When you first start to play golf you may see golfers doing things on the course you don’t understand. You may have noticed rakes surrounding sand traps and bunkers. You probably noticed someone in your foursome fixing the indentation the ball made with their approach shot on the green. What was the tool they had in their hand, and how do you use it? Maybe you’ve seen someone using a container of sand or dirt on their golf cart to fill a divot on the fairway? Perhaps you heard the course Marshall on the first tee talk about the golf cart 90 degree rule?

Each course has its own local rules to accommodate care for the course and safety while playing a round of golf. Have you experienced a frost delay on a chilly morning delaying your tee time? Why are you not allowed to drive a golf cart close to the green? Did you notice the signs directing you to the cart path as you drive close to the green?

Maybe you played a round just after the greens were aerated and noticed all the sand and bumpy greens? I’ve personally seen the damage what wild pigs can do searching for insects when they tear up the fairways in the process for food. Ground under repair happens for a lot of reasons.

Let’s explore some common course maintenance practices and why they are done. Also, what is your role in helping keep the experience for other golfers who are playing behind you?

5 Key golf course care practices

• Green repair
• Golf cart rules
• Fairway divots
• Sand trap and bunkers
• Walk versus riding

Green repair

At some point in your golf journey to greatness you will need to help others on the course? Why? Well, as you play your round you will encounter hazards along the way. Some will be a part of the course like sand traps and water, and others will part of golfer play that happens every day on the course. You may find yourself in a situation that I have many times. You hit your approach shot on the green and find a ball mark in the path of your birdie putt. Don’t worry just yet. You are allow to fix the ball mark. You take our your green repair tool like the one in the picture above and fix the ball mark. You suddenly notice there are two more marks that were not fixed. Being the abundant person you are after you make your birdie putt you take the time to fix the other two divots.

If you can take a moment to stop and do your part why can’t other golfers is the thought in your head. How can people be so careless and selfish? Well, I wish I had an answer for that. The obvious answer is that they probably didn’t see the divot made in the green. It’s right there and can’t be missed, but I am here to tell you that it does happen. Most likely there is no ill will or intent. After awhile you will come to the realization that time is a big factor in a round of golf. Whoever made the ball mark may have been pressed for time, or they just didn’t see the ball mark at all. It happens.

How to correctly repair a ball mark

You might be wondering how to actually use the special tool for greens to fix ball marks? I recommend purchasing a ball mark repair tool from the pro shop at your local course. You can keep it in your golf bag and use it as needed. Personally, I put two golf balls, several tees, and a repair tool in my right pocket as part of my preparation to play a round. This helps me ensure that I have what I need to fix my ball marks when needed.

Below is a quick USGA video you can reference on the proper method to fix ball marks.

Early in the morning just about the time the sun is peeking over the horizon, there is a greens keeper on a machine in the picture below rolling the greens for play that day. During the night automated watering happens on the course. The greens are one of those key areas that is maintained regularly if not daily.

Several holes a head of your play will be a someone rolling the greens for that day. Freshly rolled greens help the ball roll in a predictable way, which is what you want during your putts. Bumpy greens that haven’t been rolled can be unpredictable and frustrating to play on. Golf courses that have a lot of rounds played on them can experience this situation.

Golf cart rules

Not all courses have a starter at the first tee. Those that do will have a course staff member available to orient you about the course. Usually, they will tell you about ground under repair on certain holes. They may educate you about the established pin positions for the day. Some courses will have a chart to read on the golf cart that shows 3 different pin positions with a number for front, middle, and back pin locations. The number will tell you where the hole is located on each of the holes for the day. For example, the starter may tell you that the pin positions are number 2 today. This will help you plan your approach shot distance.

One topic the starter will usually mention are the golf cart rules on the course. Every course is different and unique. Depending on the time of year the conditions for cart access on the fairways will dictate where you can drive the cart.

For example, one place that is strictly forbidden to drive your golf cart is on the green. You will find signs like the one below directing you to the cart path somewhere between 40-60 yards as you approach the green. There may even be areas marked with rope or string indicating what is restricted.

Wet and rainy weather sometimes requires golf carts to be kept on the cart path at all times. That means you can’t take the cart on the course and must remain on the path. It almost makes more since on a day like this to walk the course. Walking to your ball and back can be quite an under taking on “Cart Path Only” days. You will find your self taking a number of clubs with you to the ball. Determining the distance to your target from the cart path can be a challenge. Having the right club for your shot can be the difference between par and bogie.

Fairway Divots

You will run into something that looks like the picture above. It’s a divot taken by an iron on the fairway. You might be wondering what the green stuff is filling the hole and how it got there?

There will be locations where you can get a bottle of the green stuff (sand) to fill divots. It will vary for each course, but usually you will find them on the first hole and at the ‘turn” 10th hole. Check your golf cart if you are riding and you will usually find a divot bottle on the cart like in the picture below.

Your job is to use the bottles when you make a divot on the fairway. It can be a challenge to remember to do this at times. Especially if time is a factor. All you have to do is fill the divot with the contents of the bottle just like the golfer below.

Filling a divot does need some degree of instruction if you’ve never done it before. The best way and recommended way to fill a divot is to pour enough sand into the divot to make sand level with the surrounding grass. You may be wondering what is in the bottle you are pouring into the divot? There is usually sand and grass seed that matches the course grass. After you finished applying the sand, using your foot to smooth and compact the area you just filled with sand. Pretty easy and straight forward!

Sand Traps and Bunkers

The sand as I’ve mentioned can be a frustrating place to be. There are a lot of reasons for this to be true for each golfer, but the most common is understanding the correct technique for a sand trap or bunker. Sand is usually used as a deterrent to protect the green and increase the difficulty. It forces golfers of all skill levels to be accurate with their tee shots. If you fall short or hit the ball longer then your target you will end up in the sand. I will touch on how to hit out of the sand for a short sand shot, a long sand shot, and the proper technique required in a later post.

For now, let’s focus on what to do after you’ve hit your shot and it’s time to exit the sand. The rakes are there to assist golfers leave the sand in the same condition as they encountered it. You job is basically to smooth over the sand to ensure that the next golfer gets the same experience you had. It may not be as pristine as the first golfers on the course when the sun comes up, but it should be enough to erase the evidence of your approach shot when hitting out of the sand to the green.

Raking only takes a moment. It’s part of doing your part to ensure the experience you have is the same for your fellow golfers behind you. Golf etiquette is one of the great things about the game. Helping your fellow golfer is a quality of sportsmanship and fair play that continues on every course in the world.

Walking versus Riding

Golf carts can be a lot fun. They are pretty durable, but they do have their limits. Most courses today have put governors on the the fastest speed they can go. On some courses, golf carts have GPS technology that can control where on the course you can go. If you drive the cart too close to the green, or venture off into a restricted area, the GPS system alarms and limits your ability to go any further. The only option it gives you is to retreat from the restricted area. The speed of the cart is minimized until you are completely out of the restricted area. You may even get a message on the GPS screen on your cart about your infraction.

We golfers need to do our part to insure we don’t do anything that will destroy or damage the golf carts included with our green fees. There are a lot of videos floating around showing golfers doing irresponsible and dangerous things driving and riding in golf carts. They are very funny, but serious injuries can happen and the course can be liable. This is the reason why they implement protective measures. Follow the established policy and you are guaranteed to have an enjoyable round. Course rangers or Marshals regularly drive the course ensuring that the pace of play is being kept in addition to looking for violations of the local course policies.

Walking is a great way to keep your stamina for 18 holes of golf. If you can make it all the way through the round and not feel tired that is a good thing. The great thing about golf is that you can play it well into later life. If you walk it will keep you in shape, and it will also help you help you keep your game solid all the way until the end of a round.

If you need to ride the cart that is ok. Some courses are spread out over a large amount of acreage making it difficult to walk a round in 4 and half hours. It might even be too hot the day you’re playing. Having access to shade in a golf cart does help. The same is true for windy rainy days on the course when you need a shield from the rain. Having a large umbrella helps keep you dry and your golf bag dry. I will cover inclement weather conditions and what you need to be prepared to play on challenging weather days.

Playing a round early in the morning in the winter time could mean a delay in teeing off. When you step on grass that is covered in frost, the crystals can damage the grass leaves. This is especially true on the very short grass on the greens. The damage that is caused by frost that is stepped can be costly to repair.

Summary

We’ve looked at 5 things every golfer needs to help do when playing a round of golf. There are additional things to consider as the number of rounds you play climbs. Not every golfer pays attention to these practices, while others go out of their way to do their part. Pay attention to what the others in your foursome do and adjust your effort to match. Having good course care ethics does take additional time when you are a beginner. You will spend more time in the sand or rough as you develop your skill.

If you repair your ball marks, fill your divots, rake the sand traps, and follow the golf cart policy you will be part of a tradition that has been around for many years. Please do your part and leave the course as you find out and your enjoyment level of the game will be fun. Oh, and practice the safety guidelines. There are there to protect you and other golfers for a reason.