Virginia Golfer November / December 2014 | Page 13

TOP LEFT: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM; MIDDLE: JOHN MUMMERT/USGA PHOTO ARCHIVES; TOP RIGHT: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM; MICHAEL DODGE/GETTY IMAGES Stay course conscious by filling in divots properly. “It comes down to the individual. If you’re a golfer, you’re a golfer. You understand what’s best for your club.” McDonough suggests one way of educating golfers is to attach short videos found on the United States Golf Association website to monthly club e-mails. “People might think it’s over the top, but it’s like anything, you need refreshers to remind people what is important,” he says. McDonough recalls being taught a way to stress the importance of fixing ball marks by an old-line superintendent 30 years ago. “He said, when you change the hole locations, you put them right in the middle of the worst areas on the greens for ball marks. When people complain, you say, ‘If you’d fix them, there wouldn’t be an issue.’ ” Sounds harsh, but an unrepaired ball mark can take a couple of weeks to heal, and it gives Poa annua, a weed grass and the bane of bentgrass greens, a chance to gain a foothold. “So many resources go into conditioning greens. T see them not taken care of properly o is pretty frustrating,” says Sain, who offers how he would like to see a ball mark repaired. “If there is any ripped turf, remove the ripped turf then take your putter and tap it flat. Take some sort of tool (ball repair tool or tee) and pull it in from the edges. We don’t want people lifting the center out. Then tap it again.” As Bayville’s Robinson says, “The important thing is to smooth the surface and bring the turf together.” The greens at Independence have been converted from bentgrass to Champion bermudagrass. Taylor’s intent is to have firmer surfaces, which will yield fewer ball marks. Here are more tips from the superintendents. w w w. v s g a . o r g MIX RESULTS With regard to divots, fill them with a sandy mix, then smooth the element out with your foot. Do not overfill them because t