Walk onto any golf course on a Saturday morning and you'll see it everywhere — ball marks pressed down with a tee, stabbed in the center and pried upward, or just left entirely. Most golfers were never taught the right technique, and the tools they're using are making it worse.
A properly repaired ball mark heals in about 24 hours. An improperly repaired one can take two weeks or more.
Why the Two-Prong Method Is Wrong
When you insert two prongs and push inward toward the center, you compress the soil and tear the grass roots underneath. The grass looks repaired on the surface, but the root structure is damaged below.
The Correct Way to Fix a Ball Mark
Step 1: Insert your divot tool at the outer edge of the depression — not the center.
Step 2: Use a gentle twisting motion to work the grass back toward the middle. Rotate around the perimeter of the mark.
Step 3: No lifting. Ever. The goal is horizontal movement only.
Step 4: Tap it down lightly with your putter.
Done correctly, that mark heals overnight.
Why the Tool Matters
A single-prong tool keeps your motion honest. That's why we built the Ace Divot Tool as a single prong, CNC machined from solid brass. One point, inserted at the edge, rotated around — no shortcuts the design lets you take.
Fix Two Ball Marks Every Round
There's an old rule of etiquette: fix your own ball mark and one more. Good greens start with golfers who know what they're doing. Now you do.