The greens are the undisputed jewels of our course. They are where dreams are made, putts are sunk (or missed!), and the quality of the turf directly dictates the pleasure of our game. Yet, after every round, our greens often bear the scars of battle: the dreaded ball mark.
While it might seem like a small detail, an improperly fixed or ignored ball mark is an injury that can take weeks to heal, creating bumpy, frustrating patches for everyone who plays after you. A properly fixed mark? It can heal in as little as 24-48 hours!
You are the first responder, the grounds crew's partner, and the key to pristine putting surfaces. Ready to be a turf-saving hero?
The Problem: The Wrong Way to Fix a Ball Mark
Before we get to the correct technique, let's address the most common mistake: Prying up the soil.
Many golfers mistakenly stick their repair tool in and use it as a lever to push the turf up. This rips the roots, tears the grass blade, and simply suspends the damaged piece of turf above the ground. It's like putting a bandage on a broken bone, it doesn't fix the real issue, and the spot will remain dead or uneven for a long time.
The Solution: The USGA-Approved "Push-and-Pinch" Method
This is the technique championed by the United States Golf Association (USGA), and it is the single most effective way to heal a green quickly and completely.
Three Simple Steps to Green Perfection:
The Entry Point: Insert your ball mark repair tool (or a simple tee) into the ground at the edge of the ball mark. Critically, do not insert it into the center of the depression.
The Gentle Push & Pinch: Gently push the edge of the turf inward toward the center of the mark. Repeat this motion from every side of the ball mark. Imagine you are closing a tiny circle. The goal is to stretch the undamaged turf surrounding the depression until it fills the hole.
The Smooth Finish: Once the depression is filled (it might look like a small mound), take your putter and lightly tap the area. This flattens the repaired spot and ensures a smooth, true surface for the next player.
Pro Tip: Don't forget to repair one more mark! You should always fix your own, but take a few extra seconds to fix one or two that other golfers have missed. It's the ultimate act of course sportsmanship!
See It In Action!
For a demonstration of the correct technique, we strongly encourage you to watch this short video from the USGA. It takes less than 60 seconds to master the method!
By taking just a few seconds to repair your ball mark properly, you're not just being a good neighbor, you're being an excellent golfer. You are ensuring that our greens stay fast, true, and worthy of championship-level play.
Let's make every round a perfect one. See you on the course!
The comprehensive restoration of our greens is moving forward with impressive speeds. Only four months after the re-planting, we have the first official Stimpmeter measurements, showcasing a remarkable comeback and setting the stage for an excellent playing season.
The benchmark #12 green highlights the rapid progress: after initial spot-tests measured just over 6 in September and 7 in October, it now measures a robust 8.75. This consistent, upward trend is being replicated across all 18 holes.
With a current Course Average of 8.51, we are closing in fast on our peak-season target speed of 9.5 to 10. The uniformity of speeds is particularly noteworthy, with the vast majority of greens scoring well above 8.0.
Full Speed Measurements
Hole
Speed
Hole
Speed
#1
8.32
#10
8.50
#2
8.24
#11
8.39
#3
8.77
#12
8.75
#4
9.24
#13
8.30
#5
9.56
#14
7.98
#6
8.22
#15
8.76
#7
8.18
#16
8.11
#8
8.75
#17
8.71
#9
8.03
#18
8.36
The Front 9 (Average 8.59) and Back 9 (Average 8.43) are nearly neck-and-neck, promising a balanced challenge. A special nod goes to #5, which is already performing at an incredible 9.56, being the first to reach the low end of our target range!
The crew is also aware of the invasive growth in a few of the greens and are adjusting their protocols to more specifically address these areas. With just 4 short months into a complete regrowing of our greens, the team remains confident that these numbers will only climb as the greens mature, ensuring exceptionally fun putting surfaces when the season is in full swing.
Ever wonder what it takes to get a golf green back into pristine shape? Now you can see it for yourself!
We're pleased to share a unique, time-lapse perspective on the ongoing maintenance and recovery efforts on our golf course. This video documents the successful regrowing of green #12, and the results are an impressive visual of the incredible transformation.
Of course, no high-stakes effort would be complete without a visit from Mr. Murphy and his Laws (the equipment experienced a blown hydraulic line near the last day of filming!). Despite these small setbacks, our crew showed exceptional dedication.
Enjoy the view, and a big thanks to the team for working tirelessly to get our greens back to looking spectacular! This is just the first of many steps in our course recovery.
We've all been patient, watching and waiting as our greens and fairways get a much-needed makeover. It’s exciting to see the fantastic progress, and we're getting closer every day to having our course back in great condition.
Our new contractor, Jimmy's Turf, has hit the ground running! They've spent the last months working tirelessly on the course, and you can already see the results. The Greens & Grounds Committee recently conducted the first inspection under the new contract. The overall progress is impressive. The committee looks forward to the next inspection and even more progress.
New Life for the Greens:
The re-planting of the greens is well underway. In fact, on August 13th, the crew successfully completed the first mowing and rolling of the new greens. They are now moving on to the final steps to get them ready for play. This includes slowly reducing the mowing height along with regular rolling. These actions effectively help train the grass to be able to tolerate the aggressive mowing heights required for regulation play. During this phase, you will see the grass yellow a bit, because of the stress of the cutting, then the color will return. This process is repeated until the grass gets to the desired height. When this is complete, the grass will be healthy and strong enough to withstand chemical applications, which is the next step in the recovery process.
Focusing on the Fairways:
The weed and fertilization program has begun on the fairways, and tee boxes. Starting with the weeds, the spray has already started to brown the growth, which is a good thing. The critical part of the program is to follow the weed spraying with fertilization to promote good growth. Without it, the weeds would just return and continue to overtake the good grasses. The new approach this time includes focusing on just the fairway, or approach, areas and allowing the rough to be, well, “the rough.” This will be an ongoing process until the good grasses re-claim their space on the course, in which you will be able to visually see the progress as the fairways and approaches become more defined.
Tackling the Tee Boxes:
The tee boxes require a fair amount of work. Much of the tee grass has been lost to the previous neglect. However, many of the tees do still have some tee grass. For budgetary reasons the plan is to prioritize in the order of greens, fairways, and then tee boxes. The crew will attempt to naturally recover as many tee boxes as they can. The Greens & Grounds Committee plans on re-evaluating later in the season and taking a project-oriented approach in the event that the tee boxes were not able to sufficiently recover. Among the options being discussed are artificial vs natural grass, factoring in the costs (both short and long-term). Informal polling suggests that the community is pretty evenly split when it comes to favoring artificial vs natural. Ultimately it will come down to maintainability and costs.
Beyond the Greens:
It’s not just the course that has been getting attention. You will notice that the crew has even found time to tend to the landscaping around the course and waterfalls, which looks great. With just 2-3 crew members, they have completed an extraordinary amount of work.
To the Owners:
We know it hasn’t been easy to wait, but we're so grateful for your patience and understanding. We’ve already completed a lot of work and there is still more work to do. However, we are truly on our way to having our beautiful course back for all to enjoy.
Do you have questions about the recovery process? We'd love to hear from you. You can reach out to the Greens & Grounds Committee through the Signature Portal’s “Request” feature or by sending an email to the Property Manager.
Before we get to the correct technique, let's address the most common mistake: Prying up the soil.
We've all been patient, watching and waiting as our greens and fairways get a much-needed makeover. It’s exciting to see the fantastic progress, and we're getting closer every day to having our course back in great condition. 