pitch marks

[mar48]

pitch marks is there a right way to repair, should a national poster campaign be put up in pro shops to show the right way as i am sure most people have never been shown, also do you think it is young or old who do not repair the most, personally i believe it is the old and ladies mostly

 

[swingstar1]

I agree a poster campiagn would be a great idea - I must admit I was doing it incorectly for a while and I'm sure I am not alone

not so sure you can blame one group more than another though

 

[MacMachattie]

No. Don't think we want to start a hate campaign against old lady golfers. They're far too scary.

On the subject of culpability though. I think that novices often don't realise that their shots are creating pitch marks. We had a campaign at our club earlier this season, the pro handed a leaflet to everyone going out to play. Difference made? - None.

 

[BigStu]

I do think that the older generation probably find it difficult to bend down and repair the mark so we can maybe let them off a little bit.

Are a lot of the marks left by the poorer golfers? As a reasonable golfer the pitch mark is often quite close to where the ball has finished, making it is easy to find and repair it. What if your ball has landed 30,40 or even more feet away from where the ball has finished? Maybe it is too difficult to find and after a quick look with no luck it is just left.

Should they not rest until they have found their pitch mark?

Surely it would be sorted if all golfers looked for and repaired their own pitch mark plus, where possible, any other visible marks.

 

[MacMachattie]

Reminds me of a time at University when my flat mate suggested a way to solve our problem of a sink overflowing with dirty dishes. He forwarded a plan that we all did all our own washing up plus one other item. He was a canny so-and-so - just meant he never had to do any washing up at all!

 

[muttleee]

Are a lot of the marks left by the poorer golfers?

Golfers of a lower standard probably miss a lot more greens than those off single figures, with the result that they are hitting short pitches and chips onto greens more often. Obviously those don't tend to leave pitch marks.

As for who's to blame, I get the feeling that the worst offenders are also the ones who complain most loudly about the state of the greens!

 

[golfdonkey]

I'm with Mr Muttlee - generally better players make more pitchmarks. They are often in a position to hit lofted irons into greens and are more accurate - so probably do the most damage. There's no point telling people to repair pitchmarks. As with everything else in golf etiquette, it's up to the individual.

 

[furyk_or_unique]

I agree that it's probably not just one age or group of golfer that's most guilty - just anyone who doesn't care enough about the game or the course. Ladies are highly unlikely to be the chief culpirts as they don't tend to flight the ball high enough to make the deepest craters you find on the greens.

My club has in the past had a MORT campaign (Make One Repair Two) and in general I think we have a better than average unrepaired pitch mark quotient.

 

[The_Golfer]

I agree, novices usually end up chipping or thinning their shots onto the greens, only high lofted shots with spin usually result in a pitch mark and these are left by the more experienced players.

Whenever I approach a green, whether its a chip, pitch or short iron, if a divot is clearly in my sight I repair it, two at most, I think of it as setting an example or just good housekeeping. The funny thing is, that when I land on the green save as from a chip, repairing a divot gives me a real sense of gratification, I see it as a pat on the back for a good shot, especially when the shape clearly indicates high spin from the ball!!!!

 

[PaulOHagan]

I think clubs have made a big effort recently to make people aware of the damage an unprepared pitch-mark. We’ve all seen the stats scattered around golf courses and pro shops but do people take any notice?