Pitch marks

[muttleee]

Why do so many people forget to repair their pitchmarks (or replace their divots, come to that)? Actually, perhaps the word 'forget' isn't accurate, because I think a lot of players know fine rightly that they're supposed to do these things but just don't bother, presumably out of laziness. What's wrong with these people? Sometimes I fantasise about owning a golf club so that I could impose my own rules and expel anyone caught ignoring their pitch marks. Even if you don't know which one is yours, fix one anyway! Fix two, for that matter! Peter Alliss once said that if everyone fixed their own pitch mark and one other, they would all be gone in about 3 days. What bliss that would be...

 

[mass]

It really gets on my t*ts, it takes 2 seconds to do, whats the big deal. I find that it gets worse in the winter when people probably think f*ck it not playing in a comp.

 

[USER1999]

I love the people who think they can repair a pitch mark by just whacking it with their putter as they walk past.

The divot thing is different though. It looks worse than it is, because the birds just turn them back over. Even if you stamp them down, they still get turned over. What you need is the bags of seeded sand that you get issued with in South Africa. They don't replace the divot, just fill it in. It is compulsory to carry a bag with you (even if you are carrying yuor clubs and not on a buggy), and you fill it up at the club house before teeing off.

 

[madandra]

When I was getting into this game I longed to make a pitch mark on a green just so I could repair it like the guys on the telly do. If I have not made one on the green I walk onto, I always make myself look for one or two to repair anyway.

In fear of this thread being cut and paste in the 'leeches' one, do you think that older golfer perhaps not as supple as they once were leave the pitch mark repairing to the younger golfers to fix?

 

[pingpal]

do you think that older golfer perhaps not as supple as they once were leave the pitch mark repairing to the younger golfers to fix?

If they can get aball round 18 holes they can repair a pitchmark.
Mind you in my experience old golfers tend to hit shots of the 'dambusters' variety - skimming along the surface rather than high up in the air plus they are generally chipping on from short of the green so dont tend to leave pitchmarks.

Hard to say if there is a particular demographic who are most guilty of this heinous crime, I reckon 40-50 year old men on corporate outings are likely the worst offenders, youngsters tend to be more careful about pitch marks, divots, bunker raking etc cos they know they're more likely to be 'being watched'.

 

[Up_Point_1]

Annoyingly too the people who forget / fail to repair their own pitchmarks are also the sort of people likely to moan at the head greenkeeper about the crap state of the greens.

The presentation of a Golf Course isn't completely down to Greenkeepers and their staff. IMHO members of all Golf courses have a duty on themselves to care for the state of the course and assist in any little way they can.

DHM.

 

[simplyme]

This is my biggest hate on the course! In my own experience, I have found it the women who do not repair the pitch marks in the last few rounds I have been stuck behind them.

It takes a couple of seconds to repair and that is what annoys me the most. Our greenkeeper once said "If a pitch mark is replaced straight away, it recovers in 24 hours. If not, it takes 7 days to recover completely"

 

[muttleee]

When I was getting into this game I longed to make a pitch mark on a green just so I could repair it like the guys on the telly do.

It's a great feeling to hit a towering iron shot onto the green and stroll nonchalantly up to your ball, putter in hand, and fix your pitchmark about 1 inch from where the ball finished. Don't these non-pitch mark-repairers know what they're missing out on??

 

[madandra]

..... members of all Golf courses have a duty on themselves to care for the state of the course and assist in any little way they can.

If you are a member of a private golf club then you are effectively a share holder. In any other walk of life, would you see share holders sabotaging their business or devaluing the assets? Not a chance !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Liam_Austin]

As a junior, i feel that it is important to replace all of my pitchmarks and divots

Thats how ive been taught anyway

Also I try to repair all that i see, tend not to do as many divots as pitchmarks.

Liam

 

[RGuk]

I agree with all of you about this! Last game I played, all the 4 ball repaired theirs plus another one on each green, but we were playing with the Captain!
Sometimes (in the wet conditions) the indentation is so deep, the normal repair technique doesn't do the job. Does anyone know how to pull up a really hefty one?

Dave

 

[Lloydy84]

If you are using a special pitch mark tool then it will pull up any sized pitch mark, but if you're just using a tee, you may struggle.

 

[tpred]

hi liam.
Im glad to see you have been taught properly.
Its such a simple thing to do but it seems to be a major problem for some golfers.

A pitchmark only takes a few seconds to fix correctly however, a pitchmark repaired incorrectly takes over 3 weeks to heal.

How to repair a pitchmark on a green
CORRECT METHOD
Discard the loose piece of turf taken out by the ball
Insert the pitchmark repairer tool just outside of the back of the pitchmark
Lever the turf towards the centre of the pitchmark
Repeat this motion from all sides of the pitchmark
Gently tap the repaired area with your putter. This action stretches undamaged turf over the pitchmark, providing instant recovery
INCORRECT METHOD
DO NO replace the loose piece of turf taken out by the ball. It will die and delay the healing process.
DO NOT pry up the centre of the depression with the pitchmark repairer as it exposes the soil and will delay the healing process
DO NOT insert the pitchmark repairer and twist it. This only breaks more turf loose

 

[AliB]

Tpred
Excellent pitch mark lesson! just as I was taught myself. MOHs hobby is going round repairing other people's. (But then he is a fairly young 'leech')
Alib

 

[par_par_par_treble]

Tpred
Excellent pitch mark lesson! just as I was taught myself. MOHs hobby is going round repairing other people's. (But then he is a fairly young 'leech')
Alib

you may have stumbled across a great idea here Ali...

get the oldies to repair divots and pitch marks if they aren’t paying fees

there are a lot of leaves that need sweeping up at my course too

 

[viscount17]

perhaps these should be part of the foundation lessons (alongside etiquette) before being permitted on a course.

some lessons in reading ground may also not come amiss - why 'persons unknown' persist is taking trollies and buggies through obviously wet areas so cutting up fairways and across banks around greens and bunkers is beyond me.

 

[happyhacker]

I think its as simple as some people really dont care or think the condition of the course is up to them.

Really annoying thing is we have great greens but terrible players for repairing pitchmarks. I regulary repair 3/4 when I get to the short stuff.

Grrrr!!

 

[rgs]

I agree with madandra-it was the first thing i looked for when i reached the green when i first started playing. It is annoying to play any course and see the amount of non repaired pitchmarks on a green.

Pingpal may have identified the worse offenders as the corporate hackers- i also believe it the "guest players" at hotel resort courses who are also the culprits.

 

[Lloydy84]

A funny situation occurred tonight, concerning pitchmarks.

i went out for a quick 7 holes after school, by the sixth it was getting dark, the pin was on the very front of the green and i was on the 150 marker with a clean lie, i thought, hit this 9 iron hard and make it drop by the pin and stop. i launched it high, but couldnt see it land clearly due to the dark, i was exited as i was certain i saw it spin backwards after pithching past the flag. when i arrived at the green i searched for where my pithmark was,

there were at least 2 deep ones a foot or two in front of my ball, then a further two a few yards behind it, i'll never know if i'd managed to spin it backwards like i've watched enviously the pros do!

yes, i did repair all four pith marks

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I was always taught from a very young age to repair pitch marks. I was lucky in my junior years to have people like Dan Maskell (the old BBC tennis commentator) and James Bolam (actor - Liklely Lads etc) who were very "old school" and fastidious about etiqutte. Not only was it intimidating playing with icons of the 1970's but you were always worrying about being pulled up.

Is it me getting old (rose tinted specs et al) or is it just at my club but are youngsters today a lot more reticent about repairing the course. Not only do some of our juniors fail to repair pitchmarks until you point it out (at which point they become so apologetic and will do it for 3-4 holes and then revert to type) but many also fail to replace divots, fill in marks from the tees, especially on par 3's and seem to leave their bags extrememly close to green edges and tees.

I know schemes like Wee Wonders teach the kids from avery early age about the etiqutte and rules (I beleive there is a whole section on the course dedicated to it) but there seems a lot of 12-18 year olds think they can do what they like.

Rant over

Happy golfing
Homer