Fixing Ball Marks Discussion

[Onebulldogs]

Course Owner/Operators Response?

On Golf Channels For Inventors Only, they had Duemig testing a putter with a built in divot repair tool on the bottom.

If it worked, you could fix ball marks without bending over. While I would never buy my putter based upon it's ability to fix a ballmark it got me to thinking it would be a way for courses to fix marks quickly.

My father taught me to try to fix two ballmarks on every green. Mine and someone else's. He said if you do this, you will play on better greens. While I don't do it ever time, I try. Frankly, I cannot understand why people don't fix ball marks.

One thing I have never understood is why courses don't send someone out before dark to "clean up" the greens. If I owned a course and had to pay for maintenance, I would expect it would save me money in the long run.

Since I have never seen it done, I assume I am wrong.

[drpino]

what got me about the Fore Inventors built in divot tool putter was that it was designed to fix the pitch marks in the WRONG way. during the field testing they fixed several marks incorrectly by lifting up (and tearing roots) instead of folding in the edges.

 

soooo many people do this and actually do more damage to putting greens than help. it irks me so much seeing big, dead brown spots all over greens due to incorrectly fixing marks.

 

i heard about a local course near me offering volunteers a free 9 holes and lunch to go around and fix as many pitch marks (and divots in the fairway) as possible.

[KevCarter]

what got me about the Fore Inventors built in divot tool putter was that it was designed to fix the pitch marks in the WRONG way. during the field testing they fixed several marks incorrectly by lifting up (and tearing roots) instead of folding in the edges.

 

soooo many people do this and actually do more damage to putting greens than help. it irks me so much seeing big, dead brown spots all over greens due to incorrectly fixing marks.

 

i heard about a local course near me offering volunteers a free 9 holes and lunch to go around and fix as many pitch marks (and divots in the fairway) as possible.

 

I agree 100%. They were making ball marks by throwing the ball down on the green, which created shallow ball marks where you could get away with fixing them the WRONG way. In real life situations, I believe they would have been making a mess!

 

Kevin

[Joe Schmoe]

what got me about the Fore Inventors built in divot tool putter was that it was designed to fix the pitch marks in the WRONG way. during the field testing they fixed several marks incorrectly by lifting up (and tearing roots) instead of folding in the edges.

 

soooo many people do this and actually do more damage to putting greens than help. it irks me so much seeing big, dead brown spots all over greens due to incorrectly fixing marks.

 

i heard about a local course near me offering volunteers a free 9 holes and lunch to go around and fix as many pitch marks (and divots in the fairway) as possible.

 

I totally agree they did it the wrong way. But almost noone is taught the correct way. they should have the starter demonstrate the proper way on a small area of the practice green.

 

I kinda like that local course offer, But better yet would be to send a single like me out at 7:00pm out with a free cart, fix the divots and ball marks, and still be able to get 9 holes in. Then for the back nine, send out a couple singles, who want some mid/short game practice and have them fix a couple holes each.

[irish]

what got me about the Fore Inventors built in divot tool putter was that it was designed to fix the pitch marks in the WRONG way. during the field testing they fixed several marks incorrectly by lifting up (and tearing roots) instead of folding in the edges.

 

soooo many people do this and actually do more damage to putting greens than help. it irks me so much seeing big, dead brown spots all over greens due to incorrectly fixing marks.

 

i heard about a local course near me offering volunteers a free 9 holes and lunch to go around and fix as many pitch marks (and divots in the fairway) as possible.

 

I totally agree they did it the wrong way. But almost noone is taught the correct way. they should have the starter demonstrate the proper way on a small area of the practice green.

 

I kinda like that local course offer, But better yet would be to send a single like me out at 7:00pm out with a free cart, fix the divots and ball marks, and still be able to get 9 holes in. Then for the back nine, send out a couple singles, who want some mid/short game practice and have them fix a couple holes each.

 

Yeah.

 

Sorry wife, im going down to the golf course, to the practice pitch mark repair area on the practice putting green for a lesson in fixing pitch marks. The starter kindly obliged to offer a course every monday at 18:00. We get these cool graduate certificates aswell.

 

Who says the starter knows the correct way to fix a pitch mark anyway??

 

Most of the ones i have met are goons.

[hobbes]

I've heard of courses that require you to show your divot tool to the starter before they let you go. They ought require you to show that you know how to use it also.

 

 

I love the idea of free golf for fixing divots and pitch marks, I'd be on that in a flash.

[mr_divots]

I am having a hard time finding a picture, but there is a tool available to supers that is much like the "Mark Mender." It has some "finger-like" prongs that extend out and pinch the marks closed. It's on a handle with a trigger action to activate it. Not sure that all courses use them, but they are available. Darn, why can't I find a picture now?!

 

Ahhh.. here we go:

 

http://www.wittekgolf.com/product.asp?prid...cCat=Turf+Tools

[scotton]

Part of the problem is the pros. Not a tournament goes by that you don't see a pro using the lift technique to fix a mark in his line. He's doing that so the putt will be smoother, and because it doesn't matter if the spot browns up in a few days because he will be somewhere else. So people that don't know any better think that must be how to fix pitch marks because that's how Tiger does it.

 

I bought a tool for my 6 year old daughter and she would rather fix ball marks than putt. If a 6 year old can do it, it can't be that hard.

[Konrad]

Ball marks are bad, but not even close to the dragging feet that the guys ahead of you have. This is without a doubt the WORST thing to happen to you on the green. I don't find ball marks as much, I can legally fix those. But I can't fix spike marks. So because some porker with metal spikes can't pick up his feet on the way to his tap-in 8, I have to miss my birdie putt? That's just not right.

[Joe Schmoe]

Maybe a way to help the ball repair would be to teach the pros how to fix them, and then fine them for not doing it correctly. That way us commoners who watch golf on tv will pick up on how to fix them the right way.