Most golfers likely have no idea what goes on behind the scenes to get their course prepped and ready for play each day. Pull back the curtain at the maintenance barn and golfers would be amazed to discover that it takes a combination of science, artistry, and hard work to provide the quality of playing surfaces that they expect.
And it’s OK if we don’t have an in-depth knowledge of maintenance practices and procedures. It really isn’t necessary for us to know how to set a mowing schedule or why it’s important to measure turfgrass clipping volume. But what all golfers do need to understand is the critical role we can play in daily upkeep by following one of the most important principals of golf etiquette.
Leave the course better than you found it.
What is it to leave the course better than you found it? It means not only cleaning up after yourself, but also taking the time to repair any damage that may have been done by less-thoughtful golfers.
By following the etiquette guidelines below, we can do our part to help care for the courses we play on and help maintain good playing conditions. Even a modest collective effort can have a major impact.
The best action to take is finding the piece or clump of grass you just took out of the ground and put it back in the divot. Then pour some sand over the top of the divot and press down with your shoe to secure it in place. Then gently sweep that sand smooth with your shoe so that it’s even with the ground and not the top of the grass. If you cannot locate the piece of grass, just fill the divot with sand and again level it out with the playing surface.
The rule of thumb should be to repair your ball mark and three others that you find on the green. Repairing those little depressions is very important. Equally important is doing it the right way. Because while many golfers fail to repair ball marks, there are also many well-meaning golfers who do “repair” the pitch marks, only they do it incorrectly. Below are the steps recommended by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of American on how to properly repair ball marks on a green.
Step #1: Take your ball mark repair tool and insert the prongs into the turf at the edge of the depression. Note: Do NOT insert the prongs into the depression itself, but at the rim of the depression.
Step #2: Push the edge of the ball mark toward the center, using your ball mark repair tool in a “gentle twisting motion,” in the words of the GCSAA. Note: Do NOT insert the tool at an angle, so the prongs are beneath the center of the crater, and then to use the tool as a lever to push the bottom of the ball mark back up even with the surface. Pushing the bottom of the depression upward only tears the roots and kills the grass.
Step #3: Once you’ve worked around the rim of the ball mark with your repair tool, pushing the grass toward the center, there’s only one thing left to do: Gently tamp down the repaired ball mark with your putter to smooth the surface.
If you find your ball in a bunker, follow these tips after you've played your shot to make sure you leave a good surface for others:
Tip #1: Enter and exit from the low side of the bunker at the point closest to your ball to keep the bunker edges firm and in good shape.
Tip #2: Bring a rake with you into the bunker to avoid walking back and forth and disturbing the sand even more.
Tip #3: To smooth out the surface after the shot has been played, alternate between pulling the sand toward you and pushing it away from you to make the bunker surface even without sand displacement.
Tip #4: Upon exiting the bunker, place the rake along the outer edge of the bunker and parallel to the line of play.
Check with the golf shop staff or starter to make sure you know what the cart rules are for the day before heading out on the course. Cart rules can frequently change due to course maintenance or inclement weather.
In general, players should stay on the cart path whenever possible to protect the fairway turf. Many courses ask you to stay on the path until you can make a 90-degree turn off the path and toward your ball. Always maintain a safe distance from tees, greens, and penalty areas.
A golf course is a vast piece of exposed land, so the wind can cause trash to blow out of your cart or even out of the waste basket. If you see litter on the ground, be respectful of your surroundings and pick it up and dispose of it properly.
If you can manage to do these things every time you tee it up, you’ll definitely leave the golf course better than you found it. If enough of us do that, we’ll all enjoy better playing conditions.