Ball Mark Repair Thread

[Stargaze]

Speaking of ball mark repairs.  This is my first year of golf where I'm taking lessons and actually studying the game.  I'm hitting the green now from 100 yards out and closer so I actually have ball marks to repair ;)

I find it fun repairing ball marks.

[MajorSlice]

i wish everyone would find it fun to repair them.  it seems that every time i walk up to a green there are dozens of ball marks in the green left unrepaired.  if i cant find my ball mark when i walk onto the green or if my ball didnt make one, i will always fix others.  i dont understand why people dont fix them.  it is lazy and obnoxious.  we were behind a group of senior citizens a few weeks ago and i dont remember seeing them bend down to fix a single ball mark.  they should kick people like this off the course.  them and the people who dont fix their divots.

[bigwave916]

Our men's club finally formed a Monday night posse to go out on the course and fix ball marks. After heavy play over the weekend the greens looked like they had a case of acne. After a couple of months of this the word got out and the problem almost disappeared.  I take pride in knowing how to properly fix a ball bruise and when I leave one I hope that it's invisible in a day or two. If you fix 'em right away they get hard to find. If you leave 'em alone for a couple of days they take a couple of weeks to completely heal.

[Spyder]

My home course was getting so bad that they hired part-time help to go out every morning and fix the ball marks, as well as after dark. They also started handing out complimentary repair tools (very, very cheap aluminum ones that had a tendency to bend). It has gotten much better this year, but I still see people launch a PW from 130 out and point out that the ball is inches from the mark.. but they never repair the damn thing!

Also, though not as efficient, you can repair a ball mark with a damn tee. Just keep one in your pocket. Stick the tee in the ground on the border of the ball mark on a 45° angle going in towards the ball mark and move the head of the tee towards the hole - essentially prying towards the mark, but not hard enough to cause damage. Do this a few times lightly around the mark and step on it and that is a hell of a lot better than doing nothing.

I'm just tired of hearing people say "I'd repair that but I don't have a tool". Or ask me if I have one and I say no, but I fix it for them right in front of them and they ask me again 2 holes later. You can lead a horse to water......

[0ldblu3]

Seems like the right spot for this link:

http://lakeviewcc.com/turfcare/etiquette/repairing_ball_marks.php?part=1

It is amazing the number of ball marks on greens.  I always am proud of a good mark, it usually means that I hit a good shot and I feel like a pro going over and fixing it.  I used to pry up years ago, but one day I thought about the root and how prying up can't really work.  Now I just push the displaced grass and soil back together and things look good when I'm done.

Same with divots, I want to find and replace the divot because that usually (although not guaranteed) means I hit a good shot.  Love it when an 8i divot flies 30 feet down range, but I'm annoyed that I have to leave my club next to the divot when I go get the grass just because by the time I get back I won't know which one to fix due to all of the un-repaired ones on the fairway.

Same goes with leaving rakes in the bunkers.  Simple question...would you rather have your ball bounce out of a bunker as it was going in because it hit a rake, or have your ball bounce into a bunker when it wasn't going in because it hit a rake?

[Spyder]

Originally Posted by 0ldblu3

Seems like the right spot for this link:

http://lakeviewcc.com/turfcare/etiquette/repairing_ball_marks.php?part=1

It is amazing the number of ball marks on greens.  I always am proud of a good mark, it usually means that I hit a good shot and I feel like a pro going over and fixing it.  I used to pry up years ago, but one day I thought about the root and how prying up can't really work.  Now I just push the displaced grass and soil back together and things look good when I'm done.

Same with divots, I want to find and replace the divot because that usually (although not guaranteed) means I hit a good shot.  Love it when an 8i divot flies 30 feet down range, but I'm annoyed that I have to leave my club next to the divot when I go get the grass just because by the time I get back I won't know which one to fix due to all of the un-repaired ones on the fairway.

Same goes with leaving rakes in the bunkers.  Simple question...would you rather have your ball bounce out of a bunker as it was going in because it hit a rake, or have your ball bounce into a bunker when it wasn't going in because it hit a rake?

I can't really recall ever having a shot deflect into a bunker because of a rake left outside of a bunker. Chances are, that means your shot was most likely heading to the bunker as it was, or was short. Also, if you deflect off of a rake and land in the bunker, your ball most likely wouldn't be very far in or deep for that matter.

I'm not questioning that you've had it happen to you, but I've never seen it or had it happen to me and our guys constantly leave rakes on the outside of the bunkers.

[Motley01]

I like repairing ball marks. Both mine and others, if I'm just waiting for my turn and have time.

Also, it means that I must have hit a nice approach shot!!!

[NuclearMike]

It's too easy to fix my mark and at least one more, so I see no reason why not to do just that.  I remember a similar thread where a TST member actually posted that fixing another ball mark was the responsibility of the groundskeepers.  If you leave a mark for a day or to they take a lot longer to heal than fixing them immediately.  Valleygolfer, I don't have OCD, at least not officially diagnosed, but I'm with you and most other golfers who actually give a damn about the courses where they play.

[Mattplusness]

I really like fixing mine. Nothing is more prideful than a huge moon crater you left from 80 yards out.

If I can't find mine, I'll fix one or two that I see.

[RichWW2]

I usually try to fix a mark or two anyway, but I love fixing my ball mark.  Makes me feel good that I actually hit the green and it feels a little like showing off, which I'm okay with.  Also, the people I usually play with aren't that great sometimes so it helps while I wait for them.

[bunkerputt]

For bermuda, use the back of your hand to feel the grain.  Not sure whether that is technically legal or not....  Pull away from hole.  For bentgrass, push towards hole.  Other than that, I have very little to offer in this thread

[ejimsmith]

Originally Posted by bunkerputt

For bermuda, use the back of your hand to feel the grain.  Not sure whether that is technically legal or not....  Pull away from hole.  For bentgrass, push towards hole.  Other than that, I have very little to offer in this thread

i'm pretty sure its not, but there's a few rules-nazi's on this site that can confirm.

[Timothy Voyles]

Ugh this is literally ruining my home course. I haven't been able to play much in the past 2 weeks but I made it out Mon and Tue... I repaired 10+ marks on each green. The 2 randoms I got put with asked my why I was bothering, and said they should have people who work here fix them... I nearly went off on them, they are the guys who play 5 or less times a year and don't give a shit about the courses they mangle. Instead I explained to them that as a member and someone who constantly plays here I take care of as much as I can. It keeps membership cost down by not having to PAY someone to fix this stuff, and it also keeps the greens in better condition. My poor little course has gotten so bad on the greens... I could have fixed 100 marks on each green and would still looked like hell.

[BuckeyeNut]

The correct way to repair a pitch mark.......

If you pull-up in the middle, the result is often a dead spot on the green.    Please....push in from the sides.  It sure doesn't help the cause watching touring pro's do this incorrectly on TV all the time.    They don't care if they leave dead turf behind because they won't play the course again for another year!

End of public service announcement

[Dave2512]

I repair my own and any that are near me on the green. I don't walk the entire green fixing marks but I will fix a few besides my own on every green I stand on. It's a problem, a big problem. The only courses that I frequent that don't suffer from this are private. The par 3's on the public courses I play are very bad.

[MajorSlice]

Originally Posted by 0ldblu3

Same goes with leaving rakes in the bunkers.  Simple question...would you rather have your ball bounce out of a bunker as it was going in because it hit a rake, or have your ball bounce into a bunker when it wasn't going in because it hit a rake?

I leave the rake right on the edge of the bunker in the grass, with the rake handle parallel to the grass/sand line.  This way, if the ball was bouncing towards the bunker and hits the rake they may get a lucky bounce away from bunker, but if it was flying into the bunker it will still go into the bunker.

[ejimsmith]

Originally Posted by MajorSlice

I leave the rake right on the edge of the bunker in the grass, with the rake handle parallel to the grass/sand line.  This way, if the ball was bouncing towards the bunker and hits the rake they may get a lucky bounce away from bunker, but if it was flying into the bunker it will still go into the bunker.

my understanding is this is the correct way to leave the rake.   however i've also been told that you should leave it in the bunker.  i'd like to know what the caddies on the pga tour do.

one course i like to play, desert willow in palm desert, has pop-up rakes, so they're hidden completely.  very nice!

[BuckeyeNut]

There is no correct rake placement..................

Some courses want them left in the sand, others in the grass.   I hate rakes in the bunkers!!  Drives me nuts...