Course Care - Ball Marks & Divots

I've received comments from many members lately with regards to the great deal of ball marks on our greens.  Softer conditions this time of year result in putting surfaces that are very susceptible to ball marks. 

There's NO good excuse for not repairing this!

Unrepaired or improperly repaired ball marks create bumpy and uneven greens that putt very poorly.  Please take the time and do YOUR PART to repair your ball mark AND at least one other per green.  This will certainly help us to provide smooth and true putting surfaces as well as maintain healthy greens.

Here is an illustration of how to properly repair ball marks:

click on image to enlarge

Another hot topic of discussion has been the amount of unfilled divots on the fairways.  A divot filled with sand and seed mix will heal much quicker than one that is left bare.  The seed in our divot mix will germinate even in our cooler winter conditions.  

unfilled divot that will take weeks to heal

filled divot that healed in about 10 days

I have been asked countless times on whether it is better to fill the divot with the sand and seed mix or to replace the divot with the turf that was removed from the shot.  I always recommend and prefer to fill the divot with the provided mix rather than to replace the divot.  Chances are that a divot repaired by replacing the turf will ultimately be removed again by either a piece of maintenance equipment or even more often, crows or other birds searching for worms or grubs to feed on.  Birds have no interest in disturbing filled divots and our maintenance equipment rarely affects them either.  Another side benefit of filling vs. replacing is that a divot that has healed from sand and seed mix will take quite some time to accumulate thatch levels comparable to the turf that was removed from the divot.  It is essentially a part of our thatch management program.

Taking the time to repair ball marks and fill divots goes a long way in ensuring exceptional and consistent playing conditions for you to enjoy each and every time you play.  

PLEASE DO YOUR PART!!!