A golf course cannot escape the effects of bad habits by many players who - most of the time due to sloppiness and without any bad intentions - fail to comply with a series of rules and consequently hamper efforts to preserve the layout in good condition.
Rod Bastard, director of Marbella Club Golf Resort, a professional with extensive experience in golf management, explains in this article what are the most common bad habits by golfers in relation to buggy use during a round.
"Clients usually behave very well," he says, "but every day there are basic breaches. If people were more aware and avoided doing certain things, it would help a lot to maintain the course." Bastard estimates that 90 per cent of the damage to a golf course is caused by improper use of buggies.
"I read an article," adds Rod, "in which several leading greenkeepers at US courses talked about the idea of eliminating buggy lanes because they are very damaging and affect play, and they all said very clearly that if you do not have a buggy path you will have a dirt road, because of the damage buggies cause to the grass. That is why it is so important to comply with the rules to minimise damage to the course.
In this example, we see a sign that says ’90-Degree Rule’. We have ropes and we have a kerb, and this obviously means those responsible for the golf course do not want clients to pass by with a buggy. However, despite seeing the three indications not to enter there, they continue to do so. You must follow the rules of the club, follow the indications of the posters. Here we always have buggies on the fairway grass, which is the best way to play, and is a privilege, but this privilege entails responsibility. So, please, use buggies in a more responsible way and the course will be better and everyone will be happier.
I don’t understand the need for clients to go directly from the tee onto the grass. We usually have the 90-degree rule, which is to follow the path of buggies as much as you can until you reach the level of your ball and then enter the fairway, but every day I see people who leave the tee and enter directly onto the grass with their buggy and, not only that, but also in the same place as all those who have entered before. If we want the course to be in good condition, we need to keep buggies on the paths as long as possible.
On this occasion, the player had to move the stake and the rope to play his shot, but he has departed without setting them up again. This cannot be right. The idea is to leave the course better than how we found it: or, if not, at least as it was. It takes 30 seconds, but at least the client who follows behind will find the course in good condition and well ordered.
In this case, we see that the golfer has passed with their buggy through a barren area, which has been created by other buggies’ previous passage. If we travel continuously through the same areas as other players, we create these damage marks. If you are driving a buggy and you see a barren area, avoid it; pass through the areas that are not damaged and share the weight of the buggy around the course.
It is logical if we are walking around a course to always look for a straight line to move forwards, in the direction we want to travel, but in a buggy you don’t have to do it that way. If the buggy path has a curve you should follow it and not shorten the journey over grass, because you will damage the course. With buggies you do not always have to travel in a straight line.
Many times we have ropes on the course to control buggy movements and we have to walk through them. Please lift your foot and pass over the rope. Do not step on it; otherwise you will knock down the stake and loosen the rope. That can lead to a buggy passing through the same area and also, as I said before, the idea is to leave the course better than how we found it.
It seems that the position of this buggy at the foot of the green is quite exaggerated, but the truth is that this is something I see often. I know we have paid for the buggy, but there’s nothing wrong if we walk 10 or 15 metres from the buggy to the green, because golf is a sport and you should respect the course and ensure it is found in the best conditions by following golfers.