Fixing Ball Marks?

[Parker0065]

I play on a family owned golf course and the owners work hard to make it one of the best kept courses in the area. I played today after a rather large scramble tournament went through and I couldn't believe the number of unfixed ball marks on the greens. Unfortunately I have noticed this has been on the rise over the past decade of players not fixing thier ball marks!

[deafheaven]

Unfortunately there hasn't been the need to fix any ballmarks lately. But anyway, the reule is, fix yours plus one more.

[BigBoy]

I don't want to stereotype too badly, but since I'm currently not working (just graduated from grad school, job doesn't start for another month) I get to play weekday mornings at the local public courses around here. Its generally me and 60+ year old crowd. I end up fixing about 3 ball marks a hole following a group of them around.

I understand that getting down that low and having to stay down there long enough to properly repair a ball mark could be troublesome for older folks (hell, my back is already giving me some issues and i'm in my early 30s) but it still kind of stinks.

Seems like there would be room for an invention of sorts for a senior's repair tool?

[Jay-Bird]

I always fix mine and any I see.

[Prairie Golfer]

I think I spend more time fixing ball marks than actually putting.

[Slice57]

I'm pretty new to golf but I found this rule and I follow each time I play. I fix what I think is my ball and at least 1 other.

[microcrayfish]

I always end up fixing a bunch of pitch marks I didn't make. My home course is usually pretty good but some courses I play are awful when it comes to pitch marks all over the green. I don't think your poll is going to get good results though, the type of people who frequent a golf forum are probably the sort that do fix their marks and I don't think anybody's going to come on here claiming that they don't bother fixing them.

[Cut Back....]

I play competive high school golf, and i always fix my marks and others i see as well. But some teams when playing our home course don't always fix the marks, and we are the ones who get crap from it by the members. This display of laziness has nearly worn out our welcome at the course we respect and love to play at.

[Cooker]

I have to be honest... I don't always remember to fix my ballmarks, but now that I seem to be the only one that forgets I will try harder to remember and will always fix an extra one I can find...

[Smw]

Yes I fix mine.

[Sandplay]

yes i fix all my ball marks and i think at my home course most people do fix theres because normally its only mine that i need to fix.

[ApocG10]

On one course im a member at, the usual one I play, I always fix my ball marks. The other 9 hole im a member at, its damn near impossible. Their greens are all but dead this year, still brown patches all over. No one undestands why, and they had awesome putting greens last year.

[RCF]

I fix my own and at least one other.

[McGolf-Doggie]

I think I spend more time fixing ball marks than actually putting.

That could also mean you're hitting a lot of greens in regulation, from a long enough distance to leave a mark, and one putting/two-putting most everything!

(As for me, I don't have too many ball marks on the green to fix just yet.)

[goblue107501]

I will fix mine and any others I see. If I am on the green first I will fix them all from my group in case someone 'forgets'.

[Dub]

I don't want to stereotype too badly, but since I'm currently not working (just graduated from grad school, job doesn't start for another month) I get to play weekday mornings at the local public courses around here. Its generally me and 60+ year old crowd. I end up fixing about 3 ball marks a hole following a group of them around.

I've seen them before. One of the marshalls at my home course uses one as he rides around. It's a fairly simple affair...just a club length shaft with a four pronged spike. He lightly jabs it in the mark and twists and then tamps it down. Very efficient. He can repair a dozen ball marks before you can think about putting once. I wish they sold them at the pro shop. I'd slip on in my bag and pull it out along with my putter on occasion.....especially if play was slow.

[Parker0065]

I was a little suprised to see a couple people answer no,,lol.

I know that when I played after the scramble tournament yesterday is probably when you will find the most unfixed ball marks on a course. Probably more than half the players were slamming beers and after a few holes I think the alcohol takes over. I also found nearly a dozen golf balls laying all over the place throughout the course, I guess thats the benefit to playing after a scramble, free golf balls.

There's a lot of reason players don't fix them and one I've witnessed many times is higher handicappers hitting that one great shot out of the round and are so estatic they have a birdie putt that they walk right by thier pitch mark. I walk over and fix it after they have putted and remind them to fix it next time.

But I agree that the biggest reason is out of pure lazyness and disrespect for the game.

[powerfader]

My course is predominantly member only (we do have a tiny minority of visitors but they have to have their handicap certificate and proof they belong to a recognised club). So essentially its just people who play the course all year round and yet there's STILL dozens of pitchmarks unrepaired and deep divots unreplaced. Why do people "s**t on their own doorstep"? You've paid a sizeable subscription and yet you make no effort to keep the course in good condition. It drives me up the wall when I land in a divot or have to putt over a pitchmark.