It's at this time of year particularly that we, like most golf clubs, suffer from the dreaded unrepaired pitchmark epidemic because of the soft greens. Every Captain I have stood next to on Sunday lunchtime has tried his best to get players more aware but it remains an issue. So I think it's about time I put my oar in:
Firstly, a few rules about this subject:
- It doesn't matter that you didn't make it - fix it!
- If your ball has landed on the green from any height or distance at the moment it's made a mark - look for it and fix it! If you find any others - fix them too!
- Put your bag at the side of the green, but now walk to the front of it - that's where most balls land so find your and any other pitchmarks and, you guessed it - fix them!
In short, whether your ball landed short or on the green it is your responsibility to fix pitchmarks. It is not ok to just walk onto a green and not look for any - if we all checked every time we would have amazing greens so please do this!
Now the trickier bit - how to fix them properly
I have to admit to being a bit OCD about this as some of my recent playing partners have found out. There is most definitely a correct way to fix them and several very bad ways!
Firstly, please do not copy the players you see on TV. Let us be clear, they quite clearly aren't that worried whether they do a great job at fixing their pitchmarks (it's not their Golf Club, is it?) and they definitely don't care about Chestfield Golf Club - we do! So please do not just get a tee out, poke into your pitchmark, twist it once and then tap it with your putter. That is pointless and actually does more harm than good. To be fair, in some countries the structure of the greens will be far sandier than ours and they may not need much fixing but our greens are not like that so you need to be a bit more thorough!
The wrong things to do are to try to prise the compacted grass up by inserting a fork and levering backwards pulling the grass up and also to twist as previously mentioned. This tears roots and will leave a pale patch of grass even if you do make it flat (I am sure you've all seen greens with lots of small white or yellow marks. Guess how at least some of those were made?)
Is that how you want our greens to look?
I hope not - I hope you all want beautiful, smooth, solid green surfaces. So let me underline how we should do it. You will be able to see a video afterwards showing this being done properly.
The correct procedure
Starting behind your pitchmark, that means the furthest point away from the direction in which the ball approached the green, insert a good fork and now push the protruding part in towards the centre of the hole or dent that was made. Now go all the way round doing this. You will now have made a slightly raised mound of grass covered green that you can now tap down perfectly flat with your putter. Quite literally if you do it correctly and take just a little time you will be able to completely repair the green so that no one will be able to see where the mark was previously. If we all did it this way our greens would look perfect in no time at all!
Watch a video illustrating this here
I know it sounds like I'm banging an often bashed drum but if this helps at all then great. Remember the most important part of all this - there is no excuse for anyone to wander onto a green and not look for pitchmarks. Whether you made them or not it is your job to find them and fix them. Make it a new habit of yours and also practise the correct way to fix them and our greens will be transformed.
As usual at this time of year, there are a few offers lurking about. You can now get a £30 trade-in for your old golf bag against selected bags in the Titleist range. This includes carry and cart bags and the StaDry range! We have a number in stock but they won't last for long so get in quick!
As I said last week the new Nike Vapor Fly range is in and we are expecting our PING G demonstrators in next week. As a result, we do have our current stock of G30 reduced from £250 to £199 (and I might be open to sensible offers!). Come in and book a time to try now.
As promised, a quick catch up on how my golf went this weekend. My ball striking was much improved which got me to 1-under-par through the first five holes - and then the icy rain/sleet/hale started! That eventually finished us off after 8 holes but I was very pleased with how I hit the ball early on and I will be building on this.
If you'd like help to get the best from your game, the way I am working on mine, then you know where to find me.
Simon is also offering anyone who has not had lessons with either of us yet, a free, yes completely free, 20 minute lesson. This is your chance to gain valuable information about your swing. He will include use of video, a copy of which you will be able to keep. There is absolutely no obligation to have any more lessons so this really is a complete freebie. Why not take up the opportunity? Either call the shop or pop in to book up.