When golfers and crew share the same twf, the maintenance equipment can be modified to provide protection from errant shots.

FORE!Guidelines to Consider When Golfers andMaintenance Crews Share the Same Turfby ROBERT C. VAVREKAgronomist, North-Central Region,USGA Green Section

SIMPLE MATHEMATICS dictate thatas more people play golf, the time onceset aside for uninterrupted maintenance

of the course will be used for additional teetimes. At popular, heavily played publiccourses, the only time for maintenance with-out golfers is during the early morning, thevery early morning, because play is often

permitted at fIrst light. Even the traditionalpractice of closing the course on Monday atmany private clubs has slowly gone by thewayside.

Junior golf, corporate outings, andMonday afternoon member play are only afew of the reasons why the "day of rest" hasbecome just another day of business as usual.

Let the golfers off from the front and backnine at the crack of dawn, then throw in a few7 a.m. shotgun starts for good measure, andperhaps try a few night outings with golfballs that glow in the dark. It is very obviouswhy golfers and mowers share the sameturf much more now than at any time in thepast.

MARCH/APRIL 1995

As the popularity of golf increases, the unavoidable distraction of maintenance activitieswill become a more frequent occurrence. Cog Hill Golf Course, Lemont, Illinois.

Only a few private clubs still enjoy theluxury of being closed all day on Monday,although many are closed to member playor outings at least until noon. Most privateclubs hold back play, at least on weekdays,to provide ample time for the crew to staywell ahead of the golfers. Where golfers andequipment occasionally meet, the employeetypically is instructed to create as little dis-traction as possible - get out of sight andturn the engine off until the members playthrough. This policy is impossible on themajority of daily-fee public courses, exceptperhaps at the most elite resorts.

Various factors and situations at a numberof courses also dictate maintenance prac-tices that interfere with play. Oakland HillsCountry Club, the site of many u.s. OpenChampionships, is a good example of anunusual problem. Fairways are mowed fourto six times a week during the afternoondespite the heavy play at this very popularcourse. Granted, there are several reasonswhy afternoon mowing is advantageous.Mowers produce a cleaner, more uniformquality of cut on dry fairways compared towet fairways. Furthermore, the smashing andsmearing of earthworm castings are muchless of a concern when the fairways are cutafter the turf and the castings have dried. Itcould even be argued that dry mowing is

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less likely to spread diseases across theplaying surfaces than dew-laden earlymorning mowing operations.

The primary reason for mowing in theafternoon at Oakland Hills Country Club,however, is the absence of suitable sites tospread the clippings that are collected aftermowing. They don't have an adequate sitefor composting, and there is a limited rougharea out of play for clippings or other plantdebris, so the fairways are mowed frequentlyand the dry clippings are returned to theplaying surface. Consequently, golfers andmowers meet almost every afternoon atOakland Hills and on an increasing numberof other courses.

Not A ClueThe unfortunate reality is that many new

golfers don't have even the slightest knowl-edge about course etiquette, and manyexperienced golfers have chosen to forget.Allowing faster golfers to play through,being ready to hit when it's your turn,repairing ball marks, and keeping carts aproper distance from greens and tees arebut a few examples of procedures that haveno meaning to many neophyte golfers. Aska non-golfer to mimic a golfer on the tee,and many will make a few wild and crazygyrations and then yell "fore!" as they

swing. It's ironic that"fore" is heard only onrare occasions despitethe numerous snaphooks and power slicesproduced on manycrowded courses eachday.

Perhaps the esca-lating fee for a roundof public golf or thecost of membership ata private club fostersthe attitude that golfshould be played with-out even the slightestannoyance or distrac-tions. Maybe the golf-ers' desires to emulatetheir favorite tour pro-fessionals make thembelieve that the roundof golf they see on TVon Sunday afternoon isthe same round of golfthey are entitled towhen they play, everytime they play. Some .golfers begin to expectmanicured courses,ultra-fast greens, andseveral officials whowave "Quiet Please"signs at the slightest

cough or murmur. At this point these golfersseem to have little regard as to where theyhit the ball and who may be in the path.

The initial session of my first group golflesson was spent learning course etiquette.It was stressed that I was responsible formy golf shot - where it goes and the con-sequences of what it hits. If the drive is hitout of bounds to the left, over the fence andtrees and into a car in the parking lot, then Iwas responsible for the damage, not the ball.When the shot endangers anyone on thecourse, we were instructed to shout "fore"as a warning.

Just how responsible a person is for thedamage or injury a golf ball causes is a legalissue and beyond the scope of this article. Intoday's litigious society, where convictedfelons in prison sue the arresting officer forinterfering with their armed robbery attempt,hearing of a golfer suing the driver of amoving vehicle for stealing a ball after it ishit through the windshield might not be allthat surprising! The bottom line is that re-gardless of the golfer's attitude, a consider-able amount of course maintenance is beingdone when golfers are present. Let's assumethat under normal circumstances the golferis responsible for his ball, and now let'sdiscuss ways to make the golf course a saferplace for everyone.

example, many courses utilize the roll-overprotection available on some models oflightweight fairway mowers as a base fornetting, plexiglass shielding, or hardwarecloth barriers to enclose and protect theoperator. The climate generally dictates whatdegree of protection is safe and acceptable tothe employee; for example, a plexiglass en-closure is not practical when afternoon mow-ing is done during hot, humid weather.

Guidelinesfor the Golfers

"Fore" is the univer-sal signal used to warngolfers of an imminentor errant shot. Unfor-tunately, many golferssignal too late or not atall. Some simply havenever been instructedin the basics of golfcourse etiquette. Golf-ers are never too youngor too old to learnproper etiquette. Aninteresting observationmade at many coursesis that an increasingnumber of employeesare being hit and in-jured by golf balls dur-ing junior golf days.The young beginnershave a limited abilityto control where theball is hit and often hitaway without warningwhen the crew is work-ing nearby. Althoughthe golf professional isusually responsible forthe junior golf pro-gram, a number ofcourses encourage thesuperintendent to talkto the participantsregarding safety onthe course, replacingdivots, repairing ballmarks, etc. Junior golfis an important and

very popular program at many courses, aprogram that provides a unique opportunityto educate beginners before bad habitsdevelop. Without adequate education, golfmay not continue to be a "gentleman'sgame," or even a safe game.

Employees generally are instructed tokeep a watchful eye for golfers, and mostmake every effort to cause as little distrac-tion as possible. Most operators will move tothe side, stop, and then idle the equipmentuntil the golfers hit through. Golfers can dotheir part by being ready to hit as soon as

nearby golfers because they feel less threat-ened? If the use of hardhats makes the crewand the golfers more careless, then they maynot provide the desired level of protection.Conveying the limitations of head protectionto all parties will depend on the communi-cation skills of the golf professional andsuperintendent.

The use of highly visible shirts can beanother effective, but more passive, form of

protection for the employees. Most golfershave little trouble seeing an employee ridinga large moving mower, but they may havedifficulty detecting someone hand-raking abunker or repairing an irrigation head. Abright red or yellow shirt can address thisproblem. The use of a consistent uniformalso distinguishes the employee from thegolfers, an important consideration that mayhelp speed play on a busy course.

Other ways to protect the employeeson rough or fairway mowers is to constructa safety barrier around the operator. For

A well-placed sign informs golfers that the crew has the "right of way" when theflagstick isout of the hole. Bonnie Brook Golf Course, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.

The Solutions

The most obvious, but most difficult toachieve, solution is to complete as muchmaintenance as possible before the golferstee off Sometimes the layout of the courseprovides the crew enough time to stay wellahead of the golfers except during the shot-gun-start events or when golfers are allowedto tee off on the first and 10th holes.

Attempts to spray,mow, or perform othermaintenance tasks dur-ing the night or beforedawn have achievedonly marginal successat very few courses.The risk of injury to theemployee and to theturf is high, even whenequipment with head-lights is provided.Observing the spraypattern and the mow-ing pattern, or detect-ing hydraulic fluidleaks and many otherpotential problems, arealmost impossible toachieve at night. Fur-thermore, almost allcourses irrigate atnight, a practice thatalso interferes withmost other mainte-nance programs.An increasing num-

ber of courses are re-quiring the mainte-nance crew to wearhardhats. There is nodenying that a hardhatcan minimize thepotential for serioushead injury from a golfball, especially whenthe employee is facingaway from play. Manygolf course owners be-lieve the use of protec-tive hardhats reducesthe liability associatedwith on-the-job injuries and that theirpolicy indicates an effort to address safetyconcerns.

Some superintendents, however, believethat the use of hardhats is a two-edged sword.They do provide a margin of safety, assum-ing the errant golf ball hits the hardhat in-stead of other vulnerable parts of the body.Does the use of protective devices, though,encourage the golfer to hit into the crewunder the assumption that they are less likelyto injure someone? Similarly, does wearinga helmet make the crew less attentive to

MARCHI APRIL 1995 3

Whether or not hardhats provide a reasonable amount of protection from injury is a subject fordebate. Some superintendents believe that golfers are less likely to warn the crew, by shouting "Pore"or waving, when hardhats are worn.

it is their turn - good advice regardless ofthe employee situation.

If there is doubt as to whether or not theemployee is aware of the golfers, then asimple hand signal can be used. When theemployee acknowledges the wave with areturn hand signal, then it is okay to hitaway because the employee will watch forthe ball. If the employee is not on a noisymower, for example, or repairing an irri-gation leak, then shouting "fore" followedby a hand signal will readily get theirattention. Although common sense woulddictate that a hand signal and/or the word"fore" is needed, many golfers overestimatetheir ability and believe they will never hitinto the crew. If this were so, then therewould not be a large bin of low-cost golfballs rescued from the water hazards in thepro shop of nearly every course.

Hand signals and the acknowledgementby the employee are especially importantwhen hitting to the green. If the employeesignals to the golfer to hit, then the golfershould do so without hesitation. Golfersshould not expect the crew to interrupttheir maintenance work and then hide out-of-sight while the golfer selects a club,makes several practice swings, and then hits,especially on a busy course. All golfers preferminimal annoyance and interference, but inreality, distraction is part of the game, a partgolfers should learn to cope with, just likewind, rain, or a difficult lie.

Golfers should not,hit to the green fromthe tee, or the approach when the employee

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has removed the flagstick from the hole.This is a signal used at many courses as anindication that the employee is performingan important maintenance task that requiresconcentration. He or she cannot watch forerrant shots and will try to fInish the task assoon as possible, after which the flagstickwill be replaced. The flags tick will be outmost often for mowing, but may also beremoved for bunker maintenance.

The Rules of the Game

Under the Rules of Golf, distraction isconsidered a part of the game (Decision 1-4/1). There will be times when noise frommowers or other maintenance practices can-not be avoided.

'Through the Green

Mowers and other maintenance equip-ment are generally considered outsideagencies (DefInition, Rule 18). If a drive hitsa mower and ricochets out of bounds, it is arub of the green (Rule 19-1). If a ball at restis moved by a mower, the golfer is allowedto return the ball to the original spot withoutpenalty (Rule 18-1).If the ball is not immedi-ately recoverable or is deemed unfIt forplay after, for example, being damaged by amower, another ball can be substituted(Rule 5-3).If a ball is imbedded by maintenance

equipment, the golfer is permitted to lift,clean, and drop the ball, without penalty, as

near as possible to the spot where it lay butno closer to the hole (Rule 25-2).

On the Putting GreenIf a stroke played onto the green is moved

by an outside agency, it is considered a rubof the green (Rule 19-1). If a ball at rest ismoved by an outside agency, it can be re-placed on the original spot without penalty(Rule 18-1). If a ball played from the puttinggreen is moved by an outside agency, beforethe ball comes to rest, then the stroke is can-celled and replayed without penalty (Rule19-1b).

SummaryGolf without interference from day-to-day

maintenance is a luxury fewer courses willenjoy in the future. Even private clubs fmdthat as the amount of play increases, golfersand employees will spend more time shar-ing the same turf. For example, despite thenegative impact on the pace of play and thehealth of the turf, the golfers' desires andexpectations for faster greens for day-to-daymembership play necessitate much moreemployee time on the greens spent doublecutting, rolling, etc. Junior programs andoutside outings are becoming more of apriority at many courses. The annual corpo-rate outing may be the only time somegolfers play all season. The limited abilityand limited knowledge of golf etiquettepossessed by these groups of golfers pose asignifIcant hazard to the maintenance crew.

There are several ways the employees canminimize the potential for injury, includingthe use of hardhats and high-visibility uni-forms. The following set of guidelines forgolfers may further help minimize the riskto the employee as well as the inconvenienceto golfers. Courses may elect to modify theguidelines to suit specifIc needs or situationsat a particular site.

1. Learn how and when to use the uni-versal warning "fore."

2. Signal to the employee if possible, andhit as soon as your signal is acknowledged.

3. Do not hit onto the green when theflagstick has been removed from the holeby the maintenance crew.

4. Be prepared to hit as soon as theflags tick is replaced or when the golfer ismotioned by the crew to hit away.An effective way to introduce the guide-

lines might be during an introductory golflesson or during the organizational meetingof the various leagues that exist at manycourses. A note in the membership news-letter, a message on the scorecard, or signsin the pro shop or locker rooms can beeffective as well.

Be considerate, and everyone will havea safe and enjoyable round of golf.