No sport takes etiquette more seriously than golf does, and that means when you play a round, you’re also signing up to help maintain the course.
What does that mean? It’s doing your part to repair the damage that we all cause when we play the game. With minimal effort you’ll help keep the greens in good shape and help the golfers who play behind you. When we all do our part, everybody reaps the benefits.
These are mostly just common-sense practices. Nobody wants to play from someone’s footprint in the sand, or putt through a wayward ball mark on the green, or have that good drive come to rest in the divot someone left behind.
Here are a few tips on how to help yourself and others:
Bunkers
- Always enter the bunker on the low side and avoid walking in or out on the steep face. Doing that can cause damage to the face of the bunker and ruin someone else’s round if they end up in one of your deep footprints.
- Use the rake provided by the club to smooth out any areas that you disturbed with your feet and club so that you leave the bunker better than you found it. I like to gently push the rake back and through the area I was in and fix any disturbed areas left by other players.
Pitch marks on the green
- Every player should have a pitch mark repair tool or a tee in their pocket when they play.
- After marking your ball, you want to find your pitch mark (the indentation created when the ball lands on the green) and gently push the tee or tool toward the center. You should go around the indentation so it is repaired evenly. Once you do this lightly tap the mark down (many of us use the bottom of our putters for this) making it nice and smooth for the players who follow.
- My personal rule is to try and fix 2-3 pitch marks while on the putting surface. If you see one that needs saving, save it!
- Why does this matter? A properly repaired ball mark will completely heal below the surface in 1-to-2 days. An ignored ball mark could take weeks to heal and may scar the green.
Fill your divots
- When filling divots with sand from your cart make sure you fill them completely and step or brush any excess sand off the top, so it is level with the grass. Not filling your divot completely will leave an indentation in the fairway. Overfilling the divot will leave an uneven lie and possibly damage mowing equipment.
- My personal rule is always try to fill multiple divots after you hit your shot!
If you would like to train with me, please send an email to MikeS@MiamiLakesGolf.Com.