Pitch marks.....

[Wabinez]

As the majority here. I repair my own, and any others seen on. The greens. The front third of our greens can get quite bad...especially after societies have played

 

[SocketRocket]

Dont worry too much about it. people have been leaving their pitch marks for hundreds of years now and it will always be the same. Repair some yourselves and lessen the damage but there is no answer to the problem, unfortunately.

 

[ScienceBoy]

I try and repair at least two.

Even if I didn't get mine I got at least two other peoples.

Sometimes you do not realise you made one or you missed it somehow, if you at least see any others and fix them you leave the green no worse than when you arrived.

If everyone did this then all pitch marks would get fixed, even if people did not do their own!

 

[chrisd]

Maybe membership interviews should be more stringent!!

 

[duncan mackie]

Dont worry too much about it. people have been leaving their pitch marks for hundreds of years now and it will always be the same. Repair some yourselves and lessen the damage but there is no answer to the problem, unfortunately.

whilst I agree the first sentiment, I am absolutely convinced that requiring every player to show the starter a dedicated pitch mark repair tool before teeing off on the first hole makes a huge difference (and not just to the first green!).

it does everything from setting a tone to being a polite reminded; and focuses the issue on that person - not everyone else.

there is no excuse for teeing off without one - there is no excuse for not repairing any damage you cause to the putting green.

it's not complicated

 

[Ads749r]

Repairing other people's pitch marks is the only time I get to use my official liverpool fc repairer tool. Irritates me so much when people leave them. You could have a thing where the club asks for 10 volunteers to go around once or twice a week repairing pitch marks and and they get a free bottle of wine or meal or something like that. It would be cheaper than spending thousands on machinery and material repairing the greens. I'm sure I've heard someone say there called divot parties or something were you walk round getting drunk fixing the course.

 

[Foxholer]

whilst I agree the first sentiment, I am absolutely convinced that requiring every player to show the starter a dedicated pitch mark repair tool before teeing off on the first hole makes a huge difference (and not just to the first green!).

it does everything from setting a tone to being a polite reminded; and focuses the issue on that person - not everyone else.

there is no excuse for teeing off without one - there is no excuse for not repairing any damage you cause to the putting green.

it's not complicated

If you have a Tee in your pocket, you have a tool to repair pitch marks!

 

[duncan mackie]

If you have a Tee in your pocket, you have a tool to repair pitch marks!

not if you carry one purple castle and use discarded wooden bits as your only alternative!

it's also been clearly illustrated that even the best tee peg isn't as efficient.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Maybe membership interviews should be more stringent!!

Aye - maybe all new members should swear an oath to the golf club - part of which would be 'I am wholly and solely responsible for finding and repairing my pitch mark on the green; for repairing any others that I find, and for pointing out to others where they have missed theirs'

 

[One Planer]

After a good drive on the 18th today, I hit a corking 4 iron onto the front fringe of the green from 180 yards.

Once I chipped on I proceeded to repair 3 pitch marks at the very front of the green(pin was at the back).

After repairing these, I did another 2 en route to my ball.

The group behind seemd a little annoyed but I explained to them in th club house after what I was doing. . ..

What I heard next left me stunned.

One chap looked me straight in the eye and said

"Why are you rrepairing other peoples pitch marks?"

To say I was gob smacked would be an understatement

 

[Andre Linoge]

OR maybe some do not know how to repair a pitch mark PROPERLY and leave it a mess.
[video=youtube;f-ZzT8yMnmg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-ZzT8yMnmg[/video]

 

[Foxholer]

Once I chipped on I proceeded to repair 3 pitch marks at the very front of the green(pin was at the back).
...

This (and the inverse) seems to be a major 'cause' of unrepaired PMs. Players are too intent on marking their ball to look for the PM.

...
The group behind seemd a little annoyed but I explained to them in th club house after what I was doing. . ..

What I heard next left me stunned.

One chap looked me straight in the eye and said

"Why are you rrepairing other peoples pitch marks?"

To say I was gob smacked would be an understatement

Incredible! Ask the Head Greenie to have a word - or 3!

Packed course? Group behind seems to have been very close. You can repair the PMs (on the green) before you play your shot btw.

 

[Wilson]

Repairing other people's pitch marks is the only time I get to use my official liverpool fc repairer tool. Irritates me so much when people leave them. You could have a thing where the club asks for 10 volunteers to go around once or twice a week repairing pitch marks and and they get a free bottle of wine or meal or something like that. It would be cheaper than spending thousands on machinery and material repairing the greens. I'm sure I've heard someone say there called divot parties or something were you walk round getting drunk fixing the course.

They used to have divot evenings at my old club, everyone that turned up to help got a free feed afterwards.

 

[Slab]

A quick google shows plastic repairers available at retail for 12-14p each (so should be even cheaper for the pro to get them in) so no reason clubs cant include them in cost of membership/visitor fees

Couple of colour A3 posters up in clubhouse/starter box on the steps needs to correctly repair
(take down past captains portrait from 30 years ago if no wall space available)

No reason they cant run video clips on how to repair a pitchmark on the TV in the bar area (along with loads of other general etiquette/hints/tips/tuition & advert clips from the pro) The pro should already be producing video content for the bar/lounge TV anyway

Real-time, on-course clampdown (in a nice way) to offenders for several weekends to get the message instilled (committee members can forgo playing and police the most affected greens for the day)

Cant hurt can it?

 

[Doon frae Troon]

The belfry has to be the nations worst at pitch marks and un raked bunkers

Well if the members at the Belfry think firing balls at the range ball collector is 'fun', forgive me if I don't find that surprising.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

We were fourth 3ball group out in our roll-up on Saturday. Twice we had to repair 'craters' in the green. This baffled us as we would have absolutely have expected all 12 players ahead of us to have been very sensitive about need to repair their pitch marks - and even if the pitch marks were not caused by any of our roll-up they were very obvious and should have been repaired. We mentioned this to the group in front and they disclaimed responsibility for making them - however that does not take away their general responsibilities as members. And so I will be mentioning this to the organiser next week to stress to us all.

As far as being moaned at by the group behind for you spending time fixing repair marks - well they need seriously put in place by your secretary.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Repairing a couple of pitch marks (per green), raking bunkers (even footprints you didn't make) and replacing divots have never been and should never be classed as slow play.

These are all essential parts of any round.

If you DO NOT do any of these you might as well leave the flag out and drive buggies across greens.

I can however always forgive someone not repairing their own pitch mark as long as they repair at least two others, spending time looking your your pitch mark if you are only half sure you made one instead of repairing at least two obvious ones is probably getting closer to being "slow play".

In short, rather than telling people to repair their own pitch mark every time, tell them just to repair at least two, one being their own if found without undue delay, a delay being a period of time which would stop them repairing two pitch marks.

 

[dewsweeper]

I agree on both points (scary!!). You can't educate them and at a risk of the wrath of some I'd suggest many are senior golfers who play regularly and perhaps juniors with a "not my problem" chip on their shoulder. Some will be new members perhaps not aware of the need, but at least they are perhaps more open to being shown how and why.

In my experience, it is usually exactly those who don't repair that are the first to moan, not just about the greens but things like bunkers and I'll go as far to say they may only give them a cursory glance with a bunker when they go in one. As I say I may be generalistic but definitely something I've seen a lot at the clubs I've been at

How on earth can you possibly know who does and does not repair pitchmarks?
And how do you then ascertain they are the first to moan?
I play with many people ,young ,old and indeterminate who often have to be gently reminded to check the green.
I' m 75 and have a "gizmo" on my putter to repair both my own and others marks,I am no saint but is just what I have
done for years.
Blaming specific categories of golfers is unfair in my opinion,and too easy.
Education,education education is the way forward,I think.
Dewsweeper

 

[Retread61]

How on earth can you possibly know who does and does not repair pitchmarks?
And how do you then ascertain they are the first to moan?
I play with many people ,young ,old and indeterminate who often have to be gently reminded to check the green.
I' m 75 and have a "gizmo" on my putter to repair both my own and others marks,I am no saint but is just what I have
done for years.
Blaming specific categories of golfers is unfair in my opinion,and too easy.
Education,education education is the way forward,I think.
Dewsweeper

Well said that Man! I have now been lucky enough to have had membership at several clubs and the problem is perennial. I played last week on Sunday lunchtime and we repaired several pitchmarks on pretty much every hole...........and not a society or guest in sight. It is incumbent on all of us to educate those who don't or wont behave properly. In my experience once they get it then it is never an issue again. But that's just my experience, you guys may have been confronted with something else.

 

[3565]

It's not just the state of the greens, you can say that divots, bunkers unraked and par3 tee sand and seed mixtures are not being seen to by members. I repair my fair share of pitch marks, divot replacement, raking sand and filling divots with sand while I'm playing. Some divots I've seen can only be made by a JCB excavator with the sod of turf 10yds up the fairway, I understand you can get an unfortunate lie in a bunker with foxes paw prints but not through a golfers footprint.

The basics of repairing damage that you cause is not being done, it's up to the players to police and point out to others what they are not doing.