There’s no excuse. Actually, that’s not true. There are one or two cases where golfers are entitled to a bit of slack. I’ll come to those in a bit. In the main, however, there is NO excuse for leaving a giant crater on the green.
Crater might be a bit of an exaggeration, but pitch marks are certainly a lot bigger in the winter, when the greens tend to be softer and more receptive.
It’s this time of year when we get reminded at just how big a problem they are.
The issue of pitch marks varies from club to club. I’ve played a lot of golf in the UK this year, however, including during a fairly wet autumn and early winter, and there’s no doubt it’s a widespread problem.
If you repair a pitch mark straight away, instead of leaving it to someone else (greenkeepers/other players) it will start to recover within 24 hours.
If that indent is left unrepaired for 24 hours, however, it can take as long as three weeks to repair itself. During that time, a nasty-looking scar develops on the putting surface.
This, quite understandably, drives greenkeepers and your fellow golfers mad.
The former are usually the first to get blamed when the greens aren’t perfect. I’ve seen many players throw their toys out of the pram after missing a short putt, directing their rage at the quality of the putting surface, of course.
We can and should be doing better. Most of the greenkeepers I’ve chatted to this year have been pretty stretched. Although many will repair pitch marks, they don’t always have the time. Really, they shouldn't have to.
In short, don’t point the finger at the greenkeepers. Are you guilty of not repairing pitch marks? Do you even carry a pitch mark repairer? Perhaps you do, but you’re not repairing pitch marks correctly, which can actually cause more harm than good.
WHO'S TO BLAME... AND WHAT SHOULD BE DONE?
Signage like this can help reduce the number of pitch marks golfers leave on the greens
What’s the solution? One golfer, so enraged he was by the lack of green etiquette, told me the only solution was CCTV! Just joking about using such extreme measures highlights how difficult it is to find a solution.
Polite notices on the course help, as do email reminders to the membership, although they can lose their effectiveness. Golfers don't tend to like being told off.
Could the pro/shop assistant issue reminders? I can’t recall ever being told by someone in the pro shop to be mindful of pitch marks.
Perhaps they’re worried about how this might come across. I’m not sure - I’m kind of playing devil’s advocate here.
There's a right and wrong way to repair pitch marks, which we explain in the video above
Just recently, I played in a competition. I was in the third group off. Throughout the whole round, I found myself repairing pitch marks that had clearly been left by the two groups in front. What do you do?
I’ll tell you what I did. Nothing. Swearing underneath my breath, I just repaired the damage and carried on. I would have emailed the secretary or spoken to the pro if I felt it would have done any good. It never does.
Perhaps I should have confronted the group in front? To be honest, I really don’t like confrontation. Safer to moan to those in your own group!
What this latest example of poor golf etiquette did underline, though, was that this issue cannot just be pinned on visitors and golf societies, as it often is - club members are just as culpable.
I’ve been playing the game for over 40 years now, during which time I’ve been a member of five different golf clubs. I’ve yet to come across an initiative that seems to work and significantly reduce the number of pitch marks over a long period.
Maybe you have, in which case please leave your comments in the box below.
This is not how you should repair a pitch mark
Ah, yes, I did say there are cases where golfers should be afforded some slack.
A couple come to mind: you lose your ball in the sun and don’t see where it lands (I'm being generous, you should be able to locate it) and some kind of injury (also a stretch) that prevents you from bending down, much like some golfers struggle to pick their ball out of the cup.
If you’re scratching your head with this one, bear with me. I’ve witnessed a lot of senior golfers tap down pitch marks with their putters because bending down causes a bit of pain.
Maybe there’s an opportunity here for a new tool that can be attached to the end of the putter, allowing the golfer with a stiff back and dodgy knee to carry out the required maintenance!
Let’s share the best ideas/solutions, and keep our greenkeepers happy and our putts rolling nice and true.
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