How to Repair a Ball Mark the Right Way (Most Golfers Do It Wrong)

The short answer: insert your divot tool at the edges of the ball mark and push the turf toward the center, working around the depression — then tap the surface flat with your putter. Never pry upward from underneath. That's the entire technique, and it takes about ten seconds.

Why prying upward is the mistake almost everyone makes

The instinct is to stick the tool under the depression and lever it up, like popping a dent. But a ball mark isn't a dent — it's living turf. The impact drives the grass down and stretches the roots; the plant is compressed but still connected. When you pry upward, you tear those roots, and the lifted plug of grass dies. That's why so many "repaired" marks turn into brown scars: the repair was the fatal part.

Research on putting-green recovery has shown a correctly repaired ball mark heals in a few days, while an unrepaired or badly repaired one can take two to three weeks and often leaves a dead spot. Multiply that by every group on a busy green and you get the pitted, bumpy surfaces everyone complains about.

The correct technique, step by step

First, find the mark — it's usually a step or two beyond your pitch mark's landing point, on the target side. Second, insert your tool at the edge of the depression, angled slightly inward. Third, push the turf laterally toward the center — don't lift. Work around the mark's perimeter, pushing from three or four sides, like closing a drawstring. Fourth, tap everything flat with the sole of your putter. The surface should look smooth enough to putt over, because someone behind you probably will.

Fix yours plus one

The old caddie rule is worth adopting: repair your ball mark and one other. Greens accumulate unrepaired marks from every group that didn't bother, and the players who fix two leave every green better than they found it. It's the cheapest contribution you can make to your home course's conditions.

The right tool helps

Any two-pronged divot tool works with the technique above. A switchblade divot tool earns its spot in your pocket because the prongs fold away — no stabbing your leg through four hours of walking — and flips open one-handed when you reach the green. Most designs, including ours, build a ball marker into the handle so both green-side jobs live on one tool.

Quick answers

Should you repair ball marks on the fringe? Yes — the technique is the same, and fringe turf recovers the same way green turf does.

Can you use a tee instead of a divot tool? In a pinch, yes. The technique matters more than the tool: push edges inward, never pry up. A proper tool is just faster and kinder to your tees.

What about repairing spike marks or old dead marks? Under the current Rules of Golf you may repair almost any damage on the green, including old marks and spike damage, as long as you don't unreasonably delay play.