One of the biggest issues here at the club during season is cart traffic. Cart traffic is our biggest challenge in maintaining quality turf. Heavy cart traffic with cooler soil temperatures, shorter days and cool nights and you have a turf that just does not grow and recover from damage. Below is a list of things that can be done to minimize the damage from cart traffic.
- 90 Degree Rule- This rule has nothing to do with temperature as has been suggested to me once upon a time. For those who are not familiar with this rule, it means to stay on the cart-path from the tee and driving until your cart is nearly perpendicular to where your ball is and then turning 90 degrees and driving to your ball. Once your next shot is hit, you would then return to the cart-path and repeat the process. Most people with take the shortest distance between two points and drive straight off the tee to the ball. Observing the 90 degree rule will eliminate unnecessary traffic.
- Parking At Tee or Green- When parking your cart near a tee or green complex, make sure ALL FOUR wheels of your cart are on the path. This is one that I see on a daily basis where a cart is half on, half off of the path.
Areas next to the greens and tees get especially worn as a result of this. - Exit Posts- All fairways except for the par 3’s have two green and gold posts on either side of the fairway. These posts signify the point at which the driver of the cart should exit the fairway to the cart path. No carts should be inside of this point to the green. These posts are moved daily to avoid wear patterns. All carts must remain on the path only on the par 3’s (holes #4, #7, #12 and #15).
- Handicap Flagged Carts- Carts that are transporting a player with a handicap should always remain at least 30 feet from the edge of any green. All too often I have observed handicap carts either on the actual putting surface or on the collar. I have even seen on several occasions, a cart drive across the green! While your cart may carry a handicap flag, you still must observe these rules near the greens.
- Cart Signs/Ropes/Posts- Please obey all directional signs, “no cart” signs, and ropes and stakes that you may encounter. These items are there to serve a purpose to eliminate or minimize cart traffic.
You would be surprised what an improvement all of the above rules can make on the golf course if everyone abided by them. The goal is for everyone to enjoy their round here at the club and sometimes it’s the little things that make that possible.
