Filling Or Replacing Divots On The Fairways Is One Way Golfers Can

Help Superintendents Maintain The Golf Course

by Rick Munro

2010 is going to be a tough year for just about everyone. Golf courses included.

I have spoken with many superintendents who tell me that their budgets have been cut and they are going to be looking for ways to make due. 

What these superintendents have not told me is that their bosses (golfers) are aware of what is going on and will understand if the golf course condition suffers a little.  So, like a lot of other managers, superintendents are being told, “do more with less.”

There are certain items in the superintendent’s arsenal that cannot be removed.  These are things like fertilizers, mowing equipment, fuel, topdressing sand, chemicals or the labour that keeps the place going.

Unfortunately, the largest and most disposable expense is the labour budget. This means eliminating entry-level jobs from the maintenance department. The employees that have traditionally filled these jobs are students.

The tasks they perform are typically course service type jobs such as: filling divots, raking bunkers, fixing ball marks on greens and changing garbage’s to name a few. While these jobs are not crucial to the overall health of the turf, they are critical to the appearance and playability of the golf course.

Ultimately what this is going to mean is having the full-time employees perform these tasks however less frequently. The problem is that jobs such as trimming around bunkers, striping the rough, edging around gardens, sweeping cart paths or double cutting greens are going to be sacrificed.

It’s the detail jobs that golfers are going to miss as they are often taken for granted. These are the fine points that take an average course and turn it into a beautifully maintained piece of property.

The superintendent fear is that they will take the brunt of the abuse for not producing the same conditions that they used too. This is where golfers can help out. The jobs I mention earlier are tasks that the golfer can perform while enjoying their round.

After all, shouldn’t golfers be replacing divots (or filling them when given sand), raking bunkers, fixing ball marks on greens (yours plus one other) and when possible holding on to their garbage until they reach the clubhouse or giving it to an employee they see driving past? These items are all a part of golf course etiquette.

If golfers can pitch-in and help out with some of the detail jobs it will free up time for maintenance staff to tackle other tasks that will otherwise be skipped. These are all jobs on the golf course that individually do not take a lot of time, but must be performed daily to produce the type of product golfers are accustomed too.

Golfers should also bear in mind the impact that their actions have on the condition of the golf course. Simple things like not keeping carts on the paths that are provided.

I understand that “cart paths only” is not an everyday rule but perhaps it should be. Do you really need to drive your cart from the edge of the tee to the edge of the green?  The 90-degree rule works very well in most instances and saves the turf from preventable damage.

What always struck me as odd was “cart path only” rules when the course is wet. Golf carts do more damage to dry turf than wet. If you have ever noticed dead turf, obviously caused by tire tracks on otherwise healthy green grass it is likely because someone drove a golf cart through a dry patch of turf. 

It is not terribly difficult for a superintendent to repair the area but it does take some time, seed, sand and water to get the area back.  This uses valuable resources that can best be spent somewhere else.

I liken these things to going to a fast food restaurant. When you’re done eating you should return your tray to the garbage. You don’t have too, but you’re going that way anyway and it will make someone else’s job easier.

This will allow them to do something else. In the end it will help keep prices down.

Golfers, now is the time when the superintendent at your golf course needs your help and support. Perform the tasks such as raking bunkers to help alleviate some of the workload put on the maintenance staff.

In the end everyone will be able to continue to enjoy the playing conditions we get pleasure from. We all need to pull together during this tough time. So while you are waiting to hit your next shot, fill some divots. 

About The Writer:

Rick Munro has been working in the golf course maintenance and construction industry for the past 20 years and has professional certificates in Turfgrass Management, Environmental Management of the golf course as well as Golf Course Construction and Design from the University of Guelph.Rick is the principal of an Environmental Consulting business called GREENSIDE Environmental Services set to start operations in April specializing in Audubon certification aid for golf courses.