Divots are part of the game. You're going to take some grass on perfect shots and
sometimes the grass patch flying through the air can look like you've just punted a small
dog.
Most courses in Indiana want you to retrieve the patch and replace it. Simple as that.
Bentgrass heals best when mostly left alone. Just replace the patch and step on it gently
to return the surface to level. It's best to replace a divot back in the original hole, in
the same direction from whence it came. But, in an emergency, any divot hole deserves a
toupee and the closest hole to where the grass landed will do.
Bermudagrass isn't the norm in Indiana, but on those whose tees and fairways have
bermudagrass you will often be asked not to replace the divot, but rather to fill the hole
with sand the course provides. In this situation, fill the divot and then smooth down the
sand so it is level with the surrounding area. Smoothing the sand is important of course.
At some courses in the North that feature ryegrass and in the South where dormant
bermudagrasses are overseeded, you may be asked to fill the divot with a sand/seed
mixture. Again, it is important to tamp the sand down so the seed will germinate.
The better we repair the course as we go, the less we'll have to play with "winter
rules". Unrepaired divots are also a leading cause of muddy spots and nobody likes to
hit their pitch onto the green using a ball that's lopsided with mud.
