It’s happened to the best of us. Standing over a putt for birdie, or better, and as it rolls towards the hole, it hits a mark and changes direction. This is the case at many courses, and it’s completely preventable! We have all seen the marks all over the greens, the huge divots in the fairways and tee boxes, and the seeds lying all over the greens. As golfers, we should be stewards of the courses that we play at. And, unfortunately, we have such hard-working maintenance crews who have to struggle even more to fix these course killers rather than improving the course!
Whose job is it?
Most golfers have seen the signs or read about repairing ball marks when playing, and yet they are a persistent issue. The view of some is that the course should take care of it, it’s not my job. The biggest issue with this is time is the enemy. A ball mark not repaired within a few hours starts to damage the roots around it. In order to fix this the course would have to be sending someone out to fix marks on the greens every hour or so! If you repair a ball mark within the first hour of it being made, it heals within 24 hours. A mark left alone to repair itself for even 12-24 hours will take 2 weeks to heal! Taking a few seconds to repair your mark, and possibly one other, is just good courtesy.
What about the fairways and tee boxes?
Greens will always be the biggest culprit of damage easily seen; we spend the majority of our round on the greens. But what about the damage in the fairways and the tee boxes? We have all walked up to a tee box and seen chunks of grass stripped away and nothing but bare dirt, or found our ball sitting inside a gaping divot someone did not repair. This is something that, as golfers, we should also be helping with.
At Tanglewood, we have the ability to fix both, pretty easily as well! On all the carts you will find sand and grass mixture bottles to pour into divots if you cannot replace them. On the tee boxes at most par 3s, you will find containers with the same mixture! It only takes a few seconds to repair the divot with either of these. A divot left alone to heal, with no mixture and not replaced, takes up to a month to repair. If you are a walker, swing by and ask if you can take one of the divot mix bottles with you for your round!
What is the proper way to repair each problem?
For each of the problems described, the solutions are quick and easy. To repair a ball mark on the green, you can use a repair tool or even just a tee!
How to Repair a Ball Mark on the Green:
- Find your mark, even if it’s a small one.
- Insert the tool or tee into the OUTSIDE of the indentation, NEVER the middle.
- Gently push the good turf to the center of the damage, making a small mound. Never pull UP on the damaged turf; this will tear the roots!
- Tap or smooth the mound down with your putter or hand to create a smooth surface.
- Fix one other mark to help the course heal faster!
How to properly replace your divot (Intact Piece)
- Find your divot/chunk of grass.
- If the piece is whole, lay it flat into your divot hole and press down firmly.
- Fill any gaps with sand/seed mixture.
How to properly replace your divot (Broken/Small chunks)
- Clear any remaining pieces from your divot.
- Fill with Sand/seed mixture until even. Do not overfill, leaving it uneven, or underfill, leaving a hole.
- Step firmly onto the mixture to press and make level with the fairway.
The Little Things
Now, of course, the 2 big things we covered are the most common to run across as golfers. But there are also many small things we can do to help keep the course in amazing shape. Here is a small list of things to avoid or do to help your course and the course maintenance crew keep it in amazing shape!
- No seeds! Sunflower or otherwise. These can cause major damage to the course and can germinate and grow!
- Keep carts away from the greens and out of the mounds.
- Keep the trash in your cart, or in the trash cans.
- Don’t drag your feet or shuffle on the green.
- Pick up your broken tees! If left on the box, they can damage the blades on the mowers.
- Enter and exit sand traps from low points and always push the sand, no pull, to leave smooth surfaces for all.
- Don’t damage the green out of anger. Please remember this is for all golfers to enjoy.
Every little bit helps the course to stay in good condition. And we all know that a course that is in good condition is what we all want to play on. If the crew is able to keep up because we are helping, they can continue to make the course even better!
Written By: Jeromy Prosser
Email: Jeromy@Prossergolf.com
Website: www.Prossergolf.com
