divot repair tool in your bag at all times: it's a basic piece of golf etiquette equipment, as essential as your tees and your glove. When you make a ball mark, push the surrounding turf toward the center from all sides without lifting or twisting. Finish with a tap from the bottom of your putter. Fifteen seconds, done.

And when you finally hear that THUNK on the green for the first time, take a second to enjoy it. You earned it!

Looking for a divot repair tool? [Here's a great option on Amazon that’s actually multi purpose: clean your clubs with this one!] I recommend a style that includes a built-in ball marker so you've always got both in one place.