An improved method for simulating divot injury on turfgrass

Divot recovery has been investigated on many turfgrass species and a number of acceptable methods have been developed to simulate divots for those studies. In an effort to enhance the speed and reliability in simulating divot injuries, a divot-making machine was developed using a motorized lawn edger equipped with multiple saw blades stacked to a width similar to that of a divot. The uniformity of divots produced with this device was compared to two previously developed devices by cutting 30 divots with each device on three turfgrass species and measuring the width, length, depth, and area of each divot. On all turfgrass species, the device described here produced divots that were either as uniform or more uniform for length, width, depth, and area as the other two devices. In addition, the device can create divots five times faster than the other devices. This improved device should enhance the ability and ease of studying divot injury in the future.