The weather this spring is extremely hard on the my home golf Course of Osprey Links. The maintenance team is working extremely hard to elevate our course into awesome playing condition. As they work diligently to fix the extensive damage, I believe that it is every golfers responsibility to care for the course and help protect it from further damage. There are many ways to help and as a habit, we should adopt all of them!

Before I make a list of things all golfers should do, I want to convey a story that happened on Friday afternoon. I was playing outside my normal time because this is when non-members take the opportunity to play and are generally a bit slower than the pace I like to keep. As it turned out, we ended up following a threesome for most of the round. They did not let us through, but in reality, there was no place to go because the course was full.

This threesome did two things: one very good and not so good. First, the very good thing. They were not great golfers. Not bad, but had a tendency to be a with wayward. So, they decided to play a scramble in their group. They would all hit, pick the best shot and play that one. I thought this was a great idea and as a result, played faster than they would normally. A big bravo zulu to these gents for helping to increase their speed of play.

The not so good (which turned out good) was where they were driving their golf cart. We have markings all over the place of where carts are prohibited. They did not seem to understand these markings, so with 8 holes to go, I caught up to them and politely explained the markings and that the carts should never go near the green. I explained that the course took a beating this spring and we were trying they to help out the maintenance staff by avoiding the areas they marked. They were very receptive and did not drive their carts near any damaged areas or near the green. Thanks fellas.

Additionally, there are other things I do to help the maintenance staff improve our course. I think it is something all golfers should do and it really is not a big deal:

• fix my ball mark and an extra one on the green
• replace my divot. I also replace others if I find them on my walk to and from my divot
• I pick up garbage along the way. Usually it is a can or bottle once every round or two, but every little bit helps
• When on the green, if I find a rock or pebble on the green, I remove it
• If I find a rock or large pebble on the tee box, I remove it
• I avoid damaged areas. Even if not marked, I take relief as if it was marked because there is no sense adding to to their challenges. This is only in the spring
• I do not stick my club in the hole to remove my ball, I use my hand
• I do not push my card on the fringe of the green. I keep it in the rough
• I rake my and other areas of the sand trap near my shot area

These are about it. They are little things and do not cost me any time or effort. I think that if every golfer did these things our courses would be in better shape and the maintenance staff could focus on other areas that need more attention. We are all in this together and many hands make light work.

Do you look after your golf course when playing?

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