Is anyone else seeing problems at the courses they frequent with people not replacing divots or not fixing ball marks, and or not knowing how to correctly repair a ball mark?
Any suggestions on how to make this less of a problem?
Well you have two problems here; divots and ball marks.
Courses can help their cause if they put divot mix on every cart, because the dang divot just doesn't stay down all the time. They get picked up by carts or mowers or whatever. So please have the mix ready, filled, and on the cart. It will keep the course looking great.
Ball mark repair is a wholly different matter. I actually find members the worst offenders at this. They just try to zip around the course as fast as possible and can't be bothered. Now this isn't absolute, so don't be offended. But I do see more marks early in the day than when I play later rounds, and when I play behind members on my course.
If I worked at a course I would include a blurb from the starter about fixing marks or put something in the carts on the dash showing how to properly repair a mark. I would also ask golfers to make sure they repair at leat 2 marks on every hole; theirs and one other, jst for good measure.
We all complain about bumpy greens and brown spots from unattended marks. Each of us should be advocates for the right behavior and fix several marks when we get to a green. Set the example and others should get the point.
Unfortunately, this is becoming more and more of a problem. I think it is directly correlated with the proportion of golfers who do not know proper course etiquette. The game has grown tremendously over the last couple of decades, but fewer of these "new" players were properly coached on etiquette and course maintenance when they were learning. The only way I see to correct this is to politely teach those who you are playing with to do the right things, such as repairing divots and ball marks. If you are playing with a beginner, then take the time to coach them and let them know how the game should be played. If you are playing with an 'experienced' player who obviously doesn't know (or care) about these things, then the best way to teach them is by example--don't say anything, let your actions do the talking for you.
That is a problem as old as golf. EVERY type of course has this issue.
I would love to see a solution, just not sure it's possible.
Ball marks not being repaired is a huge problem. Especially on the front half of the green when someone skulls there rock to the back they don't even make it to the front to fix the mark.
I've noticed this too. If you find an answer on how to deal with it, let us know.
It's always going to be a problem because as stated earlier many new players have no idea on how to fix their ball marks let alone know they are supposed to replace their divot. I remember a long time back there was a course here in Michigan that actually provided an incentive if marshalls, starters or other course workers noticed a player fixing ball marks (other than their own) or did other things like filling in divots. The incentives were along the likes of discounts on food, apparel and in some instances golf...Not a bad idea to bring this up to your courses to see if they'd want to climb on board to a program like this....
I see this a lot too. We used to give away ball mark repair tools but it seems that our members can't bend over to fix the marks anyway.
The worst was a few weeks ago, we were the first member group out behind a PGA Junior event. We fixed at least 5 ball marks each on EVERY green. The kids just didn't seem to care. I guess that is were it comes from. If we don't instill this in the kids, how can we expect the adults to do it.
My club here has a GREAT little way to handle this - a handful of times a year we have a "divot party" on a Monday evening (Monday's are the typical day closed). Members show up and the club pitches in some beer and hot dogs and we canvas the entire course - the greenskeeper will drive around a Gator full of seed mix and we all just have at it, filling every divot in site and repairing ball marks all over the greens on every hole. It only takes a couple hours we have so many people turn out, and it's really pretty fun and nice to see that with the turnout, most of the membership really does take pride in the course
Unfortunately, this is a never ending fight. Ball marks will always be left on the green and divots will always be left in the fairways. It sucks.
At my club, we have two individuals who go around throughout the day and fix the greens. They don't pick up divots but they drive the fairways and fill in any divot with sand and seed. It is nice because even if a group has accidently forgotten or is too lazy to fix, they will know who it is and be able to relay that information to the staff who will take proper action.
I don't know if it is kids or if it is just the fact that some people don't care but it is ridiculous and you should want to keep something you play on and use nice. I wish people would all have to pass an etiquette test in order to play golf. Go through a couple days of classes to learn how to fix ball marks, replace divots...etc. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen so I guess get those divot tools ready and just try to help out as much as you can!
I think the divot mix is a great idea. For ball marks my friends and I usually repair more than just ours on the greens we go too. Its a hard problem to solve because some people dont care about their ball marks.
i think that this problem has no chance of going away. we who know better are just going to have to continue to babysit those who don't by fixing their ball marks. as to divits in the fairway, igues some of the courses really don't care when they have the bottles on the carts and leave them empty. i think that you find walkers replacing their divets more often anyway.
Please don't take my comments about the Jr Golf event the wrong way. That was a very isolated occurance, it just was an example of how non-members sometimes treat a course. At our club it is generally NOT the juniors that don't fix ball marks and replace divots, it is the adult membership. The general attitude that "that is what we pay the grounds staff for" seems to be getting out of hand.
Not all of members are like that, we have a large number of members that spend almost as much time filling divots and repairing ball marks as they do playing. The rest of us can't thank then enough, job well done.
I have talked to some greenskeepers and they stated that replacing the divot, unless it is a bever pelt, doesn't really help. They would heal faster with the divot mix. I don't know if this is true, but i think it makes sense.
A couple of the higher end courses I play I carry some mix in the side of my bag. Some other courses don't even have it available on the power carts or on the tee boxes on par threes,
For ball marks, just education is the key. I got my son (9yo) to fix his own and 2 more on every green, and if he didn't leave one, fix 2 anyway.
With the amount of time it takes to play 18 now a days, there is time to police the entire green on some holes.