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Is This Golf’s Biggest Problem? I Think So!

BY Connor Lindeman
Sep 12th 2025
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[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”wFup1B8d” upload-date=”2025-09-11T19:46:11+00:00″ name=”Ball Marks” description=”” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]

Unfixed ball marks on the greens are officially out of control.

It’s become obvious to me, and every golfer I’ve talked to agrees with this, that the common decency of repairing your pitch mark has fallen completely by the wayside. It feels like every single green you walk up onto now has been peppered by ball marks that nobody is repairing anymore.

This has definitely been a problem for a really long time. Greens are the only place that every single golfer shares on every single hole. Why are we not taking care of it?

Be a part of the solution. If you hit the green. Fix two ball marks. If you don’t hit the green, fix one.

Leave everything better than what you found it. Please, for the love of God, make green smooth again.

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Connor Lindeman

Connor is MyGolfSpy's resident sneakerhead and the authority on all things golf shoe performance. He's tested over 150 different pairs (and counting). When he isn't scrolling Twitter to find his next golf shoe purchase, you can find him at the piano or trying a new dessert place with his wife and daughter. #Lefty

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comments

Join The Discussion

Aking

11 months ago

Ball marks are an issue. I play a private course and we have the same issue. However, for me the worst problem, as has been stated, is slow play. You do not need to plumb bob every putt you miss anyway. You could play ready golf. You don’t need 15 practice swings. You should park your baby-buggy, push cart, or bag behind the green so you don’t have to walk back toward the fairway. Plus, the baby-buggies should only go forward toward the green, no turning around….can’t tell you how many people I have almost hit into because they drive like a group of shriners on holiday. I do notice that the slowest groups never look back. They don’t even care. Especially the 5-somes, these guys are ridiculous (and they complain about the female golfers…arrgh). Let faster groups play through, even if they are walkers. I’ll stop…sorry….touchy subject for me.

Alan

11 months ago

I’d like to say the same goes for replacing your divots on the fairways. You made it! Fix it! It’s just bad golf etiquette not to repair ball marks or replace pivots. I work on a course close to my home. Being there almost every day, it is amazing to see some of the things ignorant golfers do. Like driving their carts right up onto the tee box or green. If you’re that lazy that you can’t walk a few yards, stay home!

Steve

11 months ago

Careful what you wish for. I cringe nearly every time I see someone fix a ball mark. Would you rather have a “fixed” ball mark that is fixed by a person who barely knows which mark they’ve made and makes a twisting, lifting, mud patch repair? Or, fix a few extra marks yourself and do it correctly so the green doesnt have scars all over the place?

Tom Gass

11 months ago

I think golfs biggest problem is that huge amount of VULGA LANGUAGE used during play.
F__F IS N I W ACCEPED AS A WAY TO DISCRIBE A BAD SHOT. ADD in the very loud music that can be heard 3 fairways away is ruining good friendly golf banter. Very bad for youth learning the game.

Ronnie Ramirez

10 months ago

I agree with the irritating music as well. My biggest pet peeve is sunflower seeds on the green. Very disrespectful

Max

11 months ago

Every green that I reach, I fix three ball marks. Especially, this time of year when greens get soft and are vulnerable to significant damage. Sadly, these golfers who don’t repair their pitch marks are the same who dig out huge fairway divots and leave the turf barren. No repair turf or pre-mixed soil. They feel entitled to do whatever they want be they paid the green fees.

Joseph Obrocki

11 months ago

Can you followup this story with teaching everyone how to fix ballmarks with different tools etc. thanks

David Eikner

11 months ago

I agree it’s a problem. However, where I play the biggest problem is unraked bunkers.

Leeroy Jenkins

11 months ago

Pace of play is a bigger issue. Five hour rounds are the norm on a weekend. Guys are playing from the back tees where they have no business hitting. And hackers aren’t willing to pick up their ball and move it to the fairway when it goes into the trees, and try to hit a series of hero shots out of the woods.

Geoff

11 months ago

Yes, we invented golf in Scotland, been so many courses throughout the world and guess what the world of golfers do not abide by the rules, pitch marks and rake of bunkers, divot repair is a issue as the outside world think it is the greenkeeper or staff to repair as they have paid their money to play. Get a life you would be golfers and abide by rules that were set down so many years ago by those who appreciated etiquette. As we the Scots can spell and abide by rules. No Mulligans time you so would be goffers will realize eventually !!

1st T Time

11 months ago

Ball marks are a issue. Slow play is the worst. And greedy course owners and managers aren’t helping. They give you 4 hours. That’s 13 minutes a hole. But have 8 minutes between tee times. Then they are on you for being behind. It’s a no win situation.

OpMan

11 months ago

It’s a cultural problem, stemming from the societal problem

Jakester

11 months ago

I 100% agree… it’s a disrespect and entitlement issue.

Wes M.

11 months ago

Leave it better than you found it, agreed. That goes for pitch marks and raking bunkers. Raking bunkers has gotten worse post Covid.

mg

11 months ago

Exactly.
My dad and uncle were certified Green Superintendents for 40 years. I grew up fixing everyone on every green before I mowed. I still fix them from habit. Old School was the best School.

GC

11 months ago

I’m not sure if this has been said.
Dragging feet on the green is worse than any pitch mark.
Golfers who don’t pick up their feet on the green need a lesson in etiquette.

Peejer

11 months ago

I can live with unfixed ball marks, as I can repair them myself. Especially when they’re in my line.
But, holes from divots in the fairway, I am NOT allowed to move my ball or fix. That is truly the biggest problem.
We play public and muni courses, where varied skill levels play. The hackers do not replace divots or even bother to sand them.
Twice during the club championship I had ball in the fairway land in a divot that was at least 2″ deep.
This should be ground under repair and a free drop!

Tim

11 months ago

I always fix them! It’s the one part of the game where I excel!!!!!

Brian

11 months ago

Pitchmarks are made by golf balls landing on the green.divots are made by a golf club striking the ground.

Andrew the Great!

11 months ago

I played a course 2 days after the PGA Tour event ended (alternate field event), and the greens were in terrible shape. I don’t think most pros know how (or, actually, care) to fix ball marks on greens. I think they just go through the motions for appearance’s sake.

Randy

11 months ago

I agree. My golf is horrible for them I live in Boone NC. My home course gets a lot of tourists play. And believe you me THEY DON’T CARE WHAT CONDITION THEY LEAVE IT IN. We have a beautiful course. Every since we were in Golf Digest as one of the top course in NC it has gotten a lot of tourists play. We love the business. But please leave it better then you find it. Thx

OpMan

11 months ago

Well, they had just played that course for 7 days straight, basically, from Monday through Sunday , with the Mon thru Wed being practice and Pro-Am days – – –
so unless they had set up the greens in concrete-firm dry conditions, you’ll see more ballmarks and damage from the Pros as they hit greens better than anybody in the world, compared to a week of regular folks playing…….
they can only fix so much, and don’t fix much more than what’s on their own line as they are focused on their own game.
I played a couple courses right after events too, but these greens were wicked firm Poa Annua, browned out and rolled tight, so there weren’t that many to fix to begin with as balls just didn’t dent the greens much.
So it depends on the conditions and kinds of grass too.

Will

11 months ago

Definitely a problem, but not the worst one. The worst ones are slow play and “dynamic pricing.” If around frequently takes five hours or I have to worry about whether or not I’m getting screwed on the price, you’re getting a one star review and I’m not coming back.

Coincidentally, I played an extremely narrow, difficult, but *public* course last week. Zero ball marks. Greens were immaculate. Three and a half hours.

Chuck Berdar

11 months ago

Both these issues are a result of a bigger problem. Golf used to be a sport with a foundation of etiquette. Etiquette no logger exists on the course, especially public courses. Additional most public courses no longer have a martial . Golf etiquette must return.

Chux13

11 months ago

I feel like the slow play is further created by stacked tee times. THAT is the issue!

BigTimeTommy

11 months ago

Stacked tee times are a huge problem but people being careless and inconsiderate is a bigger problem. Every time I play I see groups waste time milling around chatting when they should be hitting balls.

OpMan

11 months ago

What if it’s dynamic pricing at places like Spanish Bay or Spyglass Hill, places like that???? They are doing it. You’re giving them a 1 star review too? LMAO

MMTwain

11 months ago

Education and encouragement seem like an important way to improve the situation. There’s a muni near me where they were smart enough to put a poster above the urinals on how to properly repair a ball mark on a green. I’ve always repaired them but after reading the poster I learned the right way to do it. I agree with the notion that you should fix 2 (3 if you can) ballmarks for every green you play.

JBR

11 months ago

If you don’t have a divot repair tool, a tee works just fine.
Second peeve would be people that think that repairing a fairway divot means just throwing it back near the scar on the turf. It actually means picking up the loose turf and putting it back in the scar, with the grass oriented in original position. Then you tramp it down so the roots have a chance to regrow.

OpMan

11 months ago

Depends on the grass. Some types of grass won’t grow back after being ripped off its roots from a golf shot.
Point is, though, just don’t leave a hole after your shot. Fill it, so that the players coming behind you at least don’t find their ball sitting DOWN IN A DIVOT. It’s courtesy for the player coming up next, all day. And the rest of the week, of course.

Scott

11 months ago

They should be complimentary. The cheap plastic ones with one or two prongs and maybe the course’s logo. I feel like these were common 30 years ago along with those terribly cheap plastic logo ball markers. A lot of golfers repair moving the wrong direction but a poorly repaired ball mark is better than no effort at all. This issue is across the board of courses, too. The local private course has a huge problem with unrepaired ball marks and tee box divots.

Fake

11 months ago

I recall they were free when I was a kid. Divot tools, ball markers, and tees.

OpMan

11 months ago

Key word: Plastic
We’re trying to reduce the use of, aren’t we?

Mr Ed

11 months ago

lol NO. Canada maybe. Otherwise it would just be hypocrisy.

MO GOLF

11 months ago

It is a terrible problem at some of the courses I play. If someone can hit the ball well enough to land on the Green and make a divot they know enough about the game to fix their ball mark.
I would also like to mention if you’re looking for a ball in the rough or worse and came across a cut up ball or a ball that isn’t yours and you don’t want pick it up and throw it away: 1st it will save some poor sucker like yourself from walking up to it only to discover it is the wrong ball (also slows down play), 2nd it is trash don’t just throw it back down.

Steve R

11 months ago

During covid and now post-covid we noticed an increase in young men who have taken up golf.
There is easier entry into golf than ever and that does not include learning the basic etiquette that we all benefit from. I think a good idea would be to try and get the YouTube golf influencers to address this problem.

CB

11 months ago

Green pitch marks are such an annoyance. I always consider a pitch mark a sense of pride…like hey guys, I just hit this green and need to fix this while you’re trying to figure out how to get up and down from the rough or bunker.

Courses also should not have to give out free repair tools. If people are considerate enough to use a free tool, they’re already going to have one in their bag/pocket to do the job anyway. Maybe it’s an education thing. Readers here understand but a good portion of the general public of newer golfers simply may not understand. Perhaps just a sign next to the first tee or reminder from the person in the proshop would help. “Hey we take pride in our course, please fix your pitch marks or find one on each green to fix. If you don’t know how to do that, let me show you real quick”.

Matthew

11 months ago

Agreed!! I walk onto a green and fix four-five ball marks before I reach my ball mark! Golf courses have to do a better job of communicating this to their customers, when a person goes to the club house to check in before a round, the person at the counter should remind everyone, heck, there should be signs at every green asking players to fix their ball mark, it has gotten way out of hand

Bob

11 months ago

I agree that ball marks are out of control. Nobody seems to be fixing their marks. I always try to repair two or more on each green. Another growing issue I am seeing is that courses are not maintaining their sand traps. Most have very little sand to speak of and are hard pan or have weeds and grass growing in them. This includes nicer end courses where the cost to play exceeds $70 per round.

Mark

11 months ago

A local muni in town sends their guys out twice a day with a contraption that fixes the marks. Smoothest surfaces in town.

Old Sarge

11 months ago

How many such courses have the budget for that equipment and the payroll to assign the operator to do that? Probably not many 😕

aburtonky

11 months ago

I volunteer at my golf course by picking up range balls two to three times a week and fixing pitch marks every time I play. In return for my efforts, I save on cart fees. It’s a fantastic arrangement for just two to three hours of work each week. I was already repairing divots and pitch marks because it’s the right thing to do.

KJC

11 months ago

General managers and course superintendents could purchase a handful of divot repair tools and allow individuals to check them out for use during their round. Thus making repairs easier than the stooping over process we use. This will not correct the offending “golfers”. But it will correct the greens. As the old prayer goes, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change (them), courage to change the things I can (me), and wisdom to know the difference (how)”.

Fake

11 months ago

Back in my day, plastic divot tools was available in the fishbowl by the register. They were cheap plastic, but worked well enough. And there was no excuse for not using them.

Jason S

11 months ago

After our 2-day member-member tournament last month (and last year), our greens looked like a herd of buffalo ran through them. It was disgusting how poorly the actual members here treat their own courses. It’s gotten worse and worse over the years everywhere as people just stop caring about anything but themselves.

OpMan

11 months ago

Too many OLD GUYS make the excuse that they can’t bend over –
well I say, bending over should be a requisite to play golf, so if you can’t bend over, don’t pay golf, go do something else!!!! LMAO

Mr Ed

11 months ago

I bet OpMan is good at the bending over stuff. What a douche.

Fake

11 months ago

It’s an indication of a lack of etiquette, as other posters have mentioned. I’ve played behind teenagers who show more regard for the game than people my age.

I know, I’m old, but when you see 4 kids who can take bunkers, fix hallmarks, and wave a single player through, then I think the golf bros who snuck in a case of PBR can follow the same basic standards.

CK

11 months ago

The problems are not the ball marks, unraked bunkers, dragging feet on the greens, not putting the flag back in the cup so to not damage the rim and on and on. The problem is people. I would say on average that I fix 5 to 6 ball marks on a green (including my own) on every green before I find it suitable to putt. So, in turn this becomes a pace of play issue as well. Lazy, inconsiderate, entitled people are the cause. The pandemic helped the surge of the game but ruined the integrity of the people playing it.

bama no1

11 months ago

You hit the nail on the head completely. We have college golfers who use are course and on the putting green they leave the flag sticks out after every practice. Next time I see one I am going to tell them that we arent your momma, put the flag sticks back in.

Kevin

11 months ago

Ballmarks aren’t the problem, entitled golfers are the problem.

Mike

11 months ago

Definitely agree. But I would also add taking multiple practice swings and taking a divot with each swing and not fixing them

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Is This Golf’s Biggest Problem? I Think So!

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comments

Aking

Alan

Steve

Tom Gass

Ronnie Ramirez

Max

Joseph Obrocki

David Eikner

Leeroy Jenkins

Geoff

1st T Time

OpMan

Jakester

Wes M.

mg

GC

Peejer

Tim

Brian

Andrew the Great!

Randy

OpMan

Will

Chuck Berdar

Chux13

BigTimeTommy

OpMan

MMTwain

JBR

OpMan

Scott

Fake

OpMan

Mr Ed

MO GOLF

Steve R

CB

Matthew

Bob

Mark

Old Sarge

aburtonky

KJC

Fake

Jason S

OpMan

Mr Ed

Fake

CK

bama no1

Kevin

Mike

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