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Repairing Ball Marks

I'm know I've probably missed repairing a some where I land on the front and roll to the back or land on the green and roll off and get preoccupied with playing my shot. Most of the time though I repair mine and any bad ones that I see near me. I would say I average about 3 per green that I fix but I've been known to 7-10 before if I'm waiting for guys to chip from around the green.
 
I only saw one that was unrepaired that wasn't mine this morning. By the end of the weekend there will be 2 dozen on every green I walk up to probably. It's so simple and takes almost no time, but people are people.
 
I used to "fix" them incorrectly until I saw a video almost exactly like this on how to do it correctly. Granted that was when I first started golfing, but these videos should be a lot more common because I thought I was doing it right at the time.
 
always fix my pitch mark and make it a point to try and fix at least one other, but closer to 4-5 on every green. Was paired with a father / son on Wednesday and neither one fixed a pitch mark on the green or filled a divot in the FW the entire round... :mad:. Did my best to not be too obvious with the sand bottles and the divot tool antics... :cool:
 
I always fix mine and any other nearby ones that I see. Used to do it wrong, but I saw a similar video about 10 years ago, and have taught several others the correct way.
What's the device used at about the 1:00 minute mark in the video? Looks like some sort of automated repair tool?
 
baylrballa said:
slightly off course topic, what's the deal with one pronged divot tools? why do they exist?
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It's just a more comfortable tee. Just like the video shows, you can use a tee or any pointed object to fix a ball mark. (y)
 
Is it just me or does it seem like the COVID-related changes (no rakes for bunkers, no divot repair sand in some cases) have also translated into people having zero care for ball mark repairs? Even some of the better courses I've played seem to have more than other years.

Is it simply a function of more people and more rounds being played (what else is open?) or people being more lackadaisical because of the other changes?
 
This should be required viewing for everyone before they are permitted to tee off. The laziness of people to not perform this very simple task is absolutely astonishing.
 
One of the most annoying things, and easiest to perform on the course. I constantly find myself fixing them, though most aren’t mine :LOL:
 
As the fastest walker in my group, I usually have all the marks fixed before everyone gets to the green which saves some time. So easy.
 
I used to have a bad attitude about fixing divots but the last 5-6 years, I’ve really made it a point to fix as many as I can on every green. Bottom line, it’s a sign of integrity and I’m guilty of it in the past but I’ve tried to right that wrong lately
 
baylrballa said:
slightly off course topic, what's the deal with one pronged divot tools? why do they exist?
Click to expand...

The single-pronged tools are the easiest to use and inherently prevent people from tearing the roots (which is what happens if you twist a two-pronged tool). All you have to do is insert the prong on a downward angle from behind the mark and it will naturally push the displaced soil back towards the hole. Go around the perimeter with a couple of inserts, and you can then tap down the unevenness and voila - it's like the mark was never there.

Even better, some golf courses can afford to give these away for free. Of course, every golfer already has on in his or her pocket anyway, unless they choose to hit all of their tee shots off the deck of course.
 
From a personal perspective, I find the higher-end the course (including private) the less likely the golfers are to repair them.

It's so sad, it literally takes 3-5 seconds, however it does require you to bend over.

We play first group out in the mornings and can easily find a dozen marks (or more) on each green to repair. As the greens have just been cut I cannot consciously walk past an unfixed mark. I guess that's why I go through pitch tools like some guys go through golf gloves...
 
chile said:
i try to fix 2-3 at each green and i feel like i don't even scratch the surface...it's like a golf ball cover out there.
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I tend to repair 2-5 per green. It’s sad how many don’t fix their marks.
 
LOL, as I'm reading this thread and watching the RMC on taped-delay, I see Aaron Baddeley fix his ball mark in exactly the wrong way.

Dig and gouge, like a darned backhoe. Nice example for others, there.
 
chile said:
i try to fix 2-3 at each green and i feel like i don't even scratch the surface...it's like a golf ball cover out there.
Click to expand...
Same. I always fix at least 2-3 on each green, it's amazing how many people don't do it. Lazy and/or inconsiderate.
 
gonyr said:
I always fix mine and any other nearby ones that I see. Used to do it wrong, but I saw a similar video about 10 years ago, and have taught several others the correct way.
What's the device used at about the 1:00 minute mark in the video? Looks like some sort of automated repair tool?
Click to expand...
It’s a greenskeeper ball mark repair tool. Pricey. One I googled was $125.
 
Likewise, I fix my pitch marks and look for others to repair. I really feel that the general etiquette of the game is being lost and failure to repair pitch marks and fill divots are just part of the overall demise. I was taught as a kid to "leave the course better than you found it". At Kiawah the starters used to hand you a little paper bag with tees and a pitch repair tool with the thought that you were expected to use it!
 
Seems to be getting worse the last couple of years. Not sure why it is so hard for some to understand how important it is.
 
Thanks for sharing this video. First time I have seen this video, or anything like it. I was golfing this week with someone I didn't know who refused to fix his ball marks for some reason. So, I just started to do it for him, which eventually got him to start doing it around hole 14. This is the same guy who had a putt come up short right on the edge of the hole, so stomped right behind it a couple times to make it fall in, leaving a huge imprint by the hole. Just so happens, I had a birdie putt that had to go right over it. I almost walked off the course at that point, but instead I drained the putt and another member of the group confronted the guy about his behavior.
 
A course here used to provide free tools, as well as instruction on how to use them properly. I had never seen so many people fixing ball marks.

It is too bad more courses don't do this.
 
About the only thing I’m good at on the golf course is fixing ball marks and I fix waaay more than I make.
 
I find it satisfying to hit a great approach and have the opportunity to repair my ball mark. Gives me a moment to think about the upcoming putt as well.


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Ball Mark Ignoring Guy is, for me, right up there with I'll Just Spit My Sunflower Seed Shells Out on the Green Guy and I Spit My Tobacco Juice Everywhere Guy.
 
Sure, it's one of the first things I learned, took a while for me to actually have one, but it was easy to see it was a act of pride early on, so I always look to fix.
 
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