Divot, Divot, Who’s Got The Divot?
While on the course today I reached down to replace my divot that I took. As I went to replace it, I noticed that it really didn’t fit the hole. I then looked to my right and saw another divot mark and lo and behold…..this one fit. As I looked further up from my position I saw another loose patch of grass; then another and another. I finally found my divot and did my best to replace the other two I found along the way. Then my OCD kicked in.
You know how when you’re looking to make a purchase on, let’s say a car, you suddenly notice every model of that car that you never noticed before? Or you want to paint your front door a different color and you start looking at every door within a six block radius? Well, that’s what happened to me. I started to see all these divots on the fairway that I just plain overlooked before. I think I counted and replaced or poured sand into nine just from the 150 yard marker to the green. The worst part is that some of them were at least a day old by the way that the grass on them was dried out.
What is going on here? It can’t be that they didn’t notice what had happened. I mean, one of them was the size of a trout. Could it possibly be that their caddies were lazy? No, this course is for carts only so no caddy necessary. Perhaps there were no sand bottles on their carts? I got it! No one ever told them that it is not only poor etiquette and ill-mannered, but it also leaves the course in bad shape for the players following them. Well, let’s be clear…..I’M TELLING YOU NOW….REPAIR YOUR DIVOTS!!!!!
No, not you. The other golfer.
I’d like to have a tee shirt made with that on it but, since I can’t wear a tee shirt on the golf course, that makes it a moot point. Maybe I’ll just yell it out to the foursome ahead of me. No, that won’t work either because I’ll just sound like a crotchety old man and if they’re younger than me then that could lead to an altercation that I will definitely not come out on the winning side of. I guess that I just have to show how it’s done.
As golfers of a certain age, we need to lead by example when we’re on the course. Replace or repair our own divots and, if possible, replace or repair someone else’s too. Just say, “Don’t worry I got it.”, and hopefully they’ll get the hint for the next time. This great game of golf is coming under fire lately and if we can show that there are rules and etiquette, and can help fellow golfers follow them by example and encouragement, then I think that we can all be enjoying this ‘game that can never be won, just played’ (quoted by Bagger Vance himself), for a long time to come.
Oh, and don’t get me started on the ball marks left on the greens.
Play well,
Dan