Professional cup hole cutting

The most valuable areas of a golf course are the greens. Any activity that occurs on the greens should be the most meticulous, cautious and professional activity that transpires any where on the golf course.

For daily cup hole cutting, the following procedures are recommended.

1. The cup hole cutter is sharpened weekly.

2. The cup hole cutter is carried in the cab of the transport vehicle, preferably with a rubber mat to protect the cutting edge.

3. The container used to carry the items required is an edgeless container.

4. Always wipe off the bottom of the container before you arrive on the green.

5. If possible carry some green sand or purchase a ball mark tool that dispenses green Uni Par sand.

An operator should begin with the following items:
· Pin sheet with hole placements;
· Cup hole cutter with centering level;
· Small water container;
· Cup setter;
· Small amount of sand;
· Small clean towel;
· Cup puller;
· Ball mark repair tool;
· Small flashlight; and
· Edgeless 5-gallon container.

An operator should follow these procedures.

1. Determine the hole position. This is done by pacing the distances as set from the pin sheet. Say the pin placement is 14/8 left. Note there are several different forms for pin sheets. This is 14 paces from the front of the green, then from that point, step off eight paces to the left edge of the green. It helps to leave your container at the point of your depth position before you step off your left/right position.

2. Now that the hole position is determined, if you are using a twist in or rotating cup hole cutter, hold the cup hole cutter 18 to 24 inches above the green and release it. This method cuts a cleaner hole edge than placing the cutting edge on the surface of the green and twisting the cup hole cutter. The cup cutter generally will penetrate the green surface using this method from 1½ to 2 inches. Then remove the cup cutter from the hole.

3. Release the grass plug into the container, wipe off the outside of the cutting cylinder with a towel, carefully insert the cup cutter into the new hole, bring the cup cutter to a perpendicular position by centering the level, and then rotate the cup cutter left and right until the 7-inch depth is reached. This should be done slowly while checking the level during the process. There are various devices used to indicate when the cup cutter has reached the 7-inch depth when the cup hole is cut using the two plug method. What works well is measuring from the top of the scallops on the cutting cylinder 7 inches, mark the spots, and either use paint or a high visibility tape in the area above your marks. This will give the operator a guide to achieve the proper 7-inch overall depth.

4. Now slowly twist the cup cutter while at the same time lifting up on the handle to remove the cup cutter from the hole. It is important to do this slowly. This will discourage the soil from falling out of the cylinder. If the soil does fall out, carefully replace the cup cutter back into the hole, and once the cup cutter is completely in the hole, lift up one to two inches on the handle and push down gently to retrieve the soil that has fallen out. Again, slowly remove the cup cutter with the left /right rotation. Place the cup cutter into the container

5. Clean off the inside and outside of the cup. Then, with both hands, insert it into the hole rotating it left to right until the top of the cup is two inches above the green. With the water bottle, apply a small amount of water inside the cup this helps remove any residue that you could not wipe out. It also cleans the ferrule hole so the ferrule will not have any sand or dirt particles in it that may cause the ferrule to bind. Apply a small amount of water around the outside of the cup. This will help keep the edge from drying out during the day.

6. Insert the cup setter into the cup. Then, push down firmly until the rim of the cup setter contacts the surface of the green. It is important not to force the cup setter. If you do not achieve full depth with firm foot pressure, the hole was not cut to the proper depth. Remove the cup setter and cup and repeat step two. Remove the cup setter with an upward pull. Do not twist or rotate the cup setter when you remove it because it can damage the edge. If you want to precheck so that before you insert the cup setter the flag is perpendicular, insert the flag into the cup eye the flag. If it is not perpendicular, move it into perpendicular position while leaving it inserted in the cup. Then gently compress the area around the cup, remove the flag and insert the cup setter.

7. Replace the flag, making sure the pole can slide easily out of the ferrule.

8. Continuing over to the old hole. Clean the cutting cylinder before you insert it into the hole. Place the cylinder into the hole, making sure it is all the way to the bottom of the hole. Release the soil plug while keeping the cylinder contacting the bottom of the hole. Once the soil plug is released, remove the cylinder from the hole. Assure the soil is all the way to the bottom of the hole reinsert and repeat. This helps prevent any possibility of the soil plug sinking.

9. Remove any debris from the grass plug. Measure the thickness of the grass plug with your thumb, using your thumb to determine how much, if any, soil you need to remove from the hole to achieve a level plug replacement. Gently insert the grass plug into the hole at a slightly upward angle. Pushing from the front edge of the plug towards the back edge that’s inside the hole, push down on the plug so it’s level with the surrounding surface.

10. With a ball mark repair tool, mesh the plug edges with the green surface by inserting the ball mark repair tool about one-quarter inch from the plug edge and twisting the tool outwardly. Sprinkle a small amount of water over and around the plug. This will help promote a faster regrowth.

11. Finally, with slight pressure tamp with your foot. Sometimes a slight twist with your foot will help mesh the edges. The tightness of the plug is critical. Test the surface around the plug for firmness. It should have the same feel as the surface of the plug.

Tournament cup hole painting
For cup hole painting, the operator should have the same items used in daily cup hole cutting with the addition of the following items:
· Spray paint hole cover device;
· Two cans of white hole paint;
· An 8-inch-by-8-inch cloth; and
· A damp 24-inch-by-24-inch towel with a 5-in diameter hole cut in the center.

Again, the hole cutting procedures follows the guidelines as indicated in the daily hole cutting procedure with the following hole painting procedures.

1. Before setting the cup with the cup setter, insert a small rag into the cup so that it covers the bottom of the cup.

2. Set the cup with the cup setter.

3. Place the hole cover device into the hole.

4. Place the damp overspray towel around the hole cover device.

5. Insert the spray paint can nozzle into the hole cover device.

6. Begin to spray by rotating the paint can 360 degrees clockwise. It’s important that you note the starting point for the spray pattern to avoid overlapping your paint. One 360-degree rotation is sufficient.

7. Remove the overspray towel, and then remove the hole cover device and place it on the towel. This helps avoid any paint drips from getting on the green.

8. Rotate the cloth in the cup so it collects any paint on the cup interior. Remove the cloth from the hole.

Following these procedures will give you better results in your hole cutting operation.

A video that demonstrates all of the hole cutting procedures mentioned, as well as some other helpful tips to improve your hole cutting process, in English or Spanish, is available. E-mail flachoff@cs.com or call 352 223-1900.

Hoffman is a golf course quality supervisor with responsibilities at Isleworth Country Club in Orlando, Fla.