Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Divot Repair and Ball Marks at Pueblo del Sol

 

We are re-posting part of our blog entry from 2018 because of the noticeable increase in unfixed ball marks on our greens (during greens aerification) and divots in our fairways. 


DIVOTS IN FAIRWAYS

Since the start of March we have been seeing a lot of unrepaired or improperly repaired divots in fairways.  I know many of you may be uncertain on how to properly repair a divot because different courses and Superintendents have different preferences on how to go about repairing a divot. Well, here at Pueblo del Sol we ask that you replace any solid turf. ANY TURF you can put back in the divot will speed up recovery- whether it be a pelt or chunks that are still holding together. Once the turf is put back all you need to do is add a little sand around the edges and pat it down with your foot. At this time of the year we tend to be on the dryer side and seed takes constant moisture to germinate and fill in, so any turf you can replace will help speed the healing process.


Improper divot repair- replace available turf

Proper divot repair- turf replaced- added a little divot mix

Improper divot repair- replace available turf

Proper divot repair- replaced turf- divot mix-leveled with foot

Just Truly frustrating......just put the turf back!!! 

Improper divot repair- too much sand-  damages our reel mowers and is a waste of mix


If the divot explodes into little pieces and there is nothing solid to replace, then you can fill the divot completely with divot mix that is provided on your golf cart. Always make sure you fill it just below the turf surface and then smooth it with your foot. Any overfilled divot is wasteful of seed and soil and is bad for our mowing equipment.

Ball Marks on Greens

As a general rule, a ball mark repaired within 10 minutes will heal with a smooth surface within two to three days. An unrepaired ball mark may take as long as three weeks to heal, but the result will be an uneven surface.  Beginner or pro, it is your responsibility as a golfer to fix your own marks. If you're truly a steward of the game, you'll fix any others you see while your partners are putting.  ( Source:  GCSAA)

Because of all the hard work and time we put into our greens, we have a lot of pride in our product so we try and fix as many ball marks as possible in the mornings as time permits. Having anywhere from 20-40 unfixed ball marks on 80% of the greens on a daily basis is quite disconcerting. So can we get a little help out there?!?!??   

Some interesting stats from Gary L. Tungate, Enviromental Care Inc. on an article titled-  "Repair divots and ball marks" for Golf Course Maintenance Magazine :

The average golfer leaves about 12 ball marks during a typical round of golf. With a daily average of 160 rounds on a typical golf course, your greens will suffer 1,920 ball marks each day and 58,400 ball marks per month--more than 700,000 ball marks each year! Further, consider that the average number of divots a typical golfer creates during a round of golf is 45. This equates to 7,200 divots a day or 2,628,000 divots each year!

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