The 30-Second Habit That Saves Our Greens: Why Repairing Pitch Marks Matters

There are few feelings in golf better than hitting a crisp iron shot that soars high, lands softly on the green, and bites next to the flag.

As you walk up to mark your ball, you see the evidence of that great shot: a crater in the putting surface. At this moment, every golfer faces a small but crucial choice. Do you tap down your marker and ignore the dent, or do you take thirty seconds to repair the damage?

At Drax Golf Club, we pride ourselves on the quality of our course, particularly our greens. But keeping them true isn't just the job of our dedicated greenkeeping team; it’s a shared responsibility for everyone who tees it up.

Today, we’re looking at why that little two-pronged tool in your pocket is the most important piece of equipment in your bag, and how using it correctly makes a massive difference to our club.

More Than Just Etiquette: The Science of the Dent

When a golf ball impacts a green from height, it compresses the soil and tears the delicate root structure of the grass. It’s essentially a small wound on the living surface of the course.

Many golfers believe that repairing a pitch mark is simply a matter of golf etiquette; something you do just to be polite to the group behind you. While that’s true, the primary reason is crucial to agronomy (the science of soil management and crop production).

According to the experts at BIGGA (The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association), the authority that supports greenkeepers across the UK, an unrepaired pitch mark can take up to three weeks to heal completely. During that time, it becomes a patch of dead brown grass that is susceptible to disease and weeds, which can then spread across the rest of the green.

However, a pitch mark repaired properly and immediately will recover within just 24 hours.

It’s a simple equation: taking 30 seconds now saves our greenkeeping team weeks of remedial work later.

The "Putting Through a Minefield" Effect

Beyond the health of the grass, there is the immediate impact on playability. We all want to hole more putts. Nothing is more frustrating than reading a putt perfectly, hitting your line, and watching your ball bobble offline because it hit an old, crusty pitch mark left by someone yesterday.

By repairing your mark, you are ensuring a fair and true surface for everyone else playing that day. It’s about respect. Respect for the course, respect for our hard-working staff, and respect for your fellow members.

How to Repair a Pitch Mark Correctly (Most People Do It Wrong!)

If you are willing to repair your marks, that’s fantastic. But are you doing it right?

The biggest mistake golfers make is inserting the tool and lifting the centre of the depression upwards to level the ground. This is disastrous. Lifting pulls the roots completely out of the soil, creating an air pocket underneath that kills the grass instantly. You might make it look level, but that patch of grass will die within days.

The goal is not to lift the earth; it is to push the surrounding grass in.

The Correct Technique:

1. Take your tool: Use a dedicated pitch mark repair tool or a long tee peg.

2. Insert at the edge: Insert the prongs into the rim of the depression, on the "high side" where the turf has been pushed back.

3. Push inwards: Gently push the edge of the turf towards the centre of the mark. Do not use the tool as a lever to pry grass up.

4. Work around: Work your way around the rim of the mark, pushing the grass inwards until the hole is closed.

5. Tap it flat: Once the hole is closed, gently tap the area down with the sole of your putter until it is perfectly level with the surrounding green.

   
   

Watch the Technique in Action:

For a visual guide on exactly how to do this, take a minute to watch this excellent demonstration.

The "Plus One" Challenge

We know that the vast majority of Drax Golf Club members treat the course with care. But marks still get missed; we don't see them land.

To keep our greens in peak condition, we challenge all members to adopt the "Plus One" rule. Whenever you wander onto a green, repair your own pitch mark, and then find and repair just one more left by a previous group.

If every four-ball repaired eight pitch marks per green, our putting surfaces would remain pristine all year round. Let’s work together to keep Drax Golf Club looking its absolute best.

Fix your mark, save our greens.