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Please Be A Steward of Golf
One of the most common (and annoying!) breaches of golf etiquette is failing to repair the depression left when a golf ball strikes the putting surface. The greens on a typical golf course can receive 1,000 such depressions on a busy day and if these marks were never repaired it would be like putting on the surface of the moon!
Unrepaired pitch marks (as they are called in the UK) will leave a scar that can take 2-3 weeks to heal and even longer to become level enough with the surrounding surface for a golf ball to roll over without veering off course. Conversely, a well-repaired pitch mark can heal in half that time and will usually allow for an unwavering putt immediately after being repaired.
So, what constitutes a "well-repaired" pitch mark? Studies have conclusively shown that repairing pitch marks using a pushing motion rather than a lifting motion does much less damage to the putting green's root system, a fact most well-intentioned golfers are unaware of. But once this fact is realized, it's easy to understand that an intact root system will promote faster healing than one that has been torn apart. This has long been known by greenskeepers and is the repair method recommended and endorsed by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA).
While any suitable tool (traditional two-pronged divot tool, golf tee, key, etc.) can perform this type of repair when used in the proper way, the design of my "push" style divot tools make it virtually impossible to perform an "improper" repair.
Unlike many other push-type divot tools the thumb indent allows one to intuitively know which side is up. Once held, the prongs of the divot tool are then ergonomically positioned at the proper angle to perform the pushing motion. Lifting the soil and tearing the roots is not a possibility.
Because the pushing method does not tear at the root system very little stress is placed on the prongs, which allows them to be made very thin. An added benefit is that the thinner prongs do less damage to the roots than thicker ones, leaving smaller entry holes, which enables the sod to recover even faster.
Cigar Holder Divot Tools
The cigar holder divot tools are designed with a cradle sized to hold a 50 ring gauge cigar. This helps to keep cigars off of the putting surface where they are very apt to leave burn marks in the grass. But more importantly, they keep the cigar off of dewy greens where they would not only soak up water but also many of the pesticides and herbicides which are necessary to keep golf course turf in pristine condition. Non-smokers can use these tools to prop up their wedge or putter to keep the grips dry.
Materials and Workmanship
In an age where virtually all products are mass-produced and stamped out by the thousands, these unique divot tools are all individually shaped and polished by hand, with attention paid to the smallest details.
The materials come from all over the world - Africa, Asia, Europe and all of the Americas, North, Central and South - and range from exotic tusks, horns, and bones to the world's hardest, densest woods. These materials have been chosen not only for their extraordinary beauty but because their strength and toughness make them very well suited for the stresses imposed on divot tools.
For those of you unfamiliar with wood species, most of these woods are either in, or very close to, the ironwood class of woods. Ironwoods are those woods with a specific gravity of 1.00 or more, so heavy and dense that they will sink in water. In the description of each wooden divot tool I have given the specific gravity of the wood used so an informative decision can be made when comparing different wood species. As a point of reference the specific gravity of the Ash and Rock Maple used to make baseball bats - probably the most familiar of the woods we think of as "hard" - is approximately 0.7.
With their rare combination of beauty, ergonomics, superb materials and fine craftsmanship these divot tools are easily the finest available, anywhere. I'm so sure you won't be disappointed with your purchase I will offer an unconditional guarantee if you are not satisfied with your purchase, for any reason. In addition, I will give a lifetime guarantee on all divot tools against breakage from normal use. Just return the broken divot tool to me and I will replace if free of charge, including shipping.
Styles
In addition to the push-style divot tools I also offer divot tools with a more "traditional" look. I have tried to design these so they can also be used with a pushing motion, but the "proper" usage might not be as immediately intuitive. Their designs are more the result of the peculiar shapes and characteristics of the particular materials they were made from.
When viewing these divot tools please be aware that the one you select is the exact one you will get. I view each one as a work of art, with a shape and grain pattern that makes it unique unto itself. For this reason I don't sell multiples of any single item. When a divot tool is sold it is immediately removed from the site and will be replaced with a different one.
Thank you for visiting and please enjoy browsing the site.
Doug Tanaka
If you have any questions or problems with this website feel free to call me at:
doug@dougtanakadivottools.com
E-mail a friend about Doug Tanaka Divot Tools.
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Featured Product
Mammoth Bark Straight Divot Tool #4 This divot tool was made from a very nice piece of Mammoth Bark that was uncovered in Northern Siberia. Wooly Mammoths ( Mammuthus primigenius) became extinct toward the end of the Pleistocene Period, about 10,000 years ago, so this piece is at least that old and probably closer to 20,000 years old. Mammoth Bark is the very hard exterior layer of the tusk that had been in contact with the soil for thousands of years. This soil contact allows an exchange of minerals that give Mammoth Bark its distinctive and highly prized colorations. Most of the tusks that survive this long have been buried in bogs or other alluvial soils that deprived them of oxygen, helping to prevent decay. The tusks were then frozen and are just recently being exposed due to the melting of the tundra ice. It should be noted that the tusk this piece came from was not a fossil. Fossilized tusk is almost always found in warmer regions where the free movement of moisture creates an exchange of minerals for the original organic material, making it very hard and brittle, like rock. A divot tool made from fossilized tusk would be far too brittle to use, but since this tusk was frozen for most of its existence it retains all the properties of fresh ivory. It is warm to the touch, unlike stone, but takes an exceptionally smooth polish. This exceptional piece is 2-3/4" long, 3/4" wide and 1/4" thick.
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