Love Your Course: Fixing Your Pitch Marks

Love Your Course is a series of course care video tips for our Members and guests

Fixing Your Pitch Marks

We can all help to maintain the quality of our playing surfaces with just a little effort and care, especially when leaving a pitch mark.

How to fix your pitch marks:

1. Discard any loose turf taken out by the ball
2. Insert the pitch mark repair tool just outside the back of the pitch mark
3. Lever the turf (not the soil) towards the centre of the pitch mark
4. Repeat this action on all sides of the pitch mark
5. Tamp the repaired mark gently with your putter or foot

In addition to the obvious benefits of maintaining a truer putting surface for yourself and fellow Members, there are some longer term benefits for us all to repair at least our own pitch marks.

The disruption to the surface caused by an unrepaired pitch mark only gets worse the next day, as mowing then scalps the lifted turf and causes the scarring to double in size.  

A properly repaired pitch mark will heal within 7 days, whereas incorrectly repaired pitch marks can take weeks and weeks.