COURSE CARE

Course Care

Course care is not just a matter of course etiquette, it is respect for your golf course, respect for your fellow players and respect for the staff who work tirelessly to offer you the very conditions you enjoy.

To follow some simple etiquette as you play your round, takes little time however if not done can take much longer to repair, interferes with your fellow players enjoyment of the game and in many cases causes expensive damage to expensive equipment and turf.

Course Care is important, so important it is in the first section of your rule book so please take the time to become familiar with some of these course care tips, put them into practice and show your golf course the respect it deserves.

Ball Mark Repair

Did you know an unrepaired or incorrectly repaired ball mark left for just 1 hour can take 3 weeks to heal the ugly scar where a correctly repaired ball mark can heal itself in 24hrs?

The correct way to repair a ball mark in 4 steps..

1. You can use a ball mark repair tool or tee.

2. Start at the back of the ball mark, insert the tool just outside the indent and gently push towards the centre.

3. Continue to repeat this from around all the sides of the indent.

4. Pat down the area with your putter.

The process should only take just seconds of your valuable time.

If you have the time why not repair one other, no doubt someone playing ahead has not repaired theirs.

Never insert the tool and simply lift up. This simply raises the damaged turf to the surface

Do Not twist the tool this causes damage to roots.

  Divots

To repair a divot simply chops the sides of the divot in with your club head.

Step on it to pat it down.

Add a small amount of sand and smooth it.

Never just heap sand on the divot, it causes damage to turf, mowers and is unfair to the next player who lands there.

Bunker care

1) Always enter and exit the bunker from the lowest point.

2) To speed play take the rake with you and simply place it out of the way so it doesn’t interfere with the ball or your stance / swing. There is nothing in the rules of golf which prevents you from taking the rake with you.

3) When smoothing your footprints and divot area, rake with both hands, raking as you are walking back.

4) Be careful not to pull excess sand, alternate between pulling the sand toward you and pushing it back with the tines of the rake, thus making a relatively even surface without displacing too much sand.

 
5) As you exit the bunker push the sand away at the exit lip rather than pull it towards it.

6) Carefully place the rake outside the bunker on the blue T section. Please note the Blue painted tee is only periodically refreshed.

Never enter or exit the bunker up the steep slope.
Never just pile sand on the edge of the bunker, push it back.

When raking never let the head of the rake drop into the sand, this causes gauging.

Carts

When using carts please follow some simple guidelines

1)      Accelerate and brake smoothly and slowly.

2)      Stay on paths where provided.

3)      Follow all directional arrows.

4)      Do not cross the blue lines around the greens or drive within 10m of the greens.

5)      Avoid driving through wet or obvious worn areas.

6)      In winter do not drive over frost affected areas.

7)      Never drive on tees or greens.

Blue Lines & Wear prevention.

Cart users should not cross the blue line.

Players with walk buggies should try to avoid crossing the line
if you do then take care where you walk.

The lines are there to indicate a high wear area, if we can follow the blue line rule then unsightly ropes / barricades do not need to be placed out.
It is in your interest to follow the rule, turf wear affects your lie, ropes and barriers have the potential to affect your line of sight, the blue lines address both.

Avoid Damage to Greens

Players should ensure that, when putting down bags, or the flagstick, no damage is done to the putting green, and that neither they nor their caddies damage the hole by standing close to it in handling the flagstick or in removing the ball from the hole. The flagstick should be properly replaced in the hole before the players leave the putting green..

 

·  Don't drop the flagstick on the putting surface as it will cause damage.

·  Always lower the flagstick by club

·  ...or by hand.

·  Avoid damage to surrounds by placing the stick in the centre of the cup

Damage Through Practice Swings

In taking practice swings players should avoid causing damage to the course, particularly the tees by removing divots. Please do not take divots from a practice swing.