Top-5 things golfers do that annoy greenkeepers!
Anthony Stockwell, former greenkeeper and now teacher of Sports Turf at a land based college in Kent, gives us his countdown from 10 to 1 of the worst things a golfer can do while in the greenkeeper
5. Not entering and exiting bunkers at lowest point
The turf surrounding bunkers is very fragile and often worn and dry during the summer so they can crumble easily. Please therefore enter the bunker at the most sensible point.
4. Unrepaired pitch marks
It's probably the one you were waiting for! Reparing your pitch mark without delay can improve the smoothness of the green. Please try and make sure you always carry a pitch repairer with you and repair the divot simply by the opposite direction of the ball. Attack the pitch mark from the back and push it into the centre. Don't attack the pitch mark in the direction the ball made an indent in the green.
3. Disobeying golf cart/trolley signs
Please try and keep to paths and follow signs as instructed. "It won't do any harm, if I just drive there" is the sort of attitude that is unfortunately only too common. The amount of wear and compaction caused by traffic significantly builds up over time and causes damage to the health of the turf.
2. Not removing ball from cup by hand
The hole is cut with a very sharp hole cutter, however the edge of the hole can be quickly be ruined by a golfer too lazy to bend down and pick the ball out of the cup or put the pin back into the cup sloppily to damage the side of the hole. It's a rare one but it's incredibly frustrating when a golfer flicks his or her ball out of the cup with the putter, for example. Don't do it, no matter how bad the back is!
1. Leaving broken tee pegs on tee box
If just five golfers leave a broken tee on every hole, this would result in a greenkeeper bending over 100 times to pick them up - can you imagine his back! Okay, so a greenkeeper could use a litter picking device but it can be tedious picking up something so small. Greenkeepers at many courses provide small bins for broken tee pegs next to the teeing blocks. It is, however, the opinion of most greenkeepers that these look unsightly and don't get used even when they're put out. The moral of the story is please remove your broken tee pegs from the tee!
