Does anyone carry sand/seed when they walk?

[Bonneville85308]

Yes, when I push at my home course, I put a sand bottle in one of "baskets" on the push cart. Eventually the staff just gave me one of the sand bottles from the riding carts to keep and use. If I have to wait while on the course, I'll fill any divots in the vicinity of where I'm standing.

[Argonne69]

One of the difficulties when walking is simply finding the seed/sand mix. I really don't like "stealing" the mix from an electric cart, as someone is going to be short. 99% of courses I've played don't have the mix available near the 1st/10th teeboxes.

 

If they want people to fix their divots, they could certainly make it less of a hassle. 

 

[North Butte]

12 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

One of the difficulties when walking is simply finding the seed/sand mix. I really don't like "stealing" the mix from an electric cart, as someone is going to be short. 99% of courses I've played don't have the mix available near the 1st/10th teeboxes.

 

If they want people to fix their divots, they could certainly make it less of a hassle. 

 

I've heard (second hand) from people on our Board that they occasionally get complaints from members about the unsightly sand bottle stands near the 1st tees of each nine. In my book they might as well complain about the ugly mowers out cutting the fairways every morning but some country club members apparently have very refined tastes. 🙄

 

But more generally, I think the fact so many courses make it impossible for walkers to find any sand bottles just reflect them giving up on us and figure so few of us are going to carry the sand why bother. Along with the general disrespect that seems common among course operators now in which anyone not taking a cart is a nuisance they'd just as soon ignore. 

[antip]

1 hour ago, North Butte said:

I've heard (second hand) from people on our Board that they occasionally get complaints from members about the unsightly sand bottle stands near the 1st tees of each nine. In my book they might as well complain about the ugly mowers out cutting the fairways every morning but some country club members apparently have very refined tastes. 🙄

 

But more generally, I think the fact so many courses make it impossible for walkers to find any sand bottles just reflect them giving up on us and figure so few of us are going to carry the sand why bother. Along with the general disrespect that seems common among course operators now in which anyone not taking a cart is a nuisance they'd just as soon ignore. 

That is bizarre. Every course here supplies sand buckets on the first/tenth and often also second/eleventh and sand is supplied on every tee. It's rare to come across any club member not carrying and using the buckets. Some use and refill their bucket on every hole and look for ground to make repairs to in addition to their own divots.

[Argonne69]

21 hours ago, antip said:

That is bizarre. Every course here supplies sand buckets on the first/tenth and often also second/eleventh and sand is supplied on every tee. It's rare to come across any club member not carrying and using the buckets. Some use and refill their bucket on every hole and look for ground to make repairs to in addition to their own divots.

 

There are plenty of course in the U.S. where walking is not allowed, or if it is, it's highly discouraged through all sorts of passive-aggressive techniques. For example, I love courses that string endless ropes in fairways and near cartpaths to keep electric carts from the area, but don't leave an opening for walkers. Then there are the courses that don't mow walking paths from the teeboxes to the fairways, or from the greens to the next teebox, forcing you to trek through the native areas, or take the long way around on the cartpath. My #1 pet peeve is not providing a small footbridge over small creeks, forcing walkers to hike back to the cartpath.

 

Edited July 13, 2022 by Argonne69

[Rigby48]

For those who carry their bag what type of sand containers have you found that you like.  I walk and carry 90% of my rounds and the containers at my course are not easy or convenient to carry, I'd like to suggest a better model but haven't found one. 

[sui generis]

37 minutes ago, Rigby48 said:

For those who carry their bag what type of sand containers have you found that you like.  I walk and carry 90% of my rounds and the containers at my course are not easy or convenient to carry, I'd like to suggest a better model but haven't found one. 

[bcjim]

I don't, I confess. I certainly replace divots if possible but I'm not lugging sand. Sorry.

 

I'm not a huge digger anyway.

[Rigby48]

1 hour ago, sui generis said:

Yeah that's what we have an my course.  The plastic clips get stretched out or break off.  Most people seem to put them on the towel loop which then gets in the way of the towel.  We used to have ones that were more square with a bigger clip that hooked on the frond of the bag but they don't seem to make them anymore.  

 

What would really make sense if for bag manufacturers to put a second drink holder on bags and use and empty gatorade bottle. For instance on my Titleist stadry bag the drink holder is on one side fo the ball pocket would be very easy to have one on the other side. 

[david.c.w]

1 hour ago, sui generis said:

 

I mentioned earlier, but as a digger these are not practical and simply not worth it (for me).  Out of sand by 2 fairway.  Don't want to spend all my time filling sand in an 18 oz bottle. 

 

I will care for the course by filling 3x divots when I ride.  

[sui generis]

On 7/6/2022 at 9:11 AM, elsie451 said:

I walk 95% of my rounds with a push cart and have never carried sand/seed with me. I'm a bit of a picker and usually don't leave much of a divot, more like bruised grass. However, I will occasionally take a healthy sized divot (especially when i chunk it 😬). So I'd like to see what other people do about this and if there is a good solution.

 

There are a few easy solutions, such as a sand bottle for the cart or a sand tube for the carry bag. But, it seems there are many more convenient excuses for leaving an unfilled divot hole. 🙄

[North Butte]

2 hours ago, david.c.w said:

 

I mentioned earlier, but as a digger these are not practical and simply not worth it (for me).  Out of sand by 2 fairway.  Don't want to spend all my time filling sand in an 18 oz bottle. 

 

I will care for the course by filling 3x divots when I ride.  

Yeah, I don't really see much point in carrying a dinky bottle that only holds maybe 3-4 small divots worth of sand (or one giant trench). Nice to make an effort I guess but it's a tiny drop in the bucket when it comes to making a difference over the course of a round. 

[Pepperturbo]

On 7/6/2022 at 6:11 AM, elsie451 said:

I walk 95% of my rounds with a push cart and have never carried sand/seed with me. I'm a bit of a picker and usually don't leave much of a divot, more like bruised grass. However, I will occasionally take a healthy sized divot (especially when i chunk it 😬). So I'd like to see what other people do about this and if there is a good solution.

Like you, I am more of a sweeper, scraping to roots.  Only time I go a bit deeper is using 9-LW.  I've been known to carry a filled sand bottle when walking too.  But its use depends on the wishes of the course superintendent, and whether the divot-fill mixture is available for use.  That said, many better courses don't want golfers filling divots.

Edited July 13, 2022 by Pepperturbo

[sui generis]

24 minutes ago, Pepperturbo said:

courses don't want golfers filling divots.

 

Well. congratulations! A never before heard excuse. 😥

[antip]

14 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

There are plenty of course in the U.S. where walking is not allowed, or if it is, it's highly discouraged through all sorts of passive-aggressive technics. For example, I love courses that string endless ropes in fairways and near cartpaths to keep electric carts from the area, but don't leave an opening for walkers. Then there are the courses that don't mow walking paths from the teeboxes to the fairways, or from the greens to the next teebox, forcing you to trek through the native areas, or take the long way around on the cartpath. My #1 pet peeve is not providing a small footbridge over small creeks, forcing walkers to hike back to the cartpath.

 

The solution is simple, do not provide those courses with your custom. I am not interested in playing any courses that want to tell me how I am going to move around the course - I will only play/pay where my interests and choices are respected. It's a buyer's market.

[antip]

7 hours ago, Pepperturbo said:

Like you, I am more of a sweeper, scraping to roots.  Only time I go a bit deeper is using 9-LW.  I've been known to carry a filled sand bottle when walking too.  But its use depends on the wishes of the course superintendent, and whether the divot-fill mixture is available for use.  That said, many better courses don't want golfers filling divots.

There's no course in Australia I'm aware of that doesn't want divots filled, ball marks repaired and bunkers raked. People that don't do these simple things are tapped on the shoulder and told to get with the program or there will be consequences.

[Argonne69]

14 hours ago, sui generis said:

 

Well. congratulations! A never before heard excuse. 😥

 

Crazy timing, but I'm playing a course this morning that doesn't want players filling divot holes. I asked the starter where I could fill my sand/seed bottle, and he said, "We have someone that takes care of that, but thanks for caring." They also don't have rakes in the bunkers. 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2022 by Argonne69

[Abh159]

12 hours ago, sui generis said:

 

Well. congratulations! A never before heard excuse. 😥

 

I've played a handful of places that didn't want golfers filling divots. They have staff members who ride around and do that. 

[charli]

3 hours ago, Abh159 said:

 

I've played a handful of places that didn't want golfers filling divots. They have staff members who ride around and do that. 

Correct there are some. I’d say majority wants you replacing or filming the divot. 

[Krt22]

3 hours ago, Abh159 said:

 

I've played a handful of places that didn't want golfers filling divots. They have staff members who ride around and do that. 

 I know some paces ask not to replace a divot (ie put the grass back), because filling it with sand/seed is better. Have yet to experience a place where the staff does that for you.

[ChipStrokes]

9 hours ago, antip said:

There's no course in Australia I'm aware of that doesn't want divots filled, ball marks repaired and bunkers raked. People that don't do these simple things are tapped on the shoulder and told to get with the program or there will be consequences.

if there's someone following around each golfer and tapping them on the shoulder, maybe they should just fill the divots and rake the bunkers instead.  

 

problem solved!

[North Butte]

3 hours ago, Krt22 said:

 I know some paces ask not to replace a divot (ie put the grass back), because filling it with sand/seed is better. Have yet to experience a place where the staff does that for you.

I suspect he's mostly thinking of high-end resorts or private clubs where there's an army of staff out there every day doing stuff like repairing divots and ballmarks. Along with carrying your bag, offering to wipe your nose for you and so forth. 🤩

 

I can think of two places like that I've played over the years and it's not really the sort of thing I'd expect to see at a course I'd play more than once or twice in a lifetime. 

[MountainKing]

This sounds like a superintendents nightmare.   I don't think many would want something from the outside being used on their turf,  despite the intentions being good.   Depending on the grass, there's different methods that need to be used, and yes there are plenty of courses that ask to leave the divots because of this. 

[Krt22]

45 minutes ago, MountainKing said:

This sounds like a superintendents nightmare.   I don't think many would want something from the outside being used on their turf,  despite the intentions being good.   Depending on the grass, there's different methods that need to be used, and yes there are plenty of courses that ask to leave the divots because of this. 

You don't bring our own, you fill it with sand/seed at the course. 

 

I walk, I use my own bottle, I fill it at the course. Lots of clubs with a good amount of walkers either provide these small tubes, or bottles with a hook to attach to a push cart, or have a bucket of sand to fill your own.

[MountainKing]

58 minutes ago, Krt22 said:

You don't bring our own, you fill it with sand/seed at the course. 

 

I walk, I use my own bottle, I fill it at the course. Lots of clubs with a good amount of walkers either provide these small tubes, or bottles with a hook to attach to a push cart, or have a bucket of sand to fill your own.

In that case,  I stand corrected.   I'm too lazy to walk these days so had no idea. 

[Krt22]

4 hours ago, MountainKing said:

In that case,  I stand corrected.   I'm too lazy to walk these days so had no idea. 

It’s really a club by club thing too, some walking is very popular, some not at all. A lot more walkers now after Covid as well. 

[Rigby48]

There are definitely courses that don’t want you filling them. One club around here that isn’t all that fancy doesn’t provide any sand at all. The super likes to ride around at the end of the day with a big bucket and fill them all himself as a way of checking on the course.  So he removed all the bottles and sand from the course and carts.  It also happens to be when he likes to toke up a bit. 

[bobmcbobson]

I played with a guy recently who had repurposed a Gatorade bottle into a sand/seed bottle by punching a bunch of holes in the lid. It was small enough that it didn't add too much weight to his bag, but he did have to refill it frequently (not a problem at our course as we have many refill stations). Seems like a pretty good idea to me.

[skmcclure]

On 7/7/2022 at 10:48 PM, 2bGood said:

Which is kind of weird right? Yes there is capital cost adding the buckets to each hole, but in doing so you are very inexpensively helping maintain your course. So yes I play out of a private golf club, but you would think a public club would encourage players to fill their divots just as much. It not like supply players with sand and seed, is luxury? 

 

On a similar token, a local public club I play at, has a sign at their counter with a basket of ball mark repair tools:

 

"Repair tools - $50.... Free if you will use them."

I always got a kick out of the sign and sure they get better than average compliance with fixing ball marks. 

 

I mostly play on public courses. One I guarantee you will not find another person raking a bunker or fixing a ball mark or divot all day. The new sand bottles on the carts hardly get touched. Another has a lot of walkers and they recognize that we have a nicely maintained public course and do a great job keeping it that way.  I think they should have a ranger on the first few holes showing you how to fix the ball marks, etc, then ask you to leave if you don't do it.  That stuff is so easy, takes just a few seconds and leaves behind a nicer course.  "They guys on TV don't do it so why should I?" Maybe that has something to do with it, I don't know.

[2bGood]

3 hours ago, skmcclure said:

 

I mostly play on public courses. One I guarantee you will not find another person raking a bunker or fixing a ball mark or divot all day. The new sand bottles on the carts hardly get touched. Another has a lot of walkers and they recognize that we have a nicely maintained public course and do a great job keeping it that way.  I think they should have a ranger on the first few holes showing you how to fix the ball marks, etc, then ask you to leave if you don't do it.  That stuff is so easy, takes just a few seconds and leaves behind a nicer course.  "They guys on TV don't do it so why should I?" Maybe that has something to do with it, I don't know.

 

From what I have found, players will do it, if they are shown how too. Sure not all, but you are out on the course for several hours, it is easy to do a bit of maintenance while out there. 

 

But some have an attitude of "I paid to play golf not garden!" those folks don't get that raking bunkers, and facing ball marks is part of the rich fabric of the game.