Cross your T’s and Dot your I’s

You only get one chance to make a first impression in an interview, the board room and on the trade show floor. It isn’t any different on the golf course. Most often the first view a golfer has of the course is as he approaches the first tee. The appearance of not only the first tee complex, but throughout all holes, can significantly impact golfer satisfaction and influence their opinion of overall course conditioning and playability.

It is important that all crew members involved in course set-up utilize the same methods to ensure consistent placement of tee markers and associated course fixtures, appropriate clean-up of divots, broken tees or any other debris that may be found on or around the tee surface. This is only achieved through dedicated training and reinforcement of prescribed methods as outlined by your facility.

Hopefully the following will bring greater clarity to some suggested practices which may already be implemented by your staff.
 

Set-up. Tee marker alignment appropriate to the drive zone is extremely critical for golfer stance and addressing the ball. If one has aligned the tee markers toward an object clearly out of bounds, the golfer is required to compensate, and as a result pace of play may be compromised. In addition, this conveys a lack of care by the maintenance staff to the golfer. The “tee tool” can be constructed very affordably and quickly to eliminate this potential for error.

In addition, when two sets of tee markers are placed on the same teeing surface, ensure the forward markers are set wider than those in the rear to eliminate any distraction in the golfer’s line of sight.

Now that the alignment and spacing of tees has been considered, one must consider the physical placement of markers on the teeing ground. If a multi-tiered tee exists, one should avoid setting tee markers immediately below, above, or on the slope itself. Use reasonable judgment when establishing these parameters.

The distance from which the markers are set in from the tee surrounds is always up for discussion. A one-foot distance typically provides an adequate buffer to prevent any contact between mowing equipment used in the surrounds and the tee marker.

Proper alignment of tee boxes shows careful maintenance and improves the rate of play, as golfers don’t have to adjust the drive.

The width of the teeing ground is not specifically defined, but markers should be placed widely enough for the golfer to comfortably place the tee at their desired location, keeping in mind that he may stand outside of the tee markers.

Depending on the course design, tee boxes may not always be aligned in a linear fashion. This introduces the challenge of ensuring that what is intended to be a more forward tee isn’t set to play a greater distance than what has been designated to be a longer tee, per course yardages (i.e. white tees playing longer than blue tees).

It’s important to rotate tee placement frequently, if not daily, during peak season. Similar to the movement of pin locations this will disperse traffic and provide time for recovery of divots, especially on Par 3 holes. Creating a chart with approximate locations for tee markers in helpful to ensure crew members completing course set-up are placing tee markers appropriately and helps keep the rotation consistent. This also gives you the opportunity to note areas to avoid on the teeing ground such as slopes.
 

Detail and appearance. A messy, divot-covered tee is no more inviting than a dirty kitchen. While there are many different approaches to picking up, replacing and/or filling divots, some method must be implemented. While many golfers will take the time to fill divots with sand, given that it is provided, we certainly can’t expect each of them to get filled. There are several different methods that I’ve been involved with. One is that each morning those participating in course setup fill the divots; another is to send around a team in the afternoon to clean up and fill divots. The second method described has little interference with play and sets you ahead for the next day.

If not at every hole, it is most likely that ball washers and refuse containers exist throughout the course. A ball washer isn’t very effective without water. Ensure that they are checked daily as significant water loss can occur through use and evaporation. In addition, make sure the water is fresh and doesn’t take on an odor. Detergent tablets greatly help with this, and the ball washers should be fully drained and rinsed as needed. Tee towels typically go hand-in-hand with the ball washer. Make sure they are washed or replaced as needed. A soiled towel is not pleasant and once again conveys a lack of detail to the golfer. Trash containers can be an attractive nuisance for bees and wildlife.
 

Nathan Jordan is an assistant superintendent at Kennsington Golf Club, Canfield, Ohio, and a frequent GCI contributor.