Message Board - Golf: Golf rules and etiquette on the back of score cards

Help please.

We have a nine hole School Course open to members however we are starting to get more golfers turning up and we currently lack a set of rules.

Could anyone pm me or reply about thier etiquette on the back of the score card.

My head greenkeeper is getting into more and more conflict with golfers failing to repair pitch marks, replace divots, rake bunkers and taking trollies across tees and greens.

The school are looking at making more money out of the course and dont want the conflict of a justifiably upset greenkeeper and a golfer who will spend his cash else where.

I am hoping that some good signage and well written score card will help avoid some of the conflict.

Just need to know what works at other places.

Thanks in anticipation

Robbo

i work on a nine hole pay and play with about 60 members and unfortunately failing to repair pitchmarks and rake bunkers is all to common regardless of what signs you may have.
I find its Generally the pay and players who are responsible for bad etiquette

I take exception to tavebo to pay and play players are generally responsible for bad etiquette.
Just recently taken up golf after playing cricket for 30 years.
I pay and play every saturday with members of my local municipal and we do repair etc. Yes there are some pitch marks not repaired, however members do usually repair as they find them.
However we played on a private course last week not cheap £26.00 a round and we were all amazed at how many pitch marks on the greens were not repaired? And how many divots on the fairway not replaced. This was vertually on every hole/fairway.
After the game i saw and spoke to the green keeper and remarked about this, he said that the so called members are are so bloody lazy to repair after them selves, and think because they have full time groundstaff that they should follow them round and clean up after them.
Hes had many arguements about this with the commitee and been told to just do his job.

Oldzimmer, with all respaect your in the trothers in the tade and 'think' of trade. I am a HG and also a member of a golf club and the public P&P are generally a nightmare.

The point i was making was that it was at a private club that so called etiquette was not followed.They dont have many pay and play trade the fees insure of that.
So lets not tar everyone with the same brush!
I aint gotta clue what trothers means but i will take it as a compliment!

fair point oldzimmer but i can only speak from what i see on a daily basis

I have been managing golf courses for 35 years, from high-end to pay-and-play, from private members to hotel resorts and in my experience I have always had to dedicate X number of hours to repairing pitchmarks, replaceing/repairing divots or raking bunkers.

All the educating in the world or printing etiquette rules won't change the lazy attitudes of some golfers. You just have to accept that you and your staff must repair this damage daily.

If you don't present a clean course daily everyone will adopt the same attitude...... there are so many pitchmarks or bunkers look like a battle field... why should I bover!!!!

We spot bunkers daily and repair on average 20 pitchmarks per green daily.... 20 x 18 holes x 365 days = 131,400 per year...... give or take!!

Live with it my friend!

KB

Yes, people should rake bunkers and repair pitch marks, but many won't. Even less will do these things if they aren't presented properly in the first place. My motto for golfers is "monkey see, monkey do" - if they walk on to a green with 100 pitch marks, 1 more won't make any difference to them. If they walk onto a green with no pitch marks, they might just repair it, and even if they don't, you only have a handful each day.

Back in the days when I was a greenkeeper, I carried a pitch mark repairer with me at all times. Whenever I went to do any work on the greens, be it cutting them, changing holes and such like, I would spend a couple of minutes repairing the pitch marks. Likewise, if I was on my way to cutting a green, but there were players on it, I would go and rake the bunkers on the said hole until the green had cleared - things like this make a huge difference to the course presentation - it certainly beats sitting on the greens mower waiting for the green to clear!

We used to have 2 men give the bunkers a good rake every Friday morning - this in itself wouldn't suffice; however, with conscientious staff who would simply rake a bunker in passing if it needed raking made all of the difference. Same principal goes for pitch marks, repairing divots, even tidying litter and emptying bins - pick up rubbish as you go, replace a divot when you walk past one and so on, you would be amazed at the difference this makes to a course.

Have these 'presentation' tasks like raking bunkers as part of your daily/weekly routine, but add in a conscious effort to monitor these areas, and 'keep on top of them' as you go and you will rarely have a problem with pitchmarks, divots etc.

Thanks for all the replies about pitch marks and bunkers.

However what about the rules and etiquette examples you have written on your score cards?

If you could give me some examples that would help me greatly. Email davidroberts@charterhouse.org.uk or pm me or reply on here.

At least this would help me produce a good set of rules with salient points highlighted. I dont want a ton of rules as no one bothers to read them just enough for the greenkeepers to remind people that they should be following the etquette on the back of the score card adn they have no excuse for not knowing.

If you cant send me your rules and etiquette just a few well worded rules that are on your cards will help me and others.

Cheers

Robbo

Hi Dave,

I have two cards here - neither of which mention etiquette.

In the case of Rushmore rules of etiquette are posted in the Pro Shop and on clubhouse notice boards.

We insist on collared shirts (try telling Tiger that if he turns up for a round) and no studded trousers (jeans).

We are also a soft spikes course and that is mentioned on the back of the card.

There are various signs around the course about repairing divots and pitch marks - special mention is given on the first tee.

There is also a 'how to repair' fact sheet on the notice board

Hope that helps

Rushmore Card

Ashley Wood card

Robbo

Score cards don't tend to have etiquette rules on the back but the local rules of the club. Where the out of bounds are, info on water hazards, GUR and obstructions.
If anything there is often one line mentioning repairing pitch marks and replacing divots this is usually in the middle of the card.
Most etiquette rules are up in the club house.
Hope this helps
Gary

Pitchcare Peter, thank you very much for those just what I am looking for.

The Score card at the school doesnt appear to have been changed since 1986 when the course was opened. So about time we revamped it and put down what is required without going overboard.

Keep them coming in if you can everyone.

Cheers

You could get Sipho to stand by a green waving a big stick!

Sumo - he'd need an orange box as well

This link is quite helpful too:

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/Golf/basic_golf_etiquette.htm

Hello Robbo,

On our course we do everything we can to make them remember the rules. One of the things is a club automated info phoneline. Now i know this sounds expensive, but it works very well.
One of the greenkeepers (normally me) has to leave a message on it daily, describing course conditions, comp tee times, course maintenance and finally the three 'Rs'. Replace your divots, repair your pitchmarks and rake the bunkers.
The golfers love it especially in the winter when they want to know if buggies and trollies are allowed or if we are on temp greens.
We also have monthly comp sheets that have loads of info on the back that gives them another reminder.
A greenkeeper will always have to repair damage caused by golfers, but if even a third of them do what they should you'll be surprised how much less repairng you have to do which gives you time to pay more attention on other tasks.

Have you thought about putting a sign right next to the 1st tee listing ettiquette/rules etc?? If you put it slap bang in the middle of the path where they are waiting to tee off it gets noticed and they will read it while they are waiting to tee off.

As for pitchmarks, I once played at a course that would'nt give you your scorecard until you produced a pitchmark repair tool.

Providing sand buckets that the golfers can take out with them helps with the divot repair.

We also have a couple of small stab in the ground signs with "please repair pitch marks" placed on the walk on/walk off areas beside par 3 greens that we rotate around the course....always less pitchmarks on the greens that the signs are in.


If all that fails I'll come over and sort them out....


Kiwi.

It amazes me that hundreds, thousands even millions of golfers (and I use the term loosely) cant do 3 simple tasks that is expected of them when playing the course they always play or anywhere else for that matter, yet when we do jobs that interfere with their play (usually that have to be done so that there is still a course thats playable) these so called 'golfers' all turn into greenkeepers with years and years of experience, and start telling you how to do your job! I'm a greenkeeper but I started out as a golfer, I play round abouts once a month in a society and I always do the jobs expected of me as a golfer and a GK, I even pull weeds out of greens at other clubs even though I dont have to, out of respect really. 'Golfers' that dont respect the course are not golfers they're HACKERS and they dont deserve to play the course, whether that be a private members or a p&p!

Rant over, got a bit carried away.