In an earlier post on golf etiquette, I talked about courtesy on the course and letting others play through. In this post, I take a look at respecting the course; that is, keeping it nice for strangers (like the guy before you did for you).
Bunkers. I don’t know how your games go, but my golf shots seem to be drawn to bunkers. It’s like the golf ball looks down and sees the sand and decides, “Hey, that looks nice: I’ll land there instead of on that hard green!” Once I venture into the sand to hit out by ball, it ends up looking less like a bunker and more like a beach volleyball venue. Here’s what you should do: use the rake provided by the golf course to make your footprints and any other sign of your visit disappear. No rake? Use your club. (Hey, they’re not too good to get a little dirty. If they were that good, you wouldn’t be in the bunker!)
Divots. Let’s face it. Not every shot is perfect. And you may from time to time make a hole in the fairway with your club. Don’t just look around to see if anyone was watching. Just go pick up the turf that you sent into orbit and put it back where it belongs. Work it back in with your foot. You’ll feel better and the grass will fix itself more quickly.
Greens. That perfect surface doesn’t just happen by itself; it takes a lot of work. Sometimes when your ball its the green (especially from a short pitch), it makes a mark. There’s a little tool you can use to repair this mark or you can just use the sharp end of your tee. Give it a quick tap with your putter. Think it doesn’t matter? Well, think about this: unrepaired ball marks take 21 days to heal. When you do what I just described, they disappear overnight. Also, don’t drag your shoes or drop the flag. Treat the green gently and everyone will putt more accurately.
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