Patent Publication Number: US-6699144-B1

Title: Powder dispensing golf ball marker with built-in divot repair tool

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of priority on U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/371,487, filed Apr. 10, 2002. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     Embodiments of the invention relate to golf ball marking and divot repair tool used by golfers on a putting green. 
     GENERAL BACKGROUND 
     Golfers commonly use a ball marking device while on the putting green to mark the spot where their ball came to rest. These devices allow them to pick up and remove their ball from the putting surface. The principal reason for removing their ball is to prevent it from interfering with the putt of another player whose ball came to rest further away from the cup. The player furthest away from the cup putts first. 
     Currently, a wide range of plastic and metal coin-sized ball marking devices are used as ball markers. In fact, many golfers often use an actual coin as a ball marker. Current ball marking devices are commonly carried either loosely in the pocket, snapped to the top of a divot repair tool which is carried in the pocket, snapped to the top of a putter club grip handle, or take the form of a removable snap attached to the back of a golf glove. 
     However, these conventional ball marking devices have a number of common disadvantages. First of all, these ball marking devices have a three-dimensional physical presence when placed on the putting surface, even if the golfer takes extra care to firmly push the marker into the turf. Therefore, a ball putt from any direction can still roll into/over the ball marking device and have its path altered in some way. This type of interference defeats the principal reason for marking and removing the ball in the first place. Secondly, conventional ball marking devices are frequently and easily lost or misplaced. After a golfer walks onto the putting green and realizes that his/her marker was lost or misplaced, play must often be delayed while the golfer endures the inconvenience of walking back to his/her cart and digging through crowded golf bag pockets to find a replacement marker or coin. Finally, many golfers do not like to carry loose items in their pockets. The movement, weight, and/or presence of pocket items interferes with their play. 
     When a ball is hit high into the air and lands on the putting green, it commonly leaves an indentation called a divot. Golfers are encouraged to repair this divot by using a divot repair tool. Normally made of either plastic or metal of varying composition, thickness and strength, divot repair tools have a two-pronged fork and a short handle just wide enough and long enough to fit between thumb and forefinger. The fork prongs are inserted into the turf around the impacted area. The turf is then pried as best as possible back into its original flat surface shape, thereby eliminating the indentation. Divot repair tools are usually carried in the pocket or retrieved from the golf cart or a golf bag pocket when needed. 
     Current divot repair tools present two main disadvantages. First of all, since they are relatively small in size, they are easily and often lost or misplaced, thereby presenting delays in play or inconveniences to the golfer who has discovered that the tool had been lost or misplaced and must search for another in his/her bag. Secondly, many golfers do not like to carry items in their pockets. Metal divot repair tools can be heavy and therefore distracting and uncomfortable in the pocket. In fact, if unfortunately positioned, these fork prongs can cause injury to the user when forcefully applied against the leg of the user or poke holes in the user&#39;s pockets. 
     Some divot repair tools also have a coin-sized ball marker attached via snap or magnet to the flat “handle” area where the thumb and forefinger are placed. This all-in-one tool allows golfers to only carry one tool for their putting green ball mark needs. However, since the design and functionality of the ball marker and divot repair components remain unchanged from the separate devices already discussed, this combination device shares the same list of disadvantages. 
     Many ball markers and divot repair tools are designed in such a way as to appeal to a golfer&#39;s sense of fashion or self expression. These devices offer unique, often artistic designs or shapes or are made of special materials such as gold or silver plated metal. The golfer must often pay a premium for these fashionably designed ball markers and divot tools. Yet the devices remain for the most part in their pocket or in a pocket in their golf bag, thus defeating the purpose of paying a premium to make a fashion statement. 
     It is also extremely common for corporations and golf courses to place their name and/or logo on golf ball markers or divot repair tools. However, the lack of any appreciable amount of surface area make for placement of advertisement logos ineffective. Also, given the fact that both of these devices are most often carried in the pocket, the corporate name and logo is not visible to other players, except for perhaps a brief glimpse when the device is taken out and used. This lack of visibility reduces the promotional value of these devices. 
     It should be noted that there already exists a ball marking device that dispenses a circle of powder to mark the spot where the ball came to rest. It is a small cylindrical device about the size of a CHAPSTICK® tube. A ball bearing sticks partially out of one slightly tapered first end. The ball bearing is kept in place by a removable spring which spans the entire length inside the cylinder. Powder is inserted into the hollow cylinder via a screw cap located at a second end opposite the first end. The spring loaded ball bearing forms a seal on the tapered end preventing the powder from escaping. When the spring loaded ball end of the device is pressed against the putting surface, the ball is pushed into the cylinder and the powder then flows out through the opening. When lifted from the putting surface, the spring pushes the ball back into the tapered end thus reforming the seal. However, the conventional powder dispensing device suffers from a number of disadvantages: 
     a. It is small and designed to be carried in the golfer&#39;s pocket, in a golf bag pocket, or in a golf cart compartment. Therefore, it is easily lost or misplaced, thus causing delays in play and inconveniences associated with digging through golf bag pockets looking for it. 
     b. Many golfers do not like to keep items in their pocket. For these golfers, the only option would be to place this device in a golf bag pocket or in a golf cart compartment. It is therefore easy for these golfers to forget to grab this device before they walk onto the putting green after grabbing their putter. In this instance, it would be inconvenient and cause delays for them to return to the cart or golf bag to retrieve the device if it was needed. 
     c. Even if the device is carried in a golfer&#39;s pocket, powder can easily be accidentally dispensed inside the pocket, thereby causing a mess. 
     d. Once the device is being firmly pressed against the turf, there is nothing to prevent powder from continuing to flow out of the device. The only way to stop the flow of powder is to lift the device off the turf. If the golfer is not careful, he/she can consistently dispense more powder than was needed. This would result in the need to refill the device more often than necessary, which would be especially inconvenient if the device ran out of powder in the middle of a round of golf and the golfer did not have replacement powder available. 
     e. The small ball bearing can get dirty or wet, resulting in powder getting clogged on the tapered end and preventing it from operating properly. If this happens, then the ball, spring and all the remaining powder must be removed from the screw cap end in order to remove the ball, clean it and get it working again. This is time consuming and could cause a delay in play if the golfer needed to perform this cleaning in the middle of a golf match. Also, without a proper receptacle or storage device in which to place the powder that was removed, this powder would be discarded since it would be too difficult to hold it, keep it dry, and refill the cylinder with it. If the golfer did not bring extra powder and a funnel to replace the removed and discarded powder, then the device would be rendered useless for the rest of that round of golf. 
     f. Much like traditional coin-sized ball markers, this device also offers limited promotional value to corporations and golf courses that want to prominently display their names and logos. It is small and easily lost or misplaced, thus limiting the duration of the promotional benefit. It is also mostly kept in the golfer&#39;s pocket or in a golf bag pocket, thus dramatically limiting the visibility of the corporation&#39;s or golf course&#39;s name and logo. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention may best be understood by referring to the following description and accompanying drawings that are used to illustrate embodiments of the invention. 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a first embodiment of the invention with all the components that are to be assembled into the ball marking and divot repair tool. 
     FIG. 2 is an exemplary embodiment of the left side of the mark/repair tool of FIG. 1 after assembly with divot repair tool fork in a closed position. 
     FIG. 3 is an exemplary embodiment of the rear side of the mark/repair tool of FIG. 1 after assembly with the divot repair tool fork in an opened position. 
     FIG. 4 an exemplary embodiment of the front side of the mark/repair tool of FIG. 1 after assembly with the divot repair tool fork in a closed position. 
     FIG. 5 an exemplary embodiment of the right side of the mark/repair tool of FIG. 1 after assembly. 
     FIG. 6 is a second exemplary embodiment of the mark/repair tool. 
     FIG. 7 is an exemplary embodiment of a left side of the mark/repair tool of FIG. 6 before final assembly and placement of the sleeve with a divot repair tool fork in a closed position. 
     FIG. 8 is an exemplary embodiment of a side view of the divot repair tool fork of the mark/repair tool of FIG.  6 . 
     FIG. 9 is an exemplary embodiment of a front side of the mark/repair tool of FIG. 6 before final assembly and placement of the sleeve with a divot repair tool fork in a slightly opened position. 
     FIG. 10 is an exemplary embodiment of a right side of the mark/repair tool of FIG. 6 before final assembly and placement of the sleeve and collar. 
     FIG. 11 is an exemplary embodiment of a left side of the mark/repair tool of FIG. 6 after assembly with a divot repair tool fork in a closed position. 
     FIG. 12 is an exemplary embodiment of the left side of the mark/repair tool of FIG. 6 after assembly with a divot repair tool fork in an opened position. 
     FIG. 13 is a third exemplary embodiment of the mark/repair tool. 
     FIG. 14 is an exemplary embodiment of a back side of the mark/repair tool of FIG. 13 after assembly with a divot repair tool fork in an opened position. 
     FIG. 15 is an exemplary embodiment of the back side of the mark/repair tool of FIG. 13 after assembly with a divot repair tool fork in a closed position. 
     FIG. 16 is an exemplary embodiment of a left side of the mark/repair tool of FIG. 13 after assembly with a divot repair tool fork in an opened position. 
     FIG. 17 is an exemplary embodiment of the left side of the mark/repair tool of FIG. 13 after assembly with the divot repair tool fork in a closed position. 
     FIG. 18 is an exemplary embodiment of a fourth embodiment of the invention with a removable powder cartridge. 
    
    
     Certain embodiments of the invention relate to a powder dispensing ball marker and divot repair tool (referred to as “mark/repair tool”). Certain details are set forth below in order to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the invention, albeit the invention may be practiced through many embodiments other that those illustrated. Well-known components and fastening techniques are not set forth in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring this description. 
     I. First Embodiment 
     Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of an exploded view of a first embodiment of a powder ball marking and divot repair tool is illustrated. As shown, a plurality of components are assembled to produce a powder dispensing ball marker and divot repair tool (referred to as “mark/repair tool”)  1 . 
     Two of these components include the two separate halves forming combined units  31   a  and  31   b .A first combined unit  31   a  comprises a powder chamber  28   a  and a first divot axle housing  34   a  attached together through a fastening mechanism (e.g., mechanical fastener, adhesive, etc.) or manufactured as a single element. A second combined unit  31   b  comprises a powder chamber  28   b  and a second divot axle housing  34   b  complementary to and configured for coupling with the first combined unit  31   a.    
     As shown, powder chambers  28   a  and  28   b  are complementary halves, which collectively form a storage container for powder. As one embodiment, the placement of powder chambers  28   a  and  28   b  in physical contact with each other produces a generally cylindrical powder chamber  28  that is hollow. The powder chamber  28  features an enclosed top end  29  and a threaded opening collectively formed by bottom ends  26   a  and  26   b.    
     Each divot axle housing  34   a  and  34   b  comprises several sub-components as will be shown in FIG. 2,  3 ,  4 , and  5  to collectively form divot axle housing  34 . A waistband clip  30  is located at the back side of divot axle housing  34   a  extending out of a base  42  of divot axle housing  34   a.    
     During the assembly process, each combined unit  31   a  and  31   b  is brought together with an axle  25  of a divot repair tool  24  being captured by complementary female slots  32   a  and  32   b  placed within combined units  31   a  and  31   b .Once combined units  31   a  and  32   b  are locked together with ends of axle  25  of divot repair tool  24  positioned at least partially within female slots  32   a  and  32   b , a sleeve  18  is slid on over the powder chamber and locked in place up against bases  42 ,  43  of divot axle housings  34   a  and  34   b , respectively. 
     Divot repair tool  24  then is snapped closed into a cut-out portion  20  of sleeve  18 . To place divot repair tool  24  into an opened position, the thumb and forefinger of the user is inserted into tapered indentations  22  in sleeve  18  in order to grip a backside of a fork portion  27  of divot repair tool  24 . The user then pulls divot repair tool  24 , which rotates along axle  25 . 
     The diameter of the bottom opening of sleeve  18  is generally equivalent to an outside diameter of the powder chamber bottom formed bottom ends  26   a  and  26   b , thus allowing sleeve  18  to fit snuggly in place. Complementary locking mechanisms placed on the inside of sleeve  18  (not shown) and the outside of the resultant powder chamber  28  also keep sleeve  18  from twisting or moving once it is slipped on. 
     As shown in FIGS. 2,  3 ,  4 , and  5 , an outside surface of sleeve  18  may feature a hardened plastic material, perhaps with the random dimple pattern similar to a real golf ball as shown. Of course, alternative materials may be used. For instance, the outside surface of sleeve  18  may feature golf glove leather composition or another material such as graphite, metal (e.g., including precious metal) or the like. These alternative sleeve compositions will be attached to combined units  31   a  and  31   b  to produce the assembled mark/repair tool  1 . 
     As further shown in FIG. 1, a spring  16  is inserted about halfway into powder chamber  28  through an opening formed by bottom ends  26   a  and  26   b . Spring  16  comes into contact with an internal retaining ring (e.g., two or more posts or other types of protrusions formed within an inner wall of powder chamber  28 ) to prevent spring  16  from going further into powder chamber  28 . A ball  14  is then placed in physical contact with an end  17  of spring  16  and a collar  12 . Then, collar  12  is rotated onto threaded bottom ends  26   a  and  26   b  of the resultant powder chamber  28 . Collar  12  has an opening  11  and raised grips  13  on an outside surface to aid in gripping while rotating for fastening on and removing from threaded bottom ends  26   a  and  26   b . Of course, before spring  16  is inserted, powder chamber  28  needs to be filled with a powder such as powdered chalk or talcum. A variety of powder colors can be supported. 
     More specifically, with respect to FIG. 2, an exemplary embodiment of the left side of the mark/repair tool  1  of FIG. 1 after assembly of sleeve  18  with divot repair tool  24  in a closed position is shown. When divot repair tool  24  is opened, axle  25  rotates on an axis  50  until a shaft  19  of divot repair tool  24  comes into contact with an upper half of slot  40 , which is part of the axle divot housing  34 . Shaft  19  of divot repair tool  24  generally rests within a lower half of slot  40  when divot repair tool  24  is in the closed position. 
     Also shown in FIG. 2 is a left side view of a belt loop bridge  36 . Note how it extends backward beyond the width of sleeve  18  and base  42  of divot axle housing  34   a  of FIG.  1 . This is to allow mark/repair tool  1  to lie comfortably flush against the body of the golfer when it clipped to the belt loop. 
     When collar  12  is fully screwed on, ball  14  is pushed solidly up against the inner tapered end of collar  12  by spring  16 , leaving slightly less than half of ball  14  protruding from bottom opening  11  of collar  12 . The powder will not leak out because ball  14  is firmly pressed closed against the tapered end of collar  12 . When upward pressure is applied to ball  14 , a small gap inside collar  12  between ball  14  and opening  11  is created. This allows a small amount of powder to fall down around the inner half of ball. 
     To use this invention to place a powder mark on the green, ball  14  is simply pressed against the turf. This causes upward pressure on ball  14 . As a result, ball  14  is pushed against the tension of spring  16  into collar  12  and simultaneously into the opening of powder chamber  28  until it stops, generally plugging the opening to powder chamber  28 . While ball  14  is making this movement, the previous amount of powder that had filled the inner part of collar  12  around the inner half of ball  14  will flow out of collar opening  11  thus leaving a round powder mark on the putting surface. Additional, unnecessary powder is prevented from flowing out of mark/repair tool  1  because ball  14  is generally plugging the powder chamber opening. 
     The left side view of the belt loop clip swinging spring loaded on-off door  38  more clearly depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5 is also shown. Also note that the female slots  32   a  and  32   b  for axle  25  of divot repair tool  24  are shown in FIG.  2 . However, these slots  32   a  and  32   b  are actually inside the divot axle housings  34   a  and  34   b  and cannot be seen from the outside. 
     Referring to FIG. 3, an exemplary embodiment of the rear side of mark/repair tool  1  of FIG. 1 after assembly with the divot repair tool fork in an opened position is illustrated. Belt loop bridge  36  can be more clearly seen. When the invention is clipped to the golfer&#39;s belt loop, bridge  36  will be behind the belt loop thus holding the device on. 
     To put mark/repair tool  1  on a belt loop, the golfer will hold mark/repair tool  1  perpendicular to the golfer&#39;s body and use a no-look quick catch hook  44  to grab the belt loop. Then the golfer will slide mark/repair tool  1  forward with hook  44  sliding behind the belt loop. This will cause the belt loop clip swinging spring loaded on-off door  38  to be pushed open. 
     Once the quick catch hook  44  is slid fully behind the belt loop and appears on the other side, the golfer can either release mark/repair tool  1  and let if fall parallel to the body, or while mark/repair tool  1  is still in his/her hand it can be swung down to a parallel position with belt loop bridge  36  holding it onto the belt loop. 
     Alternatively, the golfer can use the waistband clip  30  to clip mark/repair tool  1  onto his or her waistband. 
     Note that FIG. 3 also shows how divot repair tool  24  swings on its axle and then snaps into either the open or closed position. When placed in an opened position, divot repair tool  24  is angularly contoured to be comfortably held in the palm of the golfer&#39;s hand, thus allowing for easy leverage to be used to repair the indentation/divot in the green. 
     Referring now to FIG. 4, an exemplary embodiment of the front side of mark/repair tool  1  of FIG. 1 after assembly with the divot repair tool fork in a closed position is shown. It is contemplated that a portion  46  of sleeve  18  protrudes through a gap between fork prongs  24  when divot repair tool  24  is in the closed position. 
     Referring to FIG. 5, an exemplary embodiment of the right side of mark/repair tool  1  of FIG. 1 after assembly. The no-look quick belt loop hook  44  can be seen. In addition, belt loop clip swinging spring loaded on-off door  38  is also clearly seen from this side. Note that door  38  only extend about two thirds of the way to the back side of divot axle housing  34   b . When mark/repair tool  1  is already attached to the golfer&#39;s belt loop, there needs to be room for door  38  to be pushed down/open and not have the belt loop get in the way. As a result, door  38  does not extend all the way to the back side. Also note that the front/left/top side of door  38  protrudes past the width of sleeve  18 . This protrusion provides extra room to the front side of the no-look hook for the golfer&#39;s thumb to easily catch and push down/open door  38 , thus making it also no-look and quick/easy for getting off the belt loop. 
     In summary, from the description of the first embodiment set forth above and shown in FIGS. 1-5, a number of advantages associated with marker/ repair tool  1  are evident: 
     a. If ball  14  needs cleaning or if chalk gets clogged, powder chamber  28  does not need to be emptied to gain access to ball  14  and powder outflow area. Marker/repair tool  1  can simply be turned upside down and collar  12  rotated and/or removed. This then allows for easy cleaning and quick replacement of ball  14  and collar  12 . 
     b. When divot repair tool  24  is not in use and therefore snapped into its sleeve cutout section  20 , the tips of the fork  24  are safely out of the way thus avoiding injury or damage to clothing. 
     c. When divot repair tool  24  is being used and therefore is snapped into shaft slot  40 , marker/repair tool  1  fits comfortably in the palm of the hand thus providing for easier leverage in repairing putting surface indentations/divots. 
     d. As a palm sized device that can be clipped to a belt loop, waistband, or to a golf bag, marker/repair tool  1  is not easily lost or misplaced unlike other much smaller ball marker and divot repair devices. It will also not be easily forgotten like other ball marker or divot repair devices carried in a golf bag pocket or golf cart compartment when the golfer retrieves his/her putter and walks to the green. 
     e. Marker/repair tool  1  is designed to lie flat against the body when clipped onto either the belt loop or waistband. Therefore, it remains comfortable to wear and will not bother the golfer, unlike other ball marker and divot repair devices that, if carried by the golfer, are placed in his or her pocket. 
     f. With a no-look quick belt loop hook, marker/repair tool  1  is easy and fast to put on. Also, with its no-look easy-grab swinging clip door  38 , it is easy and fast to remove from the belt loop. 
     g. Marker/repair tool  1  has a broad front surface area that is ideal for placing a corporate name and logo. And since it is worn on the belt loop or waistband or clipped to the outside top of the golf bag, it provides outstanding visibility for the corporate name and logo. The promotional benefits are therefore far greater than a small device that is placed in either the golfer&#39;s pocket, a golf bag pocket, or in a golf cart compartment. 
     II. Second Embodiment 
     Referring to FIG. 6, an exemplary embodiment of a perspective view of a second embodiment of a powder ball marking and divot repair tool ( “mark/repair tool”)  100  is illustrated. Mark/repair tool  100  comprises a divot axle housing  110 , a sleeve  120 , a powder release mechanism  130 , a divot repair tool  140  and a waistband clip  150  (not shown, see FIG.  7 ). Covered by sleeve  120 , a powder chamber  160  contains powder for ball marking usage. As shown, concave indentations  122  are positioned on sleeve  120  to be partially under divot repair tool  140  having a substantial angular contour. Convex bumps  112  are positioned on a divot axle housing  110  to provide additional friction for assistance in removal of mark/repair tool  100  from a belt when attached by waistband clip  150 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 7, an exemplary embodiment of a left side of mark/repair tool  100  of FIG. 6 before final assembly and placement of sleeve  120  is shown. Separate and complementary halves are combined to form divot axle housing  110  and powder chamber  160 , leaving a slot  114  to allow divot repair tool  140  to be rotated. Also, waistband clip  150  is coupled to divot axle housing  110  and is configured with an exaggerated curvature to allow easier placement on a waistband of pants, a belt or other article or accessory of clothing. 
     As shown in both FIGS. 7 and 8, divot repair tool  140  comprises a repair fork  142  and a connection shaft  144  having at least one post  146  positioned at a top end  145  of connection segment  144 . Two oppositely directed posts  146  are used for this embodiment. The post(s)  146  are inserted into corresponding female spacing(s) of divot axle housing  110  as that post(s)  146  produce an axle  148 . This allows divot repair tool  140  to be rotated from a closed position of FIG. 7 about the axle until a top surface  149  of shaft  144  comes into contact with slot  114 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 7,  9  and  10 , powder chamber  160  is a partially cylindrical structure that is hollow to contain powder. Powder chamber  160  features an enclosed top end  161  and an opening at bottom end  162  (optionally threaded as shown), which is directly coupled to powder release mechanism  130  of FIG.  6 . Along an inner wall  164  of powder chamber  160 , internal structure  166  (e.g., two or more posts or other types of protrusions formed along inner wall  164 ) is used by powder release mechanism  130 . 
     In particular, as shown in FIG. 6, powder release mechanism  130  comprises a spring  132 , a ball  134  placed in physical contact with a first end  133  of spring  132  and a collar  136 . Internal structure  166  prevents spring  132  from going further into powder chamber  160 . Ball  134  is in contact with first end  133  of spring  132  and collar  136  being removably coupled to bottom end  162  of powder chamber  160 . Collar  136  has an opening  138  and raised grips  139  on an outside surface to aid in gripping while rotating for fastening on and removing from bottom end  162 . Of course, before spring  132  is inserted, powder chamber  160  needs to be filled with either powdered substance (chalk, talcum, etc.). 
     As further shown in FIG. 9, an exterior structure  168  (e.g., two or more posts formed along outer wall  165 ) are used for maintaining sleeve  120  in place. This may be accomplished by sleeve  120  having a complementary structure that securely snaps onto exterior structure  168 . 
     In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, an attachment mechanism  170  positioned on divot axle housing  110 . Attachment mechanism  170  comprises a belt loop bridge  172 , a catch hook  174 , and a spring-loaded attachment door  176 . When mark/repair tool  100  is clipped to the golfer&#39;s belt loop, bridge  172  will be behind the belt loop thus holding the tool on. To place mark/repair tool  100  on a belt loop, a golfer will hold mark/repair tool  100  perpendicular to the body use catch hook  174  to grab the belt loop. Then, the golfer will slide mark/repair tool  100  forward with catch hook  174  sliding behind the belt loop. This will cause the spring-loaded attachment door  176  to be pushed open. 
     Once catch hook  174  is slid fully behind the belt loop and appears on the other side, the golfer can either release mark/repair tool  100  and let if fall parallel to the body, or while mark/repair tool  100  is still in his/her hand it can be swung down to a parallel position with belt loop bridge  172  holding it onto the belt loop. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, exemplary embodiments of a left side of the mark/repair tool  100  of FIG. 6 after assembly with divot repair tool  140  in both closed and open positions are shown. Sleeve  120  is attached to substantially enclose the powder chamber, which is coupled to powder release mechanism  130 . A first indentation  124  having a shape substantially consistent with repair fork  142  of divot repair tool  140  is placed in sleeve  120 . In addition, concave indentations  122  are generally placed on opposite sides of prong portions of first indentation  124 . Since concave indentations  122  begin at a boundary area of first indentation, concave indentations  122  have a depth at least equal to and in most cases greater than the depth of first indentation  124 . 
     III. Third Embodiment 
     Referring to FIG. 13, an exemplary embodiment of a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a mark/repair tool  200  after assembly is shown. Mark/repair tool  200  comprises an divot axle housing  210 , a powder chamber  220 , a sleeve  230 , a powder release mechanism  240 , a divot repair tool  250  (see FIGS. 14-17) and an attachment loop  260 . Unlike mark/repair tools  1 ,  100  of FIGS. 1 and 6, powder chamber  220  extends into divot axle housing  210 , which is hollow and adapted to store a powder. Mounted on a surface of divot axle housing  210 , attachment loop  260  allows for mark/repair tool  200  to be attached to a fastener (e.g., chain, carabiner ring, etc.) to provide portability with the golfer. 
     Powder release mechanism  240  comprises a removable spring  242  and ball  246  that applies pressure to one end  243  of spring  242  being a collar (not shown) is coupled to a bottom end  222  of powder chamber  220 . The another end  244  of spring  242  comes into contact with an internal structure  224  placed on an inner wall  225  of powder chamber  220 . Sleeve  230  remains attached to powder chamber  220  by a snap structure  228  placed on an outer wall  226  of powder chamber  220 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 14 and 15, exemplary embodiments of a back side of mark/repair tool  200  of FIG. 13 after assembly with a divot repair tool fork in both opened and closed positions are shown. Similar to the other embodiments, divot repair tool  250  has a slight concave curvature when placed in an opened position. Indentations  232  and  234  within sleeve  230  are used so that a repair fork  252  of divot repair tool  250  in the closed position generally rests flush against sleeve  230  as shown in FIG.  15 . Indentations  236  enable fingers of a golfer to slide under repair fork  252  before rotation and placement in an opened position. Exemplary embodiments of a left side of mark/repair tool  200  of FIG. 13 after assembly are illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17. 
     IV. Fourth Embodiment 
     Referring now to FIG. 18, an exemplary embodiment of a fourth embodiment of the invention with a removable powder cartridge is shown. The removable powder cartridge  340  may be adapted for any design of mark/repair tool. For example, mark/repair tool  300  comprises divot axle housing  310 , sleeve  320  and a divot repair tool (not shown) generally equivalent to those components of any of the other mark/repair tools of FIGS. 1,  6  and  13 . Covered by sleeve  120 , a powder chamber  330  contains powder for ball marking usage. However, instead of receiving loose, powder chamber  330  receives a powder cartridge  340 . Powder cartridge  340  is inserted into powder chamber  330 , which is designed with a securing mechanism  350  to maintain cartridge  340  in powder chamber  340  during use. Examples of securing mechanisms may include, but are not limited or restricted to the following: (1) a threaded portion at the top of the powder chamber  330  designed to receive a complementary threaded portion on cartridge  350 ; (2) spring-loaded posts that are aligned for insertion into corresponding slots in which the posts are retracted to allow cartridge  340  to be removed from powder chamber  330  (ports can be placed to extend from inner wall of powder chamber  340  or from an outer surface of cartridge  350 ); or (3) combination of collar and an internal structure placed on an inner wall of powder chamber  330  to prevent further movement into powder chamber  330 . 
     While the invention has been described in terms of several embodiments, the invention should not limited to only those embodiments described, but can be practiced with modification and alteration within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For instance, although not shown, the fastening mechanism of the mark/repair tool may be implemented differently than a waistband clip ( 30 ) or belt loop clip fastening scheme ( 36 ,  172 ) as set forth above. As an example, the mark/repair tool may be adapted for attachment and removal from conventional cell phone waistband clips. According to one embodiment, this may be accomplished by placing a protrusion along a side of the sleeve for mating with an opening of the waistband clip. The description is thus to be regarded as illustrative instead of limiting.