Lord Emery's thread (here I go again - LEm, I'll have to start paying you royalties if this carries on) on a near-brawl on the course and the associated annoyance & irritation made me think of a problem I see way too often on courses, and in particular at one of the local nearly-out-of-town (public) 'beauts':
Total disregard and disrespect for the course and fellow players, through tossing empty bottles, cans, cigarette butts and other junk wheresoever these yahoos feel like it - on the fairways, in the bunkers, next to the tees and even next to the dustbins! Not raking the bunkers, making fairway divots without repairing them, leaving pitch marks just as they are and, the worst yet, taking practise shots (with irons) from - and leaving DIVOTS on - the greens!!!!!
This small percentage of inconsiderate morons sweep across the 'playing fields' unnoticed, apparently 'underneath the radar' - one can only but look around and wonder who these £$%@'s are.
Not to blow my own bugle, but I just cannot leave trash lying 'round on a course (not even in the rough), nor leave divots and (especially) pitch marks unattended when I come across it. The courses are so well maintained as it is. And it freaks me out that some idiot can come along after me and (casually) just do it again.
But whacking a golf ball off a green with an iron and then leaving a giant divot & walking off must be the one that 'blows my gasket' the most!! The sod I catch doing that better have a bible and a priest on hand...
Well alot of golfers like myself, take pride in thier course and try to maintain it as best as possible it is a shame that the minority can spoil it for the rest.
Unfortunately every golf course shows signs of other golfers' disrespect. Not fixing ball marks on the green, failing to replace divots, and not raking traps are probably the three most flagrant signs that I see when I play. Thank God they are not the majority - but it only takes a few!
I don't know how this can be fixed other than they be caught by a ranger and asked to leave the course, or warned. But that probably wouldn't do much to solve the problem. Maybe we can post their pictures at local courses like they do with criminals - the most wanted list!
It all comes down to respect. These same individuals are probably the ones who try to cut in front of others in line or in car traffic, who return borrowed items in worse shape than they got them, or try and cheat their way through life, disregarding the rights of other people. Just my opinion of course.
As far as taking chunks out of a green - I can't think of anything worse you can do to a golf course.
...As far as taking chunks out of a green - I can't think of anything worse you can do to a golf course. ...
Niether!! Though my course doesnt have that problem on the fairways at times you see a couple divots not replaced but thats normal, if i land in one i just drop out, if its a big one, to be honest i shouldnt be made to pay for others who are inconsiderate!!!
The things you are describing are really maddening. I think the best thing we can do is set a good example for everyone else we play with. There may not be any other solution.
My MGA does on occasion remind members about divots and ball marks (and pace of play). Other than these things, I'm not sure there are solutions.
AT my club you have to go round with a member if you arnt already and you arnt allowed a visitor if you are under the age of 18, this is how the course keeps such a high quality, im 16 and the 18 rule has been a problem as i want to play with non members but id rather have a nice course.
Thats a shame to hear that they do that in South Africa. I thought all the inbeciles were here in the states. I think it's time you got a few members together and kept them off the course permantly. To never darken our doors again.Maybe a couple of cops. [policemen]
Thats a shame to hear that they do that in South Africa. I thought all the inbeciles were here in the states. I think it's time you got a few members together and kept them off the course permantly. To never darken our doors again.Maybe a couple of cops. [policemen]
Ten bucks says it's a global "problem" - 'tis not the culture, 'tis the kind (of person).
Ten bucks says it's a global "problem" - 'tis not the culture, 'tis the kind (of person).
..........definitely a global problem, your $10 is safe. We have the same inconsiderates here in Scotland. Personally, I always endeavour to repair at least two pitchmarks in addition to my own, some greens however can be like battlefields!
Badly or completely unraked bunkers is another one of my pet hates. At my local club, I once suggested that every player could be allocated a bunker by the starter so that the traps could be at least raked with care more than the usual once a day by the greenkeepers.... a sort of 'adopt a bunker' scheme. I thought that it would perhaps bring more focus to the issue............. committee rejected the idea on the grounds that players wouldn't bother to rake any bunkers that they actually played out of.
One course I played in England actually provides a bag of seeded soil for golfers to fill their divots with, preferring not to have divots replaced. Some others are providing small, biodegradable pegs to secure divots in place.
The difficulty that we decent people have, is that whilst we all adhere to and would adopt the schemes to assist course maintenance, the hooligan element would continue to abuse the results.
I have seen the same sort of sloppy behavior from expensive resort courses to private clubs to goat tracks... It appears to be a universal problem. Some people believe that if they pay their greens fees, dues, etc, that it gives them the right to treat the course any way they chose.
I have actually lost a match because my ball lay in the bottom of a footprint with the entire ball about 2" below the surface of the bunker. Nothing to be done but try to blast the thing out as close as possible. My skill level was such that I just did not have that shot in my bag. I am generally a good bunker player, but not with that kind of lie.
Can you believe it? Right on my back door! talk of the devil... This is where I'd like to make a voodoo doll of the idiot and jab it repeatedly on the you-know-what with a long knitting needle...
We've all seen signs of abuse on courses, hopefully not like the one in SA. At my club we've been somewhat successful using "fix yours and one more" so it's easy to do and no golfer feels overburdened. And there are a few of us who try to repair more, be it fairway divots, ball marks on the green or footprints in bunkers.
November 14th, 2006, 12:58 PM
This really blows my mind!!
Not raking the bunkers, making fairway divots without repairing them, leaving pitch marks just as they are and, the worst yet, taking practise shots (with irons) from - and leaving DIVOTS on - the greens!!!!! 
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