What is your club's policy on divots?

[Prairie Golfer]

My muni track expects you to replace the divot. There is no sand provided for filling in divots.

[ddebart2]

I wish more courses would urge people to use sand. A lot of times, replaced divots don't take well and the fairways have brown spots everywhere

[MI Rob]

My muni track expects you to replace the divot. There is no sand provided for filling in divots.

Same here. Most of the courses around here are like this also.

[AlCzervik]

They really need to get the seed mix at the tee boxes where i play... theyre just torn up and never regrow.

[inthecup]

I recently asked this question at our club. They prefer you fill the divot with sand. There is no seed in the sand. The divot will heal in a short amount of time and the surface of the fairway will remain level.

It is a common misconception that there is seed in the sand. Has anyone actually seen seed in the sand or is that an assumption?

[alf174]

It is a common misconception that there is seed in the sand. Has anyone actually seen seed in the sand or is that an assumption?

Yes, I have golfed at least one course that told us that the sand tubes had grass seed mixed in but I can't confirm that others did; I didn't ask.

[ddebart2]

It is a common misconception that there is seed in the sand. Has anyone actually seen seed in the sand or is that an assumption?

My home course actually has fertilizer in it to promote regrowth but not seed. I have seen courses that have seed in their mixes but yea most are just sand.

[Fourputt]

I recently asked this question at our club. They prefer you fill the divot with sand. There is no seed in the sand. The divot will heal in a short amount of time and the surface of the fairway will remain level.

Yes, absolutely. I work at a local public daily fee course (we are a better run municipal than most I read about) and we have 2 bottles of sand AND seed mix on each cart, as well as a rack of bottles which walkers can use if they choose to (many push cart walkers use them). In a wet year like we have had this year, grass actually starts to grow in the bottles and they have to be dumped and refilled with fresh mix.

Some courses cheap out and only use sand, but my course uses a mix of sand, seed and fertilizer.

[uttexas]

I believe it depends on the fairway grass type. Bermuda won't grow back if you replace the divot. Many of the sand mixes also contain Bermuda seed, so in those instances, I'll fill the divot with some sand/seed mix.

[c4m]

if they dont put seed in the sand, what does the sand do for the grass? I cant imagine it being much of help in the growing process

[mcfc_nick]

replace in fairway, fill with sand on tee box

[iacas]

if they dont put seed in the sand, what does the sand do for the grass? I cant imagine it being much of help in the growing process

Roots grow in air, and sand tends to have more pockets of air than dirt.

[RemyM]

It really depends on what part of the country you are in and what type of grass it is. Divots from cool season grasses (bent, rye, and bluegrass) that are in one piece will usually take root again when replaced except in the hottest part of the year. Divots from warm season grasses (bermuda, Kikuyu, St. Augustine, and zoysia) don't have a root system so divots will die but the grass spreads quickly to heal itself except when it turns dormant and looses it's color.

My course has a mix of rye and bent grass fairways. We ask that divots be replaced but we also have bottles on the carts that contain a mix of 90% sand and 10% peat with no seed, for divots that explode or otherwise can't be replaced.

[lumpuckeroo]

It really depends on what part of the country you are in and what type of grass it is. Divots from cool season grasses (bent, rye, and bluegrass) that are in one piece will usually take root again when replaced except in the hottest part of the year. Divots from warm season grasses (bermuda, Kikuyu, St. Augustine, and zoysia) don't have a root system so divots will die but the grass spreads quickly to heal itself except when it turns dormant and looses it's color.

Most of the courses in my area are zoysia, we sand fill. Also I have noticed that warm season grasses tend to not actually create a divot, there is usually nothing left to replace in the hole.