Connect the divots: “In today’s world, where land is so valuable, golf courses can have a difficult time justifying the high cost of maintaining a lush practice range. They either don’t have the land available, or they can’t grow back good grass after golfers get through tearing it up during practice sessions.
“Therefore, many courses only offer an artificial grass mat from which to hit. For those of us who are lucky enough to have genuine grass to practice on, here is a tip to preserve the hard work, sweat and tears your superintendent uses when growing and grooming the grass for a beautiful hitting area.
“One of the most important things you can do is to ‘connect the divots.’ In other words, after hitting a shot and causing a divot, use the grass immediately adjacent to the previous divot to hit your next shot.
“You don’t need a fresh two-foot patch of turf to hit each shot. You require only a couple of inches of grass. Show some practice range courtesy.
“Avoid taking huge divots randomly around your hitting area. This will ruin the space for the next golfer. We all want the best grass to hit from, so if the person before you shows courtesy, you’ll have great grass, too.
“This makes it easier for the maintenance staff to grow back great grass and keep the ground level.
“Have you ever seen a hitting area after a professional or a considerate player has finished practicing? You will see a rectangular shape of dirt. This player will use every blade of grass in a small area.
“A considerate golfer could hit dozens of shots in a space as small as a square foot.
“Grass is a difficult thing to keep lush when people are stripping it of blade and root all on a daily basis. Help the superintendent and his staff by conserving the practice area, and ‘connect your divots.’”
Just Joking: The golf hustler had played his victim just right. All the bets were now presses and suddenly his game had kicked into high gear.
Aware that his drastically improved play might arouse the suspicions of the dupe, the hustler figured he had better cover his tracks. After hitting another approach shot to within a few feet of the cup for an almost sure birdie, he shrugged and turned to his catch of the day. “Boy, I don’t know what’s happened with my game. Somebody up there must like me.”
The sucker, a huge man with more muscles than golf skills, snapped, “Good, because if you make that putt you’re gonna meet him.”
Did You Know: PGA Tour professional Len Mattiace, the former Wake Forest University star, is a left-hander who plays the game right-handed.
