How are your divot holes repaired?

[bkuehn1952]

In SE Michigan at mid and low end courses, most often the fairways are Kentucky bluegrass.  When we take a divot, we attempt to replace the turf and stomp on it. Some courses provide sand jugs (on carts) or a soil and seed mixture (on carts).  I usually see the sand and/or soil & seed mixture on tees and at courses with bent grass fairways.  When one is walking, the only solution is to replace the turf as I have never seen sand or soil/seed jugs handed out to walkers.

From my limited experience in FL, it seems like sand is the most common filler.  My understanding is that Bermuda grass strains, common in FL, do not re-grow when a divot is replaced.  The times I have walked in FL, I just left the divot hole unrepaired since I did not have a sand jug.  If the divot hole was particularly deep, I would replace the divot on the assumption that it was better than leaving a small crater for the next golfer.

I was sort of surprised in my trip to Scotland last summer that our caddies almost never replaced the turf from divots nor did they carry a soil/seed mixture.  The caddies told me that only the deepest divots re-grew so they did not bother with shallow ones.  Presumably periodically the course maintenance staff would repair the divot holes with soil/seed as I did see repaired divot holes, just not ones repaired by the caddies.

[ay33660]

At my all the courses I have been a member in I have always received the same advice regarding divots.

1. Do not replace the turf back into the divot. Chances are slim that the replaced turf will regrow back.

2. Turn the turf over such that the dirt is exposed. I was told this will allow it to dry up faster and will be cut down by the mowers.

3. Fill the divot with the sand / seed mixture provided by the course.

For walkers my current course provides small seed bottles that can hook onto a carry bag. In addition there are boxes of additional sand / seed to refill the bottles at the tee box of every hole. This way the walkers do not need to carry a heavy jug of sand / seed around.