Bunker Rake Placement....Do it Right!!

First of all, if you haven't watched the video I made on bunkers, here it is.  Watch it again and pay close attention to where I talk about bunker rake placement.

Now watch this video on bunker rake placement.

Two very different perspectives.  Let me just say those guys are wrong.  Bunker rakes should be left inside the bunkers so that the maintenance staff doesn't have to move them every time the grass needs to be cut.  The exception is during tournament play.  I understand the argument that rakes left outside the bunkers will result in fewer ruling violations but that's only because people haven't been taught that there is a better way to place them inside the bunker.  Watch the second video again and take note of the rake that gets in the guys way.  Somebody placed it up on a slope in such a manner that it was destined to cause a problem.  That rake was likely put there because someone walked out of the bunker on that steep face because he, or she was too lazy to walk out the lower face like they should.  This issue is about education and etiquette.  People need to walk in and out of bunkers where the face is NOT steep whenever possible.  People also need to be responsible and place rakes in such a manner that the next person wont run into an issue.  That might mean you leave it in the bottom of the bunker where it's flat, but I imagine in most situations you can place it like I've instructed in my video.  This is really the most reasonable thing to do.  If you're at a course that asks for rakes to be placed outside the bunkers then by all means do that.  If your playing here at Tacoma C&GC, please don't.  Be a responsible golfer and place them in such a way as to not interfere with the person behind you.  This usually happens naturally if you simply follow the rules of entering and exiting the bunkers.

Ball Marks - Fix'm Right

 I found this ball mark on the first green this morning.  I was disappointed that a golfer would just leave their ball mark unrepaired, but we see it everyday, so I simply repaired it and you can't even tell it was ever there.    The only thing more discouraging than an unrepaired ball mark is a ball mark repaired incorrectly.  I say this because it's nearly impossible to fix a ball mark that has been repaired improperly.  For example, in this picture below, someone attempted to repair a ball mark, but they lifted soil up into the center and now it will take weeks for grass to fill in.  I could attempt to remove the soil and mend it properly, but it will never be as good a repair as if it would have been done properly the first time.

I can't stress this point enough, NEVER NEVER NEVER stick a tool into a putting green and push down on the tool's handle in such a way that soil comes to the surface like in this next picture. 

Like with anything, there is a right way and a wrong way.  Fixing a ball mark the right way is simple, but it's not so simple to show you how using pictures and text.  That is why I made a short video for you to see just how easy it is.  In fact, as you will see, it is so simple to fix a ball mark correctly that I was able to train my dog to do it.   Click on the video below.  To watch in full screen, click on the youtube button at the bottom of the video image.

Range Tee Divots (the right way)

The image above is horrific enough to give me sleepless nights.  Someone was hitting range balls in this area who clearly has had no instruction in the proper way to practice on the range tee.  Hitting on natural grass all year long is a luxury that our membership cherishes, but if everyone wasted grass like this person, they would loose that privilege.  You can see that this person took a full divot with each shot.  Also, this person spread out his or her shots over such a large area that there is no room for the next person to practice because now that person will have to stand in divots or move to a different hitting station. 

Now in this picture above, you can see this person really knows how to practice.  All of the divots are taken so that there is no wasted grass, and also now someone could easily walk up to this hitting station and find plenty of grass to use during their own practice session.

Personally, I think the best way to take divots is as shown above.  There is no wasted grass between divots, and the narrow strips of grass between the rows of divots helps the grass fill in so recovery is faster.  To learn how to do this, watch the video I made.  Please click on the shortcut below and pay attention.

Rake placement and bunker etiquette always seems to be a topic of interest at every golf club.  The picture above is one that I always use to show how we place rakes here at Tacoma C&GC, and yes we place rakes in the bunkers unless we are hosting a U.S.G.A. or P.G.A. event.  For regular daily play it simply doesn't make sense to place rakes outside the bunker simply because you would have to move them each time you want to mow around the traps, and that's a waste of time.  But if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth millions.  Click on the video below to watch my first edition of TurfTalk which explains in detail why we place rakes in this manner.