Do you know how to repair a pitchmark?

[the_coach]

Can we have a definitive answer please. I am starting to doubt what I do now.

[video=youtube;WmIFm_74RDY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmIFm_74RDY[/video]

if pitch marks repaired straight ways they pretty much fully back as green surface in 24 hours - they don't get fixed at the time will take couple weeks to fix back into any kind of surface and in that meantime make the surface uneven plus make the supers and their teams work a deal harder than it need be

 

[MashieNiblick]

The "pushing" technique is great for fresh pitchmarks that have a distinct ridge towards the front where the ball has impacted at an angle, and definitely gives a better result.

However I find that works less well for more bowl type depressions where the ball has dropped from a higher angle especially if they are a bit old and the surface isn't broken. These do seem to need a gentle little "lift" to get the surface level. Any advice for those?

 

[Smiffy]

I tend to push any up with the toe of my shoe and then compress with the heel to get it as level as I can

 

[North Mimms]

I'd like to see pitch mark repairing introduced as an Olympic discipline.
I reckon I'd be in with a chance of a medal

 

[MashieNiblick]

I'd like to see pitch mark repairing introduced as an Olympic discipline.
I reckon I'd be in with a chance of a medal

I like it. Would it be a speed event - repair a single pitch mark as quickly as possible or an endurance event - having to repair hundreds? Or maybe a lap of the track with a pitch mark every 10 metres so it would be like the 400m hurdles. Maybe have all 3 then you can be a multiple medal winner!

 

[Hosel Fade]

Wish the greenkeepers would go out round the course and just stick a tee peg in the middle of every unrepaired pitch mark and leave them there. Invariably the people who would whinge the loudest will be same as those don't fix them

 

[Region3]

Centurion are selling pitch mark repair tools with a single prong to try to stop the lift merchants so I'd hope the tee peg method is fine Gary.

TBH, a pitch mark repairer is a relatively recent invention. It was probably late 80's before I saw/had one. The problem I find, watching people use one is many are inclined to give it a bit of a twist too. You can't do that with a tee.

I stand corrected. :thup:

 

[Foxholer]

The "pushing" technique is great for fresh pitchmarks that have a distinct ridge towards the front where the ball has impacted at an angle, and definitely gives a better result.

However I find that works less well for more bowl type depressions where the ball has dropped from a higher angle especially if they are a bit old and the surface isn't broken. These do seem to need a gentle little "lift" to get the surface level. Any advice for those?

Remember that not only are you trying to get the surface even again, but also trying to keep the roots from being detached from the leaves! It may be that, in some cases, a careful 'lift' in the centre of the PM will raise the (what must be fairly soft) bowl sufficiently that the 'push' technique can be used to complete the job, In quite a few cases, however, such deep bowls actually could well mean that the roots (or lower part of the plant) have been crushed, so 'repair' isn't feasible! The best that can be hoped for there is to make the surface flat and let the surrounding growth do the 'repairing'.

 

[the_coach]

However I find that works less well for more bowl type depressions where the ball has dropped from a higher angle especially if they are a bit old and the surface isn't broken. These do seem to need a gentle little "lift" to get the surface level. Any advice for those?

would consider it maybes better to adopt a similar technique to that described at around 1':0" in on the vid

key ingredient to 'fixing' any pitch mark is bringing the edges to the center to knit the repair 'over' the indentation
in doing that there's no real need to 'lift' anywheres as lifting tends to only sever the grass from the roots so it dies off

 

[MashieNiblick]

would consider it maybes better to adopt a similar technique to that described at around 1':0" in on the vid

key ingredient to 'fixing' any pitch mark is bringing the edges to the center to knit the repair 'over' the indentation
in doing that there's no real need to 'lift' anywheres as lifting tends to only sever the grass from the roots so it dies off

Yes I think that probably is the best solution. Never seen that technique before for those bare patches but it certainly seems to work. As Foxholer says the roots are probably already damaged beyond hope anyway.

 

[cliveb]

Some advice please. Today I played with a chap who I like very much. He's been playing the game for 60 years and is a far better golfer than I can ever aspire to become. On top of that, he is a really nice guy and generally one of the most popular long time members of our club. But I witnessed him repairing a couple of pitch marks the wrong way, and presumably he's been doing it like that for donkeys years. I couldn't think of any way to broach the subject without feeling like someone telling grandma how to suck eggs.

 

[the_coach]

Some advice please. Today I played with a chap who I like very much. He's been playing the game for 60 years and is a far better golfer than I can ever aspire to become. On top of that, he is a really nice guy and generally one of the most popular long time members of our club. But I witnessed him repairing a couple of pitch marks the wrong way, and presumably he's been doing it like that for donkeys years. I couldn't think of any way to broach the subject without feeling like someone telling grandma how to suck eggs.

maybes there's a ways to navigate it by finding someone approachable on the 'clubs greens supers' & mention the on course in play scenario, of a good experienced player who even given the experience and playing standard still hadn't got the correct method of repairing pitch marks down any at all (which all could be done without naming & shaming the 'guilty' party)

mention given his stature at the club it didn't feel comfortable at the time to raise it with him but also dropping in that if an experienced player can get the wrong end of how to repair marks could well be a whole bunch of folks with similar misconceptions

so maybes the 'greens guys' could in the best prominent position where folks will see it detail how exactly the repairs should best be approached plus the old mantra 'repair your own plus one more' kinda stuff'

could even have the vid (or similar vid) on the cell to show the greens guy could be a 'link' to a/the vid in the info put out - or that kinda stuff