Things That All Golfers Can Do to Help Greenkeepers

Let's be honest, being a greenkeeper is a pretty thankless task.

As golfers we moan endlessly if the course we play at regularly is in poor condition, but say nothing if the reverse is the case.

We fail to take into account the challenges that our greens staff face in preparing courses. First and foremost among those is the weather. And this year has given them plenty to contend with. We have recently been enjoying a sustained spell of good weather but the incessant rain earlier in the year was a very different story.

If your course was not closed because of flooding then you will have certainly had to play in wet and muddy conditions. Back in the spring, like many of you, I wondered whether my own course would ever recover. Having spent a small fortune on improved drainage, we were open for most of the winter and spring. There were a couple of occasions when we could only play nine holes because of standing water, waterlogged fairways and bunkers that resembled lakes.

Incredibly, the course (Dunston Hall GC) made a full recovery. The fairways are lush, the ball sits up nicely, begging to be hit properly and the putting surfaces are absolutely superb. None of this has happened by accident. Had it not been for the heroic efforts of the greenkeeping staff, who knows what the course would have been like?

While they are to be praised for the work that they do, perhaps we as club golfers should be asking ourselves what we can do to help the greenkeepers. 

In my mind, there is plenty, and none of it is rocket science.

Repairing Pitchmarks

Let’s start with the greens. By and large, golf courses are judged by the quality of their putting surfaces. It is the subject that exercises our minds and sparks clubhouse discussion more than any other. And the most obvious thing that all of us can do is to repair pitchmarks. I have never been able to understand why so many golfers either refuse to do this or seem incapable of doing so. Whenever I walk on to any green I always scan it to see if there are any indentations and make a point of repairing them. And here’s the thing - if your playing partners see you doing this, they will almost certainly end up doing the same thing.

Repairing pitchmarks is something that I regard as part of the game’s etiquette and I believe that every club pro is well within their rights to ask golfers if they have a pitchmark repairer. This is all the more important in wet weather. It takes seconds to repair the damage - and it is highly satisfying. Your head greenkeeper will thank you for it and, by definition, so will your fellow members.

Raking Bunkers

Next on my list is bunkers. As good as my course is, perhaps the thing that causes me more annoyance than anything else is walking into a bunker and finding that the person who was in there before me has failed to rake the surface. Is there anything more annoying than finding your ball nestling in somebody else’s footprint? 

During my most recent round I found three bunkers - and in every single one of them there were myriad footprints. I could have just raked my own but I took the time to rake the entire bunker. Like fixing pitchmarks, this is something that takes seconds. And again, for me this is part of our sport’s etiquette.

Replacing Divots

And then there are divots. Don’t get me started on divots. 

Regular readers of my missives will know that I want the rules changed to allow us a free drop if we end up in a fairway divot. Why should we be penalised for somebody else’s ignorance after hitting a perfect drive into the middle of a fairway, only to find it nestling in a divot hole? 

When I take a divot, I replace it. It takes even less time than repairing a pitchmark or raking a bunker. Can anybody explain to me why so many golfers do not feel the need to do the same thing.

How many times have you stepped onto a tee on a par three and struggled to find a piece of grass? That’s because almost nobody ever replaces their divots. Grrrrrrr……!

At many golf clubs, senior golfers routinely volunteer to go round the course and fill in divot holes with either grass seed or sand. At two courses I have played in Norfolk this year there were bags by the first tee containing grass seed and players are encouraged to pick one up and use them as required. Myself and playing partners happily did so but we both observed that nobody else seemed to be doing so.

Shoes & Trolleys

I am also surprised by how many club golfers still wear shoes with metal spikes. This may not be a popular view but I reckon that the time has come to ban them if for no other reason than the fact that they damage greens.

Finally, think carefully about where you take your trolley, especially if it is damp underfoot. If you are not careful you can cause a lot of damage, especially on the fringes of the green.

All of the above may seem pretty straightforward and that’s because it is. These are measures that will help to maintain the condition of your course and will support your greenkeepers. 

And you can always simply go and ask if there is anything else that you and your golfing buddies can do to help.

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