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Welcome to Doug Tanaka Divot Tools, home to the world’s finest collection of divot tools. Whether you’re a lifelong devotee of golf or brand new to the sport, professional or amateur, single or multi-digit handicapper, these are sure to be the finest, most beautiful divot tools you have ever owned. The materials have been selected from around the world for their combination of strength and beauty, then individually hand-sculpted to take advantage of each material’s unique pattern. As a result no two tools are ever the same.
Looking for the perfectly unique gift for the golfer who has everything? You have come to the right place! Golfers can be the most finicky sports enthusiasts when it comes to the equipment they use, and rightly so. Unless you’re sure they want a particular club or putter the safest gift pretty much comes down to clothing. Safe, yes, but hardly original. I constantly receive emails telling me how thrilled friends and relatives are when they open their present. One of my most memorable messages came from a fellow who received one as a gift and a few weeks later bought another one. It seems he kept his original tool in the ashtray of his car to play with on his daily commute and couldn’t bring himself to take it out on the golf course, so he was buying another one to actually use!
Because each tool is so unique I do not sell or make them in bulk. They are not mass-produced but shaped individually by hand and I view each one as a work of art. When you buy a tool from my website you will receive that exact one and it is immediately removed from the site. I often acquire materials, especially woods, that have unusually nice patterns, and the resulting tools will be particularly beautiful or unique. When this happens I try to point them out knowing there’s a good chance they will never be replicated. If you happen to see one of these that you like don’t miss your opportunity to pick it up.
All of the divot tools come in a nice, padded gift box with a small booklet that describes the material it was made from. Anyone who plays golf knows that a large percentage of one’s playing time is spent waiting for the group ahead to clear out, leaving a lot of time for chatting with your playing partners. Since the materials used to make my tools are so unusual, having information on the material gives a little something extra and fun to talk about while passing the time.
One of the most frequently asked questions about my tools are whether they’re strong and durable enough to actually use. The answer is a definite “Yes!” As beautiful and elegant as these tools are, I never lose sight of the fact that they are tools made to be used. Most the woods are dense and heavy enough to be classified as “Ironwoods”, woods heavy enough to sink in water, or very close to that weight. The other, more exotic materials have also been selected for their combination of strength and beauty. I am so confident in the durability of these tools, they all come with a lifetime guarantee against breakage as long as I am in business. I even guarantee them against wear through the years, rare to find in almost any product. The way I see it, if you hit enough greens to eventually wear one of my tools out you’ve earned the right to receive a new one! To make sure this policy isn’t abused, all I ask is that you send me the old tool. It’s as simple as that.
The divot tools come in several different styles. To learn more about them, how their designs came about, and how they’re used please click here or use the link above.
A frequent request is for me to make multiple tools from the same material to give as gifts for groomsmen. Whenever possible I will try to fulfill the request but please bear in mind that I do make the tools individually and availability is dependent on the stock I happen to have on hand. Unless the tools have already been made I also need quite a bit of lead time so please plan ahead.
I also occasionally get requests to make a tool out of a material someone already has, the most memorable being a bear hunter who wanted a divot tool made from the leg bone! Being a craftsman who truly enjoys making things I’m more than happy to oblige as long as the material is suitable for a working tool.
To learn more about me please click here or the link above.
If you have any other questions or requests please feel free to contact me at (email).
doug@dougtanakadivottools.com
E-mail a friend about Doug Tanaka Divot Tools.
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Featured Product
Water Buffalo Horn Push-style Cigar Holder/Divot Tool This divot tool is made from a domestic Asian Water Buffalo horn (Bubalus bubalis). The domestic Asian Water Buffalo has been an important part of Asian culture for over 5,000 years and has often been called “the living tractor of the East”. There are an estimated 158 million worldwide with 97% in Asia, and of those 50% are in India. They are highly valued for their meat and milk, as well as for labor as draft animals. Their dung is also valued as fertilizer and when dried, a source of fuel. The milk has a high fat content and is the traditional raw material for Mozzarella cheese.
They are very massive animals, often weighing more than a ton, up to 8 feet in length and 6 feet in height. In 1955 a bull was found whose horns measured just over 13 feet from tip to tip but this was most likely a wild Water Buffalo (Bubalus arnee), a much larger species than the domesticated variety with much larger horns. The horn is moderately hard, usually jet black in color but sometimes with green to brownish hues, and takes a very high polish.
This is a very pretty piece with subtle grayish grain lines and white to brownish inclusions. Most Water Buffalo horn is jet black and, while very striking and elegant, sometimes appears plastic. The grain lines give this particular tool a lot of character. I think it's one of the nicer horn tools I've made. It's just shy of 3" in length and 7/8" wide. The cigar cradle is 13/16" long, 11/16" wide and 3/16" deep, suitable for a Panatela or small Corona up to ring gauge 42. Weight is 10.28 grams.
This tool has been designed to be used with a pushing motion as opposed to a lifting motion. Research performed at Kansas State University has shown that repairing pitch marks using a pushing motion is much kinder to the sod's root system, enabling greens to heal faster and is recommended by the Golf Course Superintendents Association.
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