Question:
Golfers are expected to replace and stamp down the turf from their divots. They will grow back and replacing the turf helps the ball to roll through the divot instead of settling into it, as it could if it were empty. You will often see more thoughtful players replacing divots they find on the fairways that less thoughtful players didn’t replace. My personal contribution is repairing ball marks on greens. I try to repair at least 5 marks on every green while the other players are putting. Then who repairs the divots? The course staff? No wonder you pay more for golf 
<snip Cheers Colin Wilson Trentham Golf Club, Australia http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham
– Good Golf Dan For e-mail replace "nospam" with "varian"
Response:
Golfers are expected to replace and stamp down the turf from their divots. They will grow back and replacing the turf helps the ball to roll through the divot instead of settling into it, as it could if it were empty.
Dan, it all depends on the turf. We don’t replace bermuda divots. I kick in the edges to flatten it out and then fill them with sand. I suppose different types of grasses would dictate on how/what you do to fix the damage. Make Birdies, not spam. Mark
Response:
I suppose different types of grasses would dictate on how/what you do to fix the damage.
That, and I presume the type of soil you have as well. Courses I’ve played with Bermuda or Bent fairways also tend to have sandy soil, and filling the hole with sand is a natural repair. Around here we mucky, clay soil and most courses use other grasses in their fairways. When the fairways are wet, replacing the divot works well, and when the fairways dry out you can’t penetrate the underlying adobe soil to take one anyway. Courses with bentgrass fairways are often "carts only" here, probably because the stuff is more expensive to maintain, and the carts are equipped with sand bottles (though I suspect few people know what they are for) I’ve never seen sand for walkers. Sounds fairly awkward with a carry bag. — Warren Montgomery Lucent Technologies, Bell Labs Innovations wamontgomery <at lucent <dot com
Response:
It looks like here in the consensus: If you have a sand/seed mixture fill in the divot. If you are in the north, replace the turf as best you can. If you are in the south (Bermuda grass), kick in the edges of the hole. Sound good? Golfers are expected to replace and stamp down the turf from their divots. They will grow back and replacing the turf helps the ball to roll through the divot instead of settling into it, as it could if it were empty. Dan, it all depends on the turf. We don’t replace bermuda divots. I kick in the edges to flatten it out and then fill them with sand. I suppose different types of grasses would dictate on how/what you do to fix the damage. Make Birdies, not spam. Mark
– John Pflum, Jr. PKG Consultants, Inc. 5533 Fair Lane Cincinnati, Ohio 45227 Web: http://www.pkgconsult.com
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My club, like most others here, supplies plastic sand buckets (with wire handles). There’s a rack of them at the first and ninth tee. You return the bucket there at the end of the round. FWIW, the buckets cost 70 cents each for the club to purchase (we need a couple of hundred), and need regular replacing. It’s still cheaper than paying for the extra staff to repair the divots. As they progress up each fairway, the members can often be seen (quickly) filling the occasional divot left by some recalcitrants. It’s all part of "co-operative" course maintenance, and is definitely "not the thing" to be seen playing without your sand bucket. At every tee there is a container full of sand or soil. You fill your bucket from this and take it with you. Walkers carry their bucket in their hand. My buggy/pull cart comes complete with a hook to hang your sand bucket from.
I’ve often thought this might be a good thing here where I play; the carts and par three’s have buckets, but nothing for the walkers. What are the logistics here? How big are the hand carried buckets, and how much sand do you carry? How much sand mix do you need at each hole for the refills? Lugging a gallon bucket full of sand around all day could be real tiring.
Response:
Colin, I can’t speak for all of the US, but I have never played a course here in California where you had a sand/seed bucket anywhere except on the tee. And even then, it is only on some courses, and often only on par 3’s.
Funny, I play a Muni course here in L.A. and the carts come with sand dispensers. Michael — Mit der Dummheit k