How to Repair a Ball Mark

How to Repair a Ball Mark

One of the first things most of us were taught how to do in our recreational golf careers is how to fix a ball mark. But did we all learn how to fix one properly? 

While some of us have good intentions, we are not all repairing them properly.  A properly repaired ball mark takes days to recover, while an improper one can take weeks.  The golf ball striking the turf essentially causes the grass in the ball depression to die. Just "popping" the depression up can smooth out the putting surface, but it does not help repair the damage to the turf. It actually causes more damage by tearing the roots.

In the summer, Olympic View can see up to 250 rounds of golf in a day. That means up to 250 ball marks can be left on a green. If these go unfixed, or fixed improperly, our grounds team are left with a lot of ball marks to fix in the morning.  These can be time consuming when there are so many. On average a properly fixed ball mark can take 5-10 seconds. If our grounds team only fixed 30-40 ball marks per green, that can be up to 2 hours per day, 14 hours per week, or 728 hours per year of ball mark repair. If everyone can do their part, we will be left with more time to concentrate on other areas of the course.

A general golf etiquette rule of thumb is fix your ball mark and 2-3 other ball marks around it. Since you're reading this, it means you're a caring member or guest of our course. You're help with repairing ball marks would be greatly appreciated and in turn would benefit the health and playability of our course. 

Watch as our Golf Course Superintendent, Brett Finlayson, shows us how.

There are many different shapes and styles of ball marks out there. Whichever one you choose, if you follow Brett's steps, the outcome will be a perfectly fixed ball mark.

Thanks for reading and enjoy your rounds this summer at Olympic View Golf Club!