If you ever golf on a course freshly open after its long winter’s nap you know that it is in a very fragile state. The newly exposed grass is always damp and their root system has yet to take hold. So, it is the responsibility of every golfer to take more caution and help protect the course to prevent any lasting damage.

As you know, my season started just two short days ago. Until that time my local golf course (Osprey Links Golf Course) was closed and everyone was patiently waiting for the golf season to start. The is, most people were waiting.

The night before the course opened, someone (after the workers left for the night) decided to get a little bit of early practice on the 18th green. As it turned out, they thought it was okay to chip on to the green and leave ball marks all over the putting area!

For me there is two things wrong with this scenario. First, the course was closed for a reason and as such the person should not have taken it upon themselves to “practice” on the 18th green. Secondly, the neglected to fix their ball marks! I am not sure, but common sense tells me (wait common sense is not all that common any more) both of these situations should never have happened. Careless actions, especially early in the season, could have negative, lasting impact on the course. And I for one, do not want to see that happen.

I do not know who the person was that decided to disobey the superintendents warnings that the course was not ready and there is nothing I can do now. Well, the only thing I can say is to take extra caution looking after the course this early in the golf season! Here is a kindly reminder for everyone on how to properly fix a ball mark:

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!