Practice Makes Perfect

Olde Florida Golf Club is a true golf club. Our primary amenity is the golf course and practice facility. 

With that in mind, in 2015 when tasked with redesigning and rebuilding the practice facility, considerable thought went into not only the design, but also the size of the teeing area and the short game practice area. By all accounts what we created was exceptional. 

However, regardless of the amount of teeing area, golfers can help maximize the use of the practice tee and short-game area by considering the impact of their divot pattern. This is important year round, but even more essential in the winter. 

The winter is our busiest time of the year for golf. It's also the time that turfgrass growth is slowest! Turfgrass growth (and divot recovery) is slowed due to shorter days, the lower angle of the sun and reduced air and soil temperature. With this said, members and their guests can help fellow golfers and the agronomy staff by considering the impact of their divot pattern. 

Taking divots in a linear pattern, instead of a concentrated or scattered pattern damages a smaller area of turf and helps the practice tee recover faster. 

Here are a few tips provided by the United States Golf Association (USGA) that can help golfers use the linear method to minimize practice tee damage:  

1.    Once the first divot is taken, the next ball should be placed in the healthy turf directly behind the initial divot (1/2 to 1" behind the previous divot).

2.    A total of 15-20 shots/divots can typically be taken before it's necessary to create a new line of divots alongside the first line. 

3.    The next line of divots should be taken approximately 4" to the side of the initial line. Getting the lines any closer will remove too much turf and recovery will be slowed. 

4.    Golfers who "cut across" the ball can still use the linear pattern. The line may not be perfectly straight, but any linear pattern is better than the alternatives. 

Understanding the agronomic reasons of why the linear method is superior is fairly easy to explain. 

Our hybrid bermudagrass (TifTuf) is not viable by seed. Therefore, we can't add a "soil/seed mixture" to regrow the turf. In bermudagrass the majority of the recuperative growth is lateral, moving in from each side of the divot. This is why the linear pattern will recover quicker than a concentrated pattern.