Golf Course Etiquette

The roller coaster ride for the summer continues with some relief for the golf course. We have received just under 1" of rain since this past Sunday. Along with the rainfall, the extended weather forecast looks like prime time conditions for not only a round of golf but for the overall health of the golf course as well. The golf course recovers from traffic at a much faster clip when night time temps drop into the 50's at night. I just wanted to take a quick moment to remind everyone of a few items to help the golf course remain in great shape as we head into the most important part of the golfing season, the Fall.

BALL MARKS, BALL MARKS, & MORE BALL MARKS. This is the number one item that we battle on a daily basis. We do our best to fix unrepaired ball marks every day. The setback to having the variety of grass that we have on greens, A1, is that ball mark recovery is a very slow process, especially ball marks left unrepaired overnight. When fixing a ball mark the following day, the scar will not heal as quickly as it would have if it was repaired properly the day it happened. Here are a few pictures illustrating some marks repaired today and an illustration on how to repair the mark if you are unaware of the proper way to fix the ball mark.

The ball marks repaired properly during your round of golf heal in 2-3 days. An unrepaired ball mark takes weeks to recover along with ball marks repaired by lifting up on the grass. Please do your part and repair your mark plus one other.


The next item I would like to discuss is golf cart etiquette. The majority of rounds played at the course include rounds with carts. The club currently allows homeowners to use personal carts for the golf course. Albeit a luxury for the members who live on site, we politely ask that you do not take an excessive number of carts when it isn't necessary. Every unnecessary golf cart on the course adds unnecessary wear and compaction to the golf course. Golf carts have become important components of the game of golf at nearly every course across the country, and this isn’t likely to change anytime soon. Nonetheless, we must protect the turf from added wear and soil compaction caused by unnecessary cart traffic. Also, while using the practice facilities, we please ask to keep your cart at the staging area and not drive next to the practice tee.

While the Agronomy Staff does take on the responsibility of maintaining great playing conditions on a daily basis, our membership has the opportunity to take pride in keeping it in great shape as well. Thanks again and I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Best Regards,

Dan Grogan
Golf Course Superintendent