Best Pitch Mark Repairers for Golf: Your guide to the best divot repair tools

It’s a common misconception that many golfers believe pitch marks are only made by low handicap players and professionals, when in fact, pitch marks – or those dents that balls leave in the greens – can be made by golfers of all abilities.

This is especially true in the winter months when greens are softer, and thus more likely to be left cratered by approaching golf balls.

We’ve all rolled our eyes at the group in front not repairing their own pitch marks, particularly as they always seem to be on our line to the hole.

It can be one of golf’s biggest frustrations; along with unraked bunkers and slow play.

Related: Is THIS the coolest divot tool you have ever seen?!

That said, we know that it’s not YOU that has left your approach shots unrepaired. After all, it’s never us!

We always repair ours... plus two more!

LIV Golf's Lee Westwood recently urged all golfers to do this, especially during the cold winter months when you typically encounter soft greens as a result of the rain. 

Best Pitch Mark Repairers for Golf

With all that in mind, maybe you’d like a new divot repair tool to help you out this season.

Or perhaps you’re looking to buy a small gift for the member of your fourball who can be a little forgetful when it comes to green maintenance.

Either way, we’ve got you covered and have taken some of the more popular models of golf pitch mark repairers out for a spin.

But first, let’s get one thing correct – how to correctly repair a pitch mark.

Comment someones @ who hits no greens so has no pitch marks to repair #Golf #PGATour #DPWorldTour #WinterGolf #CloseHouse #Pitchmark #Green #GolfMaintenance @CloseHouseGolf pic.twitter.com/oXjK13Eccl

— Lee Westwood (@WestwoodLee) November 25, 2021

Whilst it might be tempting to do so, you should avoid using your tool to ‘dig and lift’ the offending mark.

This can break the roots of the grass and causes longer term damage to the overall putting surface.

Instead, stick your pitch mark repairer just outside of the hole that’s been created, and push the turf towards the centre.

When you’ve worked your way around the perimeter of the mark, tap the area down with a putter to leave the area smooth – and the grass below undamaged! 

Oh, and one last thing – don’t do it with a tee peg. Not only will it take twice as long, but you’ll almost certainly not go deep enough when pushing the turf towards the centre; instead breaking the roots of the grass close to the surface of the green (as well as probably breaking your tee). 

Pitch mark repairers are one of the most affordable pieces of kit in the whole of the sport, and can essentially last forever. So do yourself and your fellow golfers a favour by checking out one of these below!

You can pick up one of our selected divot repair tools, some of which are available at American Golf right now. 

What we’re looking for

When it comes to divot repair tools, also known as pitch repairers, we are looking for a couple of simple things.

These are cost, ease of use and durability.

That’s it, they’re not overly technical pieces of kit!

How we tested

As you would expect, we repaired some marks across a practice green. Simple!

GolfMagic's Freelance Tester James Somerside, a very capable 3-handicap golfer, was on hand to test the products in our latest test. 

Right, let's get stuck in to our test, starting with our favourite of the lot... 

Diva Aero St Golf Pitchfork

Need to know

Pros: Retractable three-pronged design. Also comes with ball marker.

Cons: A little pricey, and dirt can get in the mechanism.

Price: £9.95

The three-pronged design of the Diva pitchfork was our best on test when it came to repairing marks on the green with ease. The sharpness of the prongs helps the tool to slide into the turf with ease, making it simple to repair marks – even on firmer greens. The three prongs also seemed to pull in a wider area for the repair, helping us to avoid ripping the grass closest to the surface.

We liked the retractable element of the design, meaning that you’re not stabbing your finger each time you go into your pocket. It also made us feel a little like James Bond! The only slight issue long term may be that dirt can get into the mechanism that flicks the prongs out – although it’s not something we had issue with during our testing.

The Diva Pitchfork comes in a multitude of designs – we had ours in a festive Christmas version as we tested in December, but there are plenty available to suit all tastes.

Verdict

All in, the Diva Aero St Golf Pitchfork is a good product (even if it has a slightly over-engineered name!). It does its job well, and comes with the bonus of a ball marker too. The three-prongs slide into the turf with ease, and their retractable nature avoids any unexpected surprises when you reach for a tee-peg or pencil in your pocket too! Our only slight niggle is the £9.95 pricepoint, but if it’s something that you’re going to use all year (and beyond), we’d say it’s definitely worth the investment.

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TaylorMade Mission Alignment Tool (England Version)

Need to know

Pros: 3 Lions... on a pitch mark repairer!

Cons: 3 Lions... on a pitch mark repairer! (if you’re not English)

Price: £11.95

Like the Diva Aero above, this TaylorMade Mission Alignment Tool comes in a myriad of versions  - with TaylorMade often creating designs for key partners. The England version is decked in red, white, and blue – and features the 3 Lions badge on the removable ball marker.

We liked this ball marker even more so when we turned it over and saw the double stripe alignment – made to help you get everything locked on the target on the green. 

The divot tool is robust, featuring a more traditional two-pronged design, with a slight curve to the prongs helping it into the turf. There’s not an awful lot of additional tech, which is fine – it’s a pitch mark repairer and it does that job sufficiently.

The only slight downside we had was again the pricepoint, with £11.95 feeling a touch on the steep side; although, there are plenty of more expensive ways of supporting your team!

Verdict

The TaylorMade Mission Alignment Tool is a good, solid pitch mark repairer, and the alignment aid on the reverse is effective and easy to use. There’s obviously no other real tech to talk about here, but we’re a fan of showing our support for the 3 Lions … with the same product utilised for other teams and TaylorMade partner golf clubs (such as Wentworth) too.

Brand Fusion Divot Tool & Alignment Markers

Need to know

Pros: Hat clip, alignment ball markets and sturdy metal pitchfork.

Cons: A little basic looking. 

Price: £9.99

Brand Fusion specialise in golf accessories and so it’s no surprise that their pitch mark repair offering is solid. The metal tool worked well and had a sturdy feeling, with longer prongs helping to get deeper into the turf (avoiding ripping the grass at the surface). 

The design incorporates a hat clip, meaning there’s never an excuse to not have your tool with you – even if your pockets are full! Helpfully, it also comes with four different coloured ball markers so that you can match your marker to your style; if that’s your sort of thing.

The markers themselves feature a basic cross, which can help to provide a straight line when popping your ball back down, but don’t necessarily offer too much more than that.

All in, it’s a solid offering, with everything you’d expect from a brand that are ever-present in the golf accessories market.

Verdict

Good solid offering with a multitude of little extras. Not the ‘coolest’ product we tested, but an effective pitch mark repairer which should last a long time. We liked the hat clip and ball markers, although would have preferred a slightly snazzier design on the markers themselves! 

Golf Club Repairers - Assorted

Need to know

Pros: Often free, nice reminder of where you’ve played. 

Cons: Vast difference in styles and qualities.  

Price: free (sometimes!) - £15

Our last inclusion is a bit of a sneaky one, but likely the sort of repairer used by most golfers – that is, the ones they’ve collected from day trips to nice clubs! We had three versions, a standard two-pronged tool (Royal Cinque Ports), a two-prong with marker (Royal St Georges), and an unusual single prong tool from The Grove.

We were most intrigued by The Grove’s version, given it’s not something we’ve seen too often. It has a handy thumb placement and is adorned with their logo. Unfortunately, it’s also quite sharp! This means that it’s great for getting into the turf, but you need to be a little careful when reaching for it in your pocket! Truthfully it also didn’t perform quite as well as the others when repairing marks on the green – perhaps a little style over substance.

The other two from Kent’s Royal Courses were both strong options, performing equally well. We preferred the Royal St Georges tool slightly, as the included ball marker made for one less thing in our pockets, but the design of the Royal Cinque Ports tool (with their logo incorporated into the overall shape) was more than adequate. 

Verdict

It’s difficult to give these a fair rating versus the options rated above due to their differing nature, however, the classic shapes of the Royal St George’s and Cinque Ports tools definitely performed strongly. They also give slightly stronger bragging rights, and are nice reminders of sunny days on some of the UK’s best courses – particularly when testing in December.

Importantly though, they highlight the ease of carrying a pitch mark repairer at all times. Whether it’s something you purchase (in shop or online), or something you’re gifted; there’s just no excuse to not be a considerate golfer and to leave the green in as good, if not a better condition, than when you found it. 

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