How do we get golfers to repair pitch marks?

Sit in any clubhouse after a round of golf and you will hear the usual complaints - slow play (obviously), unraked bunkers, the quality of sand in bunkers, the greens and unrepaired pitch marks.

My biggest bugbears are unrated bunkers and unrepaired pitch marks, all the more so because it takes no time to rake the sand or fix your mark on the putting surface.

I was always taught to repair not only my own pitch mark but also any others that I saw. Peter Alliss used to famously say that if every golfer repaired two marks, then they would quickly cease to be an issue. But, from my own ongoing experience, it continues to be a big problem. And I cannot understand why. I believe that before every golfer steps out on a course they should be asked by the pro if they have a pitch mark repairer. This is not rocket science people.

Repairing a pitch mark and returning the green to the way it was before your ball hit the green is both incredibly easy and satisfying. There are few things more frustrating than walking on to a green and seeing it peppered with pitch marks, more especially in damp conditions when they stand out like a sore thumb.

And you agree - overwhelmingly so!

Should All Golfers Repair More Than One Pitch Mark?

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

On Facebook, we asked: "Should all golfers repair more than one pitch mark?"

It came as no surprise that our post received more than 700 likes and there were more than 400 comments. Although many of you said "No" it was only because you passionately believe that every golfer should repair their own pitch mark. If they did that, of course, there would not be another one to repair.

Overall, 80% reckoned that we should all be repairing more than one pitch mark while a tiny 1% said "No". Of the remaining 19%, the majority view was that golfers shouldn't need to repair extra marks because everyone should repair their own.

Many of you described repairing pitch marks as an unwritten rule for all golfers or a long-standing tradition that should be followed by all.

Here are just a few of your comments:

• "Repair yours and one other."
• "If every golfer did their own pitch mark plus one they wouldn’t be any."
• "Repair your pitch marks, if you can’t find yours repair someone else’s."
• "1+1 is the golden rule!"
• "Until they’re eradicated, then yes, your own +1."
• "I was always told to repair yours and at least one other. That makes up for the idiots that don’t repair anything."

Some Golfers Fix All The Marks They See

Most encouraging was the number of you who reported that you don’t count the number of marks you repair - you just fix all the ones you spot. I wish there were more like you.

Here are some selected opinions:

• "If you see it fix it.... very simple"
• "See a pitch mark, repair a pitch mark, it’s not hard!"
• "If you see them repair them!"
• "Repair all you see!"
• "If I see them, I fix them."

It's Part of Proper Course Etiquette 

I strongly believe that this is all part and parcel of proper etiquette. And yet those who fail to make the repairs are almost always the first people to complain about the state of the greens. I have to say that men are the major culprits. I have never played with a woman who has failed to repair pitch marks.

Again, we are on the same page with this:

• "Of course, you should - it’s part of the basic etiquette of golf for heaven's sake!"
• "It's called course etiquette."
• "Have respect for your course."
• "Look after the course."
• "All proper golfers repair any they see."

What a Difference it Would Make to Golf Courses

It may seem like stating the bleedin’ obvious but if we were all to repair pitch marks and eliminate them completely then guess what? We would ALL have better greens to putt on - and the greenkeepers would thank us for it rather than curse us!

You said:

• "If we all repaired the ones we see what fantastic courses we would have."
• "If you look after the greens they look after you."
• "Takes little time and helps everyone."
• "Little effort, maximum return."

I couldn’t agree more and this is why it makes me so angry - repairing a mark takes seconds! It also upsets you.

• "Drives me crazy to see them. And nobody fixes them."
• "Like to see them repair their own first. Too many hackers don't bother."
• "I always try to fix as many as I can, while I bitch and moan about the ones who don’t."

A large number of you take a leaf out of my bag by routinely repairing multiple marks. I salute you all.

• "I fix at least three or four every green..."
• "I do every green, at four or five."
• "I fix usually around five a green."
• "I usually repair mine and about three others."
• "I repair three at a time."

Not Enough Pitch Marks Are Fixed by Golfers

What this reveals is that, without question, this looks like it is a problem that is not going away any time soon.

It’s all too easy to shrug your shoulders, repair only your own mark and believe that it’s not your job to fix anybody else’s damage.

Here are more views on this thorny subject:

• "If all golfers repaired their own there would be none to repair. Simple."
• "They shouldn’t have to if everybody repaired their own."
• "If everyone repaired their own, we wouldn't have to."
• "Shouldn’t need to!"
• "I will settle for them repairing their own."

Surprisingly, perhaps, a number of you expressed concerns about play being slowed down by repairing pitch marks. Not sure I go along with that but here are some opinions:

• "Do as many as you can without distracting playing partners or holding up play."
• "Yes, unless it unnecessarily delays playing the hole by searching for them."
• "Sure, if they don’t hold up play."

Do Enough Golfers Know How to Repair Pitch Marks Properly?

There were some concerns about players who do not repair pitch marks properly.

• "Most golfers don't know how to properly repair a pitch mark and actually cause more damage. Should all golfers learn how to repair a pitch mark? Hell, yes."
• "Only if you know how to do it properly."

Surely most of us know how to repair a pitch mark and, in any case, any attempt to repair them is better than doing nothing at all.