Thanks for your interest in Doug Tanaka Divot Tools. I first started making these divot tools about 15 years ago after getting fed up with the flat metal and plastic divot tools that were currently on the market. Aside from their prongs being an inefficient shape for lifting sod, the flat design made it very difficult to penetrate into hard greens without a vise-like grip. Advancing arthritis in my fingers was making this more and more painful and I resolved to make a better tool.

Being an avid amateur woodworker and inveterate tinkerer, wood became my material of choice. The requirements were that it should have slightly curved prongs, an indent for the thumb to nestle into, and a raised ridge for the thumb to press against. The wood needed to be extremely hard and stiff so my first divot tool was made from a piece of Brazilian Ironwood I had left over from a previous project. With a specific gravity over 1.0 (heavy enough to sink in water) it proved to be plenty strong enough and served me well for many years.

A few years later I made some as gifts for friends out of Cocobolo and Gaboon Ebony, and then in the winter of 2005 I began posting them on eBay. As sales and interest increased I began to realize people were not only interested in the divot tools because of their design but also because of my use of exotic woods, so I started expanding the variety of woods and also began looking into alternative materials. This led me using various horns, bones and tusks which proved to be excellent materials for divot tools.

Early in 2006 it was suggested to me that I should make a divot tool capable of holding a cigar. It seemed that there were no nicely designed cigar holder/divot tools on the market so I set about designing one. After working with horns and tusks for several months, and having to adapt my designs around their often odd shapes, I came up with the S-series. This series of divot tools features an asymmetrical design that makes it even easier to use than the original, straight design.

I am always open to suggestions so feel free to contact me if you have an idea for another material or possible design.  I am also open to making custom divot tools if you want to provide your own material or need to have one modified for a special need.

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