[GolfSpy Tim]

NoJoke DIV Pro Divot Tool Review


http://www.nojoke.com/divpro.php




Introduction:


Like peanut butter and jelly, there isn't much of a better fit than cigars and golf.

If you’re like me, and you love smoking a cigar while chasing a ball around the course, you’ll likely appreciate the DIV Pro by NoJoke.

Aiming to solve the obvious and then some, the DIV Pro is a divot tool, ball marker, cigar holder, club head cleaner, golf grip saver, and a shotgun beer opener (that’s right, just in case you don’t make it past the forward tee on your drive, you can now opt to shotgun a beer rather than dropping your pants)

I’m not normally one to shy away from shotgunning a beer, but unfortunately so far in my review of the DIV Pro I haven’t had a chance to put it to the test. If/when I do, I’ll be sure to follow up with a solid video for you. (in the meantime, you can check out a youtube video of this guy doing it: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=NxA-DT_7dNA )







The Details

NoJoke is the creator of the DIV Pro divot tool, listed on their site for $14.99 + $4.99 for shipping. Along with the DIV Pro they also sell a separate Shotgun beer opener, as well as some accessories. Mostly available through their website, NoJoke also sells the DIV Pro through a number of retailers which can be found listed on their site.

Mixing up a divot tool and a ball maker isn’t the newest creation, but combining the six options they have is something I haven’t seen before in one tool.

The tool measures 4 ¼” long, 1 1/8” a the widest, just under 1” deep at it’s deepest and weighs in at 55 grams. The tines themselves for fixing your divot are slightly over 1 1/2” long.






The DIV Pro tools I received to review came in both a brushed aluminum looking finish, as well as a gun metal meets gloss finish. The tools I received were in velvet bags with an instruction manual for the Shotgun Golf Rules, as well as a list and photos of the 6 defined uses for the tool. (I did receive one tool that was packaged for retail/hanging on a shelf and included similar contents, but not bag)




My Experience and Thoughts


Some quick sluthing around online found a review of the DIV Pro by Cigar Afficianado (love that magazine and all the yumminess inside) – While they suggested the DIV Pro might be poor form to use in shotgunning a beer on course – I’ll leave that up to you to decide, but I can’t say it’s against my standards on a lazy day.

This tool is a bit larger than your average divot repair tool, but hey, it serves 6 functions in one instrument… it’s going to be bigger, and hey, size matters, and bigger is better right? Personally, I have no complaint about the size of this tool, I’ve walked countless holes (well, countable on my scorecard, but let’s not talk about how I’ve been scoring recently) and I’ve also ridden a cart for numerous outings as well and never once has the DIV Pro bothered me because of it’s size/mass in my pocket. Yes – upon first placing the tool in my pocket, I notice that it’s there and taking up space, but never has it adversely affected me and taken attention from my mind during my swing – and more often than not, I forget it’s in my pocket, and I reach for my trusty old ball marker that I had left in my bag.




The ball marker is great. Not only can you order a custom marker with your logo (they sent me quite a few marker samples, and several of my favorite cigar manufacturers have been at my disposal during testing) But to top it off, the tool has a pretty strong magnet that when dropping the marker back into your pocket, pretty flawlessly draws the marker back to the tool.







Now, getting down to the number one reason I was interested in reviewing this tool, it’s ability to hold a cigar off of the ground. The DIV Pro performs this function flawlessly. While I don’t smoke the world’s biggest cigars, I don’t smoker small cigars normally either, and the tool does a great job of holding pretty much any sized cigar securely – and ultimately, I just feel cool busting out such a solid tool to hold my cigar while my friends look on.




As a divot tool, as with any self respecting divot tool, this one gets the job done. In my book, it’s as simple as that in this department (I actually started reading some articles about the length of the tines on the tool and blah blah blah… well, personally, the DIV Pro fixes my divots – of which there are often too few – quite well)

For club cleaning, sure, it can do some scrapping and keep on ticking, but I still personally prefer my brush.

Grip saving… honestly, the last thing I’m thinking about when golfing is pulling this guy out to rest my club against, but yes, it does handle this job if it’s one you care about – me, I’m more worried about my cigar.


Customization




In case you are hosting a tournament, or own a business where you’d like to give out a bag stuffer that isn’t just fluff and that maybe someone will hold onto, I think the DIV Pro is a great option. There are some pretty major names on the sample ball markers that were delivered with my test lot, and I gotta say, if I were visiting a company and they handed me one of these, I’d truly appreciate it. It has physical weight to it, and it’s just solid. Now I just need to figure out which of my clients are into golf and cigars so I can start handing them out with my logo. (NoJoke does offer bulk rates on customized tools through their website if you’re interested)


Value

I know plenty of guys who refuse to buy a divot tool, you see them at the pro shop counter for anywhere from $8 to $15, but these guys insist on just using a tee to fix their divot.

I’m here to admit to you today, that I was one of those guys (well, my buddy game me a crappy plastic tool, so I had been using that) But after testing the DIV Pro out, I’m sold.

If I weren’t a cigar smoker, then I’d probably still question the price (that is unless I was a perpetual beer shotgun champion on the course…) But fold holding a cigar, fixing a divot and marking my ball, this has all the value I need.


Peanut Gallery


NoJoke was generous and ended up mailing out a few extra tools that I gave to a few of my golf buddies to try with me. Being delivered in the velvet bag as they were, I think my friends thought these were made of gold at first. One guy didn’t really take it out of the bag until I told him it was time for us to light up our cigars.

Once our cigars were lit and it came time for us to set our cigars down, my friends were sold (I think they were sold on first sight, but the fact that they had a secure place for their cigar did them in)

None of my friends once complained about the size of the tool in their pocket.

Final Thoughts


I have a new divot tool that I believe will last for years and years to come so long as I don’t lose it. And in the case that I do lose it, I know I’ll be quickly heading to NoJoke.com to order a replacement (that is unless someone has come out with a beer disspencing divot tool, then I might have to buy that one.)

A very solid A+ in my book



and the rules for Shotgun Beer Golf:



I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day to do a review: