Talking to most golfers about what they know about golf, the conversation immediately turns to swing mechanics or course (shot) management. The best techniques to hit the perfect golf shot. This area of discussion is important, yet I believe there is an overlooked topic that many beginners are not exposed to with respect to care and maintenance of the golf course. I am talking about the little things that golfers can do that will have no impact the time they spend on the course. Yet, it is an important part of their training, knowledge and understanding about golf that will increase their enjoyment while playing. The challenge faced by many golfers is that the traditional methods of sharing information has fallen to the wayside and it is impacting the golf industry as a whole.

Today’s article is inspired by conversations about yesterday’s article on free relief from unfixed divots. Primarily, my friend Padraig indicated that he was taught important aspects of golf course maintenance when he caddied in his youth. That lead to an expansion of the topic to me writing this article. Thanks Padraig, I appreciate the open discussion.

First, I must say that many would be golfers starting today are disadvantaged when it comes to keeping the golf course in proper playing condition. Without going into a laundry list of things they can do, I have selected three critical actions they can take to pays off dividends: fixing divots, fixing ball marks, and spreading seed/soil on tee boxes. I chose these actions because if they are ignored, it causes larger and longer term damage to the golf course.

As an experienced golfer, I have been repairing the damage I made to the golf course for over 40+ years. I was taught to do this by my father. He took the time and explained the proper method make the repairs needed after I created the minor damage. More experienced golfers educating beginners is likely the most popular method of expanding the understanding of why it is important to care for our golf course.

The next might be clinics offered by local professionals. These clinics(for all ages) generally deal with the ‘how to hit a golf shot’ instruction, but usually at the end of the sessions some time is dedicated to educating the new golfers on looking after the golf course and etiquette. Unfortunately, I do not see many of these clinics in my area, so I am not sure how new players will receive these important tips.

Lastly, with the explosion of knowledge available on line, new players have access to the proper techniques on how to maintain the golf course. Videos like this one:

The information available on line is very valuable, if beginners know that they should look for this information. I am not sure what the perfect solution should be, but it is important that experienced players, course managers, and maintenance staff keep the conversation going. It is a great for beginners and a fantastic reminder for other players.

Anytime we can improve the training, knowledge and understanding about golf is a great thing!

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