Opinion & Analysis

Be a good steward!

Published

7 years ago

Apr 29, 2019

How many times have you had a great shot into a green and you’re excited at a real opportunity for a birdie but when you get up there you find a massive pitch mark right in your line? The person that left it either ignored it or thought it wasn’t big enough that s/he needed to fix it. To you, it is so big that it looks like meteor crater in Arizona, and you are wishing you could find the guy that left it.

Or how about this: Your ball landed in a bunker and you need to get up and down to stay in the money with your buddies. When you get up to the bunker, you find out your ball is in a footprint that looks like it was left by Goliath himself.

Both of these things are extremely frustrating and even if you can fix the ball mark or rake the trap and replace it throws you off your game a little. It’s also at the heart of what I want to talk about this week.

Our game is a game for ladies and gentlemen, it’s a game of honor and tradition. It’s also a game that asks us to be good stewards of the grounds we play on. We are responsible for what we do to the course and we should do whatever we can to keep that course in great playing condition.

Over the past 20 years, I have noticed that people are doing less and less of this. I watch guys go into a trap play their shot and then walk away never even thinking about raking the sand. I have watched people hit a great shot into a green and then when they get up there leave that massive pitch mark. I start to wonder if this person was ever taught to do these things and they are choosing not to fix them or are they simply uneducated in the ways of the game.

If they are just ignoring their responsibility, it speaks to their lack of character, and if that’s the case they are the only ones that can fix that. If however, they are just uneducated it falls on those of us that are teaching the game to new golfers both young and old what to do and why it’s so important. We owe it to them as new players as well as to others that will be sharing the course with them to teach new players how to take care of the course. It’s not something that is shown on TV, and it’s not something you get from a golf coach, but it is something they need to know.

These golf etiquette basics won’t help them hit the ball straighter or improve their putting but in my mind, they are just as important. Taking care of the course is something you do that isn’t for your benefit; it’s for other players. It is something you do that will have very little if any impact on your round or your score but it does say what kind of person you are.

I have a nephew who is just starting the game, and just as much as I want him to have a fantastic swing, incredible short game touch, and the putting skills of Jack, I also want to teach him to take care of his course. I want to teach him what the game has taught me, and that’s how to be a gentleman. I want him to learn that you fix ball marks and rake the sand not because others are watching but because it’s the right thing to do. It is one of those life lessons that will stick with him far beyond the 18th green and will carry over to his entire life.

Editor’s note: And for goodness sake, if you know someone who struggles with either fixing pitch marks or raking bunkers, or God forbid, both: pass along the video(s) below c/o the USGA.

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11 Comments

ewfnick

May 1, 2019 at 6:37 am

Etiquette is a thing of the past on many courses these days, it has become increasingly worse since, for reasons that bewilder me, the use of mobile phones became acceptable while on the course!

Reply Report comment
Fergie

Apr 30, 2019 at 11:12 am

My most frequent observations are unrepaired ball marks on greens and not seeding divots on the tees. It only takes a few seconds . . . No Excuse!

Reply Report comment
ND

Apr 30, 2019 at 9:56 am

The greens at my home course have been hit exceptionally bad this year. I usually try to fix at least 5-6 extras since usually im one of only a few out there at twilight and im not in a hurry. It boggles my mind how people can just say “screw it im not fixing my pitch mark” and continue on. It literally takes 3-4 seconds to fix a mark people!!!!

Reply Report comment
Hanke

Apr 30, 2019 at 9:16 am

Rake the sandrrap and replace the ball? Which game is this?

Reply Report comment
daniel

Apr 30, 2019 at 5:23 am

I’ll be that racist person.People that come from countries that get caddies provided for next to nothing on nearly every golf course and then come out here without the luxury of hiring a caddie tend to not pick up after themselves.

Reply Report comment
- Mike
  
  Apr 30, 2019 at 7:42 am
  
  It really is true that you can put an article on the internet about literally anything and get a racist reply. Where exactly are people coming travelling from where they are so used to their slave caddies that they don’t pick up after themselves in their absence? I really hope this is not a serious explanation for this issue.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Joey5Picks
  
  Apr 30, 2019 at 4:17 pm
  
  I don’t see how it’s racist. Elitist maybe, but not racist.
  
  Reply Report comment
Acemandrake

Apr 29, 2019 at 8:25 pm

A club pro told me his biggest frustration with new players is their lack of etiquette.

Most likely due to never being taught rather than some character flaw.

Reply Report comment
- Joey5Picks
  
  Apr 30, 2019 at 4:20 pm
  
  True. Just like anything, if you’re not taught the nuances, how are you supposed to know. Basics like
  -where to stand (not behind a player on an extension of their line)
  -first to hole out should get the flagstick
  -don’t step on a player’s through-line on the putting green
  -They’re bunkers, not “sandtraps”
  -you play golf. You don’t “golf” or “go golfing”
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Hunter
    
    Apr 30, 2019 at 7:49 pm
    
    That last point is so elitist its ridiculous, you absolutely go golfing.
    
    Reply Report comment
  - scott
    
    May 1, 2019 at 4:05 pm
    
    Yikes. I get the flag stick, standing in the right spot, and not walking on people’s line, but “sand traps” or going golfing, Jeeze, take it easy. With that attitude I am sure that you do not have any problems with etiquette, because you are probably playing alone.
    
    Reply Report comment

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Opinion & Analysis

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