Ball marks on the greens
 

this is a spin off of a post I put in general section.

The grrens here are looking terrible...cause....way too many folks do not repair their ball marks on the greens.

Let's all remind the groups waiting to line up for their tee time to fix their ball marks on the greens (plus one more).

I know I will be in the minority who will do just that. Because I am not afraid I will be offending anybody when espousing doing what is right....eh!

btk

greens are way too soft and wet which allows everybody to make a ballmark. Harden up the greens and fewer ballmarks are the result. It wouldn't hurt to spped them up either especially Mallory. They are insanely soft and slow.

A golfer is a responsible gentleman or lady and repairs his/hers and others ball marks if he/she has time.

A golfer rakes the traps after he/she has hit out of them and doesn't wander into anyone's yard to look for a ball. That ball is HISTORY.

Just for starters.

If you don't do these things the rest of us will know you are a rookie or far worse, a disrespectable golfer. :ohdear:

It happens this time of year, every year. Could it be the vast number of renters who pay large sums to rent, just don't think they should have to take care of the property. Juat my thoughts !

I have to disagree.... it happens ALL year! There are just many more folks playing and that it makes the problem and bit larger.

I live on a golf course and have no problem with someone retrieving their ball, but I don't like them hitting from my lawn...

I really think that
 

it should be mandatory for all NEW golfers to take a class in golf course etiquette....I spend a LOT of time cleaning up ballmarks, especially on execs.

Ball Mark Repair Video
 

This short video demonstrates the proper method for divot repair.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-ZzT8yMnmg]Repair Ball Mark Properly! Shawn Clement #1 Most Popular Teacher on You Tube - YouTube[/ame]

:blahblahblah:Do these renters have signs on them? Be nice, they are paying for your year round amenities.

Excellent post.....thats the way to do it...educate.....not pointing fingers. :coolsmiley:

The Golf Administration has made it clear that golfers should not walk on a homeowners property to retrieve their ball

I try and repair as many ball divots as I can without holding up the group behind me.

I do believe you should consider the validity of such a statement. What ever percent of total amenity fees the renters could be paying would not amount to 2% (and I am being generous) of the total.

If it was meant for jest it was wasted on me. I always feel something incorrect or wrong not addressed is condoned.....and that anin't me.

That one falls in the same category as the one about the snow birds being the ones who make the difference whether TV survives or not. Another urban legend....or another jest. I must say I do find it funny!!!

It is a year around problem assignable to all of us who golf here....those that do it and those who don't fix it or both.

btk

TOTALLY AGREE! I have been golfing for 45+ years. I have played in many tournaments, outings, golf teams, casual... Played the best and worst course. These greens are awful in my opinion. I played yesterday on the new course and was amazed how bad the marks looked for a course two months old.
It is not hard at all to repair your mark. Yes some have a hard time bending over, but they seem to manage putting their ball on the tee. Regarding time, in most cases their is plenty of time to repair your mark while others are getting ready or after. While you are , it is also not hard if there is a mark by yours or in your line to repair that. Count the time.. Maybe 5 seconds per mark? I am just curious on the reasons people say they won't. I heard the one about they pay huge amounts of money to play so it is not their job. Do people playing the country clubs, Augusta, etc say they paid so they don't need too? Even the caddies do not and should or repair your ballmarks. It is your job.
For those that watch the pros and try to imitate their swing, patterns, etc, do the same with how they repair their ball marks.

Retreiving golf balls on homeowners property
 

I see it all the time golfers looking for the golf balls and retrieving them on homeowners property. Even looking into the homeowners lanai to see what the inside looks like. When you are told please don't go onto the homeowners property and there is no reinforcement then they will continue to do so. There should be a system where the offender continues to do so then they should be given somekind of demerit and if they get so many they cannot play for a while. Some kind of enforce is needed.

motion activated sprinklers would work.

Not worth discussing. we are all in this beautiful place together and pointing fingers at snowbirds or renters is just as inappropriate as not repairing ball marks. The business model works......frogs, snowbrds, snowflakes all add to the success of The Villages. I don't think I said nor have I ever heard that the Villages "survives" because of the Snowbirds.

I live on the Golf Course and 99% of the people shy away from looking in the homes. I will wave hello to anyone whose eye I catch and if someone wants to retrieve a ball, I have zero problem with that. I chose to live on the golf course because I enjoy watching the golfers.

I agree with the last post. I lived on a golf course for 11 years before moving to TV. I never had a problem with golfers retrieving their ball from my yard. I would even help them look. I knew many of them anyway so it was not worth the aggrevation to argue about. It goes with the territory.

The ball mark thing is another story. I know sometimes when you have extremely hard greens it is hard to find your ball mark. There are times I will look and not find it, but I can usually a couple of others to fix. I average fixing at least 2 ball marks on every green. I do it while others are getting ready to putt or I am waiting for them to get to the green. I like to putt on nice greens so it is the least I can do. I just do not get people that do not fix divots. I won't make judgements on who they are and what the reasons are, lazy, forgot, don't carry a divot fixer, don't want to bend over. Many times in a group I fix other marks from players in my group and they will do the same.

For the most part I am ok with the playing conditions here. I have been a member at private courses for almost 20 years before coming here and yes they are in better condition, but you pay dearly for that. I am just not willing to pay those fees in retirement.

The Villages for Villagers!! Love it or leave it. :D

I totally agree with you. Not only do my husband and I fix our ball marks on the green but anyone else's we see. People, at our age we should know right from wrong, COME ON!

Bless You BTK....eh!
 

Thank you for your comments....well stated and well stated. I was an ambassador on the executive courses....Truman, Roosevelt and Sandhill and ball marks on the greens were not much of a problem, since few golfers were hitting the greens. I found if I had a mixed-couple foursome, I could ask the ladies to be the "bosses" of the group and make certain the men raked the bunkers of ALL foot prints, filled divots with LOTS of sand, and if in the event they happened to hit green and leave one of those little dents which we call ball marks, that they repair them and two or three others. The ladies did indeed take charge and when they left the course it was in better shape than they found it.:pepper2:

Have heard this from a couple of different folks who golf....."upon reminding (this would be an ambassador) asking a person (notice I didn't put a gender) to rake a trap or repair a divet....that person responded saying---"I don't have to because I pay my monthly dues" OR "I don't have to because I live in ___such and such___a village!" I wouldn't put this type of blame for most of the infractions...probably just ignorance for the most part!

There's another reason for MANDATORY Good Golf School for all golfers

I find that most "inexperience" golfers do not even have a ball mark tool in their possession. Some "experience" Golfers too! They try to fix ball marks with a tee----but it is better and easier with a ball mark tool. Some Country Clubs give them away so their members will be more likely to repair ball marks on the greens. Maybe TV should declare a certain week "ball mark week" and give all players at all courses a ball mark tool. NAH! That won't happen!