WVCCgreens

The little things we can all do to help the golf course!

     With July behind us and the dog days of summer ahead of us, here are a few things that everyone can do to help the golf course.

Repair your “ball marks” on the green:

These unsightly blemishes are absolutely preventable and if every golfer just repaired their own ball mark, the greens would appear to be smoother and healthier.

Replace you divot on tees and fairways:

I understand that it is easier to reach over to your golf cart and grab some divot sand to use, but in reality a well replaced divot has a 10 time better chance for complete recovery than sand with seed mixed in.

Keeping your cart on the path at the green and tee area:

I would mention that it is extra helpful to keep all four tires on the path. Just by carts constantly running over the edges of the path will cause compaction and loss of turf.

Not making extremely sharp turns on the fairways:

This is the most preventable turf damage. The newer golf carts have a very tight turning radius, add that to a golfer checking a sprinkler head for yardage and we have turf damage. The fairways are cut at .390” and it does not take too much to bruise the turf, this type of damage will stick around a while.

Watch where you spray sunscreen and insect repellent:

The same ingredient that helps the product come out of the can and dry quickly on your skin will be the ingredient that kills the turf. When applying these products, please do so while standing on a cart path.

And finally………..be careful where you place your drinks:

There is nothing better than walking down a fairway on a warm sunny day with a cool beverage in your hand. The only problem is that you must put it down to hit your next shot or line up your next putt. I have seen many examples of spilled drinks on the golf course this year, and believe me it is long lasting. Damage has occurred on the 3^rd and 8^th greens and the 8th fairway, so please be mindful when enjoying that cold beverage.