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My personal golf pet peeve - ball marks


JTexGolfer

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Went out with my wife and daughter yesterday to get nine twilight holes in. Our course had struggled mightily with the bermuda greens the first part of the year due to a number of factors, to the the point that they were nearly unplayable. Our super made the necessary changes and got them back up and in good shape, very close to great shape.

 

Everyone had no shortage of bitches about the greens when they were bad, so you would think they would take care of them when good right? But oh no, we had no one behind us yesterday and were taking our time so I went over the greens fixing unattended or poorly fixed ball marks. I fixed anywhere from 5-12 on every green on the front nine. I remember being taught to repair my own ball mark and at least one other when I was learning the game, and it pains me to see little brown spots on the greens due to lazy golfers.

 

Trying to think of what I can do to help in this instance. I am not the golf pro or super and I am not anything other than a paying member of the club so its not like I can sit by a green and yell at people lol. What can be done?

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I remember when I first started playing being a little too proud of having to repair a pitch mark. I saw it as a badge of honour that I'd hit the ball high enough to mark a mark that I made a bit of a show of repairing it, even if no one was watching.

 

Now days I'll regularly fix at least 3 or 4 each green, which is frustrating, as I play at a private club on a member's only day, so I'm fixing other members marks.

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Gawd how can people be so frigging lazy and not fix their ball marks!   That and the butt heads who walk out of traps leaving footprints for those that follow.   I just don't get it and I spend a good bit of time cleaning up behind people who obviously don't give a shat.    :angry:  

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The only effective solution I have seen is to equip course Marshals and, or, non-playing volunteers, with the 40" long pro style pitch mark fixer tools.

This tool is better than a player divot tool, because the user does not have to bend over to fix the pitch mark. Marshals can use them when/if they have the opportunity while monitoring course play. Volunteers may use them at the end of the day and, or, any daylight time the course does not have much play.

As for the players themselves fixing ball marks, my observation is that 80% of players rarely hit a green in regulation. If they do, it is often at the front of the green 30 feet or more from where their ball lay on the green. Inevitably they never look for their own ball mark and, or, see it.

The low percentage of players who actually hit most greens usually see their mark within 10-15 feet of where their ball lay, and they fix it.

I am mostly in this boat of not hitting GIR much for sure. It's a treat for me when I do of course and I sometimes gauge my play that day by the # of pitch marks I've made and hunted down. More often than not though, I find myself repairing pm's that others had left, cuz who wants to putt across a moonscape???!! :huh: I don't understand the lack of just sheer courtesy let alone the etiquette breech by not fixing them. Oh and don't get me started on f-ing sunflower seeds!!! :angry: ..."To the Rant Thread!" :P

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My pet peeve............... no matter what day or what time, we are always stuck behind a group of people that just can't play. The kicker is, there is no one in front of them, and no one behind us.... it's just my group and the group ahead for the whole round. Just once, I'd like to be the group in front...lol.

 

I share your feelings on ball marks and tracks in the sand.

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The amount of ball marks I need to fix is normally a direct correlation to the round I am having, so fixing ball marks is normally a sign that things are going well for me.  My general rule is to find my mark and then fix one or two extras.  I don't go hunting all over the green for them, but I do try to make an effort to find a couple.  I was taught that if you want nice things, you have to take care of the things you have.  It is a bummer that people don't seem to take any ownership at all, or think of the golf course as something that is "ours" instead they just expect others to clean up after them.  To me it is just lazy to leave a mess for someone else to clean up, its like leaving trash behind.  When I get done with my round I also take a quick moment and throw away my trash before I return my cart, because if I don't then it falls on someone else to do it.   

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its an epidemic everywhere.  where I play they pride themselves on excellent greens and most members are very cognizant of marks on the green.  I have seen this season where more and more pitch marks are not being tended to or they are trying to be fixed but still leaving somewhat of a pitch mark.  I fixed 4-5 per hole (avg) on Wednesday which is ridiculous. 

 

Fix your pitch marks people!!!, whether its a full shot in or a pitch shot (which can still leave a mark!).  And might as well fix a couple more since you already have your tool out.  

 

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Yep, working at a course, we have this discussion often.  I hate to be like, we just shrug our shoulders and say it's a losing battle, but it almost is.  We've given out plastic divot repair tools at the starter podium and explained how to use them, it usually falls on deaf ears and we find them in the cart afterward, or anywhere but in players pockets.

 

We are a municipal course, a pretty nice one, but still funded by the county, so we don't have the budget for rangers/Marshall etc.   I'ts pretty much up to the players to maintain themselves.  We are on the course enough during the week to observe, people that are lazy, oblivious, don't care or just don't know how.   We do what we can to help the last category, but the overwhelming reason is just laziness.  Falls in the same category of players that don't rake the bunker and disobey cart path only signs.    They think those rules apply to everyone but them.

 

In addition, I get blamed  alot  :D    My job is to sell outings, and in most cases a lot of charity outing players don't know the basic etiquette of golf, and are probably some of the largest offenders of damaging the course.   Not reparing ball marks, driving the cart up on tee boxes....yes it happens in almost every outing!!   We book in excess of 8,000 outing rounds a year (36 holes) so I get blamed (by our regular players) for a lot of those 8,000 players not taking care of the course

 

Now, that said, the group of regular dally players, I mentioned above  take great pride in trying to keep the course as nice as possible, without them, it would be worst than it is. 

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In addition, I get blamed  alot  :D    My job is to sell outings, and in most cases a lot of charity outing players don't know the basic etiquette of golf, and are probably some of the largest offenders of damaging the course.   Not reparing ball marks, driving the cart up on tee boxes....yes it happens in almost every outing!!   We book in excess of 8,000 outing rounds a year (36 holes) so I get blamed (by our regular players) for a lot of those 8,000 players not taking care of the course

 

In your defense (and I'm just spitballing here): wouldn't casual charity-event golfers make, on the whole, fewer ball marks into the greens? I definitely would expect course damage from carts, etc., but if we're talking about guys who play twice a year, they can't be hitting a lot of greens, right?

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That is one of my pet peeves along with people not raking bunkers. We have it a lot here especially during Tourist Golf seasons which Rev and Fozzy and the rest of the Florida guys run into the same thing we do. The tourist golfers are in town for a week or so and do not give a rats arse. Sadly down here most of the courses are interested in charging tourists extroborant greens fees and selling a lot of alcohol. Drunk and stupid seems to be the way the ball rolls down here now (pun intended). 

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 G

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In your defense (and I'm just spitballing here): wouldn't casual charity-event golfers make, on the whole, fewer ball marks into the greens? I definitely would expect course damage from carts, etc., but if we're talking about guys who play twice a year, they can't be hitting a lot of greens, right?

Yeah and nay but most of them do not know how to pick up their feet either when wearing their new pair of Wal Mart golf shoes.

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 G

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Went out with my wife and daughter yesterday to get nine twilight holes in. Our course had struggled mightily with the bermuda greens the first part of the year due to a number of factors, to the the point that they were nearly unplayable. Our super made the necessary changes and got them back up and in good shape, very close to great shape.

 

Everyone had no shortage of bitches about the greens when they were bad, so you would think they would take care of them when good right? But oh no, we had no one behind us yesterday and were taking our time so I went over the greens fixing unattended or poorly fixed ball marks. I fixed anywhere from 5-12 on every green on the front nine. I remember being taught to repair my own ball mark and at least one other when I was learning the game, and it pains me to see little brown spots on the greens due to lazy golfers.

 

Trying to think of what I can do to help in this instance. I am not the golf pro or super and I am not anything other than a paying member of the club so its not like I can sit by a green and yell at people lol. What can be done?

 

To answer your question. Nothing!!

You're a real golfer because you were taught at an early age and continue as an adult to respect* the greens. You repair your own and a few others each time. I do the same as divots/pitchmarks chap my a$$. But there is nothing people like us can do about it. There's just too many lazy people that play this game who just don't give a damn. They paid a green fee and they're going to hit golf balls all afternoon and guzzle as much beer as possible. Heh!

It doesn't matter much to these folks whether it's a private or muni course.

 

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  My general rule is to find my mark and then fix one or two extras.  I don't go hunting all over the green for them, but I do try to make an effort to find a couple. 

 

This!

 

My brother is a rather new golfer. He doesn't hit very many greens. He hit one the last time out. He was excited to actually fix his mark. When he was done, I asked him if he fixed anymore. He said he fixed his and that was it. I told him to find a few more and fix them... in fact, when you walk on the green to putt, fix a few every time... even if you didn't make the GIR. I'll learn him...lol.

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That is one of my pet peeves along with people not raking bunkers. We have it a lot here especially during Tourist Golf seasons which Rev and Fozzy and the rest of the Florida guys run into the same thing we do. The tourist golfers are in town for a week or so and do not give a rats arse. Sadly down here most of the courses are interested in charging tourists extroborant greens fees and selling a lot of alcohol. Drunk and stupid seems to be the way the ball rolls down here now (pun intended).

I hate to be that guy but a couple of summers ago we opened our club to the Summer Paradise Card to generate some more income.

 

The Super told me it cost more in increased maintenance costs than the income generated. It was stunning - normally you won't find any unrated bunkers and very few ball marks at my club - not that summer!

 

I think it's a loosing battle though. I try to fix two ball marks on every green, at least, when I play elsewhere. Those old caddy habits die slowly.

 

 

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Rev that is not only an old caddy habit but you were raised in the age like I was when etiquette was taught not only as a way of the game but a way of life.

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 G

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Absolutely drives me nuts. There's a course near me I will only play once a year and that's because it is for a fundraiser scramble. It's a semi-private and the members egos are the only thing bigger than their handicaps. I will usually let a partner putt first so I can watch their putt while I walk around fixing marks.

 

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Don't private clubs have a "Greens" Committee? If yours does, maybe that's one place to start..?

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This is a great thread - because I was thinking about it I fixed tons of ball marks today - at least 2 more than my own on every green - sometimes more. I was playing on a reciprocal - the greens were beautiful but there were still marks to fix so I did.

 

My playing partner followed suit too.

 

 

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It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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My short life experience has shown me that in many areas of life, doing the simple things are not so simple. Like shopping carts left in the middle of a parking lot, ball marks and divots are left unattended because, “it's not my job.”

 

I too was taught from a young age to repair at least 2 ball marks per green, even if I didn't leave one myself. It is annoying, but it's a reality on every course so I just do what I'm supposed to do and attempt to not have other players lack of courtesy impact my enjoyment.

 

 

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When I played Friday I think I fixed an average of 5 per green and there were tons others. I was one of the last groups out for the day and finished just before dark. I was fixing the marks other people in the group I was sent out with didn't want to fix.

 

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The local course I play with my dad this year has a downhill par 3, about 130 yards, so the green just gets blasted with high, hard dropping shots. I've played there 4 times this year, 3/4 I had a birdie putt on its way in hit a ball pop mark and jump to leave it just short or kicked to the side. FIX YOU BALL MARKS! It can cost strokes

 

 

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