Course practice

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Andkemp

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Course practice - Your opinion!

I was warned not to practice on the course. I hit several balls from the rough to which 3 landed on the green. The course was very quiet. I repaired all pitch marks and any divots. I avoided the fairway to minimise any damage. We have a range which is all on mats. Personally I find this ridiculous as the traffic on the course is not high.
 
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Re: Course practice - Your opinion!

If it's quiet, I do that a lot. We have a short course which I use more often for practice but will use the main course every now and then. Most clubs like you said have mats, which aren't in great condition and the balls are even worse, so much prefer being on the course
 
Thanks. I just wanted to bend the ear of other players. The course is rarely busy. To elaborate, the green keeper was dressing the green on a bank holiday which I questioned and spoke about the pace being quicker and we chatted for 10 mins. I complained about tyre tracks on a tee couple days later so think its just him being petty. We do have a par 3 course which I do use for chipping/sand but want to hit a few drives from tees and some medium irons in real conditions.
 
It is a rule at some clubs and if it is then it should be followed.
Personally, if divots and pitch marks are repaired, its no different to a 4 ball playing so I can't see the issue as long as there is nobody behind you.
 
I'm not aware of any rule and like you say it would likely be due to holding up play if there was as a 4ball would likely do as much damage. It's not a particularly busy course and as a small club not many members it has non members play who do more damage. I've only been playing to a handicap for a couple of years where I've went from 19-12 and think I know the rules/etiquette pretty well as followed golf for far longer.
 
I often do this when the course is quiet after a bad shot. As long as divots are repaired and no one is waiting then it's fine.
 
The problem with course practice is when is it too much?

I am all in favour of playing 2 balls on an empty course or going for the putt again when its clear behind. Anything more than a threeball would hit is where I draw the line I guess. Going to a 4ball equivalent as a single would feel like too much. To me anything more than just an extra ball on a quiet course feels like I am not doing my bit to play quickly. Who knows who might catch me up and I wish I had not dawdled earlier to keep a nice gap.
 
I play 7 holes for practice at my lunch break. I play two balls on 5 of them as long as its clear by at least 2 holes behind me. I don't play the first or the last with two balls as I don't want to draw any attention to me doing so. But whilst the course is busy I play the one ball and just enjoy the on course practice.
 
Suppose it's a case of what kind of practice. Playing the course with 2,3 or even 4 balls and isn't so bad if you aren't holding anyone up.

Drills on the course with loads of balls is a different thing. Staying in the rough is all well and good but the player that then find themselves in the area that constituted someones practice area isn't going to make them feel too happy when they are in a patch of ground full of repaired divots. OK it's rub of the green but the course is not the place for that kind of practice.

See this frustration commonly on courses where drop off the fairway is implemented over winter. Courses that manage this well usually widen the fairway so the rough you drop is where the second cut might be during the summer. Courses that don't manage it so well or might be tighter and can't widen as much have the normal course set up. Come the spring you might miss the fairway by a foot and get massively punished with a pathetic lay.
 
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Thanks for all the views.
i agree with all views. Most commonly if on my own it's a time where the course is empty normally due to the weather and would hit a couple of balls and maybe practice a few putts and chips as on the course I play it's short and open so can see most tees and greens therefore can determine how close someone is behind.
Any other time it's normally with a few other members so it's just a match play format.
I agree with the hitting from rough and leaving a spot you wouldn't want to be in on a round so I don't hit from same area and there was no damage to course at all as the head green keeper stood and spoke to me for 10 minutes aware of what I was doing and said nothing until I complained about his shortcomings.
 
Andkemp said:
Thanks for all the views.
i agree with all views. Most commonly if on my own it's a time where the course is empty normally due to the weather and would hit a couple of balls and maybe practice a few putts and chips as on the course I play it's short and open so can see most tees and greens therefore can determine how close someone is behind.
Any other time it's normally with a few other members so it's just a match play format.
I agree with the hitting from rough and leaving a spot you wouldn't want to be in on a round so I don't hit from same area and there was no damage to course at all as the head green keeper stood and spoke to me for 10 minutes aware of what I was doing and said nothing until I complained about his shortcomings.
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How to make friends and influence people :rofl:
 
Andkemp said:
Ha well tyre tracks over a tee is taking the mick I reckon.
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Are you saying they were made by him?

I suggest you get up for a week at the hour he does and go tag along with him and observe all the stupid things ignorant golfers do that make his job such a pleasure to do! Not repairing pitch-marks is amongst the least of their worries!
 
Foxholer said:
Are you saying they were made by him?

I suggest you get up for a week at the hour he does and go tag along with him and observe all the stupid things ignorant golfers do that make his job such a pleasure to do! Not repairing pitch-marks is amongst the least of their worries!
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i was informed it was the new boy. Ground staff all the same.

In all fairness I fully understand the difficulties they have with the ground and conditions and I don't complain regular but as none of the ground staff actually play we all suggest what could be done to improve things and play other courses in the area where these things don't happen.

Any chance you can make sure bunkers are raked, the reply is you shouldn't be in the bunker!
 
Andkemp said:
i was informed it was the new boy. Ground staff all the same.

In all fairness I fully understand the difficulties they have with the ground and conditions and I don't complain regular but as none of the ground staff actually play we all suggest what could be done to improve things and play other courses in the area where these things don't happen.

Any chance you can make sure bunkerfs are raked, the reply is you shouldn't be in the bunker!
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If the players raked the bunkers, the greenstaff wouldn't have to.

P.S. He was right, you shouldn't be in it and if you are, it's a hazard, you're not supposed to have a perfect lie
 
HawkeyeMS said:
If the players raked the bunkers, the greenstaff wouldn't have to.

P.S. He was right, you shouldn't be in it and if you are, it's a hazard, you're not supposed to have a perfect lie
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I don't agree with that entirely. If I'm out last in a medal and others already played then tough luck I get that but should they not be raked before competition if not before start of play on any day.
 
Andkemp said:
I don't agree with that entirely. If I'm out last in a medal and others already played then tough luck I get that but should they not be raked before competition if not before start of play on any day.
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Sure they can have the bunkers raked but don't start complaining because they didn't have a chance to cut the greens before play.
 
We don't allow hitting more than two balls when playing the course. Club rule and one I'm happy to stick to.

Can imagine nothing worse than landing in the rough in an old patch of divots where someone was firing balls at the green/down the fairway.
 
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