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 Forums Golfing General Golf Discussions RANT: Why don't people fill their divots? |
   
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TOPIC: RANT: Why don't people fill their divots? | |
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Listing 1 to 10 of 42 Replies | |
| michaelko |  RANT: Why don't people fill their divots? |
 Member Since: October 1, 2003 Favorite Golfer: N/A Favorite Golf Course: N/A    | Monday June 25, 2012 10:40 AM So I played a fairly nice course over the weekend; in fact the course hosted an LPGA event for 2 years... so that should give you an idea of the quality of the course. There were unfilled divots EVERYWHERE. Huge chunked out 5 inch long divots. I would say there were at least 15-20 on every single hole. On some holes were 30-40. Literally. I could've gone through 3 bottles of sand every single hole. Now, I would say 4-5 per hole is not unusual. At my home course, a private course, I go through 10 bottles a round, as I fill divots the whole round. But there are rarely huge egregious divots. But there are still too many... doesn't affect play... but it does affect the long term health of the course. But I guess my point is: Who makes a divot, looks at it, and then thinks it's ok to NOT fill it? I'm sure the club is dirty from the dirt/mud of the divot... and I'm sure they proceed to clean their clubhead... But how do you look at that hole and not fill it? It's like if you spilled water in your kitchen... you wouldn't leave it there. You couldn't. Maybe a better analogy is if you spill a coke at a restaurant... do you walk away or inform a worker? maybe some people would walk away... but they would have to feel some guilt, no? Especially at a private course... how do the members not take care of their own course? I don't get it....  |
| addictedtugolf | RE: RANT: Why don't people fill their divots? |
  Member Since: January 17, 2008 Favorite Golfer: Tom Watson(Not TW),Zach J Favorite Golf Course: Eagle Falls/Sand H/Sky Mt | Monday June 25, 2012 12:01 PM I've been on all kinds of courses (Private, Semi-Private,Muni) and the like, here is my take:1) LAZY!!! Most courses PROVIDE sand/mixture bottles on the cart & around the courses...players are lazy. * Grant it, I've been on courses where SAND wasn't available, I've learned to refill with any loose grass available * I played a course in Nevada and ALL of the bottles at the EXCHANGE STATION were empty too! Maybe the course is trying to $ave some money? OR just don't have the staff to cover everything. 2) Etiquette or SLOW PLAY? IF courses are MORE CONCERNED about pace of play, then in my opinion you'll see less & less divots being repaired. Players will be more focused on playing FASTER than taking care of the course conditions. Many people do not fix a ball mark on the green let alone correctly... 3) I don't always take a divot (sweeper) swing but when I do, I try to repair my divot & say TWO in the area without holding up players. 4) Do you see more walkers than riders? We played a GK play day at a course, majority of us walked....BUT we did not have sand bottles with us (Some CC actually give walkers a SMALL bottle that is full & can be refilled on the course, especially on the PAR 3 tee boxes. 5) Embarrassed? Maybe some players are embarrassed for CREATING & TEARING up the turf, would rather run away in a cart, like leaving the seen of a crime (j/k). I've caddied for guests during MEMBER DAY @ CC's and they would hack up the place yet feel guilty for doing so as if they won't be allowed back to play. They would always say " I didn't mean to do that etc...." Bottom line? I am a "Wind & Distance Consultant" which makes me an Experienced "Mathlete." "An individual who excels in mathematics to the point where he or she could make mathematics into a sport." |
| CPennbo | RE: RANT: Why don't people fill their divots? |
 Member Since: March 20, 2003 Favorite Golfer: Annika/Mickelson Favorite Golf Course: Balboa | Monday June 25, 2012 1:17 PM Walkers- I HATE not filling divots but more often than not courses don't have a small bottle I can carry with me so the grass gets replaced when possible but nothing else gets poured on it. Always makes me feel guilty! :-) Courses- Two courses we've played in the last 6 months had new carts and NO SEED BOTTLES on them!! What? They don't WANT us to fill the divots? Can we rant about ball marks on the greens too? Buenaventura had a LOT of unrepaired, or poorly repaired, ball marks. Do the locals just don't care or dont' they know how to fix them? Sad to see beautiful greens treated so badly. Obviously BV is not the only course where this is an issue!! New Year's Resolution- HAVE MORE FUN! |
| caligolfer1031 | RE: RANT: Why don't people fill their divots? |
Member Since: February 5, 2004 Favorite Golfer: Adam Scott, Bubba Watson Favorite Golf Course: Mountain Falls (Pahrump) | Monday June 25, 2012 1:59 PM I'm proud to fix my ball marks on greens, it says I hit my ball in the vicinity I was aiming. And to all that have I have played golf with and are saying " Greg, you don't fix too many of your own ball marks do you? NO I DON'T, which makes it that much more special when I do.As for divots, if instead of us hurrying off to our ball where we are going to sit in our carts and wait for the group in front of us, spend the extra 10 seconds and fix the divot. If you can pour a beer into a glass, you can pour sand into a divot. |
| michaelko | RE: RANT: Why don't people fill their divots? |
Member Since: October 1, 2003 Favorite Golfer: N/A Favorite Golf Course: N/A | Monday June 25, 2012 2:22 PM laziness has to be #1 reason... but still, you LOOK at the divot, you KNOW you're suppossed to fill it, and you don't.... btw, putting the divot back in the ground, rarely works. 90% of those die and you are left with the hole in the ground. the course is better served to just fill the divot with sand. more expensive to let the course go to crap. it takes 5 seconds to fill a divot... i don't buy that the player is concerned about speeding up play. when i walk, i fill more divots during the round. when i ride, i fill mine and any around mine... in a cart, i ride past most of the divots. at my course, there are bottle stations on the 1st, 5th, 10th, and 14th hole. so i grab 2 or 3 each time, and put them in the bottom of my push cart. also, at each par 3 there is a box of sand at each tee on the tee box with a scooper to repair divots. but when i think about it, i guess most courses don't have bottles readily available. but most of them have at least one on the cart, no? At the course I played yesterday, there was a bottle station at the turn. it was 100% full. no one took one. yeah, that's just weird of the course |
| JohnnyGK | RE: RANT: Why don't people fill their divots? |
 Member Since: December 30, 2002 Favorite Golfer: GK'ers Favorite Golf Course: Wolf Creek Golf Club | Monday June 25, 2012 2:56 PM I think its mostly people being lazy but I do believe golf courses needs to take more responsibility towards motivating and facilitating the ability for golfers to repair divots...and ball marks. Many times, in fact more often than not, and I play mostly nice courses, I don't see a divot mix up on the tee. Rarely...actually hardly ever do I see divot mix set aside in adjacent to fairways that historically get lots of damage. When I walk, I like to back it, hate pull carts. I can't carry sand with me. But put a bottle out there and chances are, since I consider myself a "walking repair tool," I'll see it. If I see it, I'm grabbing it and filling mine + others. No matter what we say, most are NOT going to fix divots. However, if there is ONE "walking repair tool" playing the course every six holes, that will go a long way to helping the problem. To me, its worth the extra time and money for golf courses to position divot repair mix in mornings so guys like me will fix them.GK is now on FACEBOOK! CLICK HERE and become a fan! |
| DarkHorse | RE: RANT: Why don't people fill their divots? |
| Member Since: August 4, 2003 Favorite Golfer: Tiger Woods, Mike Weir Favorite Golf Course: Rancho, Rustic Canyon | Monday June 25, 2012 3:27 PM I walk and carry my bag. While I may make my share of divots in the fairway, I don't have the soil/sand mixture ability to tote it around the course with me. I would only take a bottle from my playing partners in the cart only if I know them and they are near me when I make the divot.When I am at the tee box, I do make it a point to grab the bottle at the tee box to fill in my own and other divots. Hope this helps you gain a perspective. |
| noeldaof | RE: RANT: Why don't people fill their divots? |
 Member Since: November 4, 2004 Favorite Golfer: Chris Baingo Favorite Golf Course: CRYSTALAIRE | Monday June 25, 2012 4:19 PM Oh, man, Mike, that's a cryin' shame. . . . so sorry to hear and for you to have played to see that. Hope you weren't in any of them. There's just no excuse for not doing anything about it. You know I've been walking many times lately and there were a few times that I've forgotten to grab a sand bottle before I took off, and I hate that I did not remember. But I've replaced my divots and bump the sides of it when I replaced them. Who are these guys- - honestly, I really don't even wanna know nor be associated. Hope you fair better luck in your future visits. It's never the same each round-- even on the same course. The fun is all about making it better than the last time. So many good people in golf-- just about everywhere I play. The fun is to go out and play with them. "Ben Hogan: He never set foot on a golf course without looking his best." I think that is so awesome of him! |
| addictedtugolf | RE: RANT: Why don't people fill their divots? |
Member Since: January 17, 2008 Favorite Golfer: Tom Watson(Not TW),Zach J Favorite Golf Course: Eagle Falls/Sand H/Sky Mt | Monday June 25, 2012 4:28 PM "Can we rant about ball marks on the greens too? Buenaventura had a LOT of unrepaired, or poorly repaired, ball marks."I'd like to add, we were the first group out for the Gker's play/skin event @ BV. We repaired our ball marks on the green, we could tell which marks were fresh and the others maybe about an hour old? I saw a few that weren't even repaired correctly, the roots were propped up...oh well... "btw, putting the divot back in the ground, rarely works. 90% of those die and you are left with the hole in the ground...." I'm not a superintendent and there are courses that want the grass replaced in the divot as best as a player can, they'll have their maintenance crews work on them when they can.... Hey Johnny, since you like to backpack it, try doing it while carrying TWO heavy golf bags THEN have the course hand you TWO additional carry sand bottles on a hilly course... Next time I walk, I'll bring an empty plastic container that has a small hand shovel this way I can feel like I'm out camping... Bottom line? I am a "Wind & Distance Consultant" which makes me an Experienced "Mathlete." "An individual who excels in mathematics to the point where he or she could make mathematics into a sport." |
| CPennbo | RE: RANT: Why don't people fill their divots? |
Member Since: March 20, 2003 Favorite Golfer: Annika/Mickelson Favorite Golf Course: Balboa | Monday June 25, 2012 5:21 PM Exactly. I'd guess it was the locals who weren't repairing. Definitely wasn't us!! LOL I wonder if every course made cheap ball mark repair tools and just handed them out with the scorecards if more would get repaired? I somehow lost my 'push tool' that I really liked and need to get another. I REALLY WANT a GK one! :-) New Year's Resolution- HAVE MORE FUN! |
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