The Philadelphia Cricket Club Play/Course Enhancement Tips We are fortunate to have three classic and challenging golf courses built in three different centuries! Our Grounds and Golf Committees, along with the grounds and golf staff, offer the following tips to assist members and guests in enjoying use of the facilities! Joining Tee Times While members are able to play as singles or in smaller groups (twosomes/threesomes) during periods of light activity, in general play at the Philadelphia Cricket Club is in foursomes. Not only are foursomes the most efficient way to move golfers around the course, but also the most sociable. Golf is a social game and as a golf club one of our primary missions is to provide our members with a means to enjoy each other s company on our golf courses. Further, to accommodate foursome play, and to ensure the quality of play for all golfers, the club has committed to spacing out groups to a significantly greater extent than do most clubs by adhering to a 12-minute tee time policy at Militia Hill and 15-minute policy at Wissahickon. This tee time spacing is crucial to maintaining the uncrowded conditions that we all expect & enjoy at PCC. Correspondingly, play in foursomes is key to both 1) accommodating all golfers who want to play on a given day and, 2) keeping all groups moving around our courses at the appropriate pace. To this end the policy is to pair up smaller groups into foursomes, usually in the days leading up to a scheduled tee time. Members are also welcome to pair up themselves, or to join existing groups via the Foretees system. Indeed, the ability to access Foretees to see who is playing and might have room in their group is both a great benefit to our membership as well as a means for newer members to meet other golfers and find a game. While not a requirement, a quick email requesting to join an existing booking is suggested (and generally welcomed) or, if you prefer, simply contact Director of Golf Jim Smith Jr. jsmith@philacricket.com to make an introduction and/or help with arranging a game. Carts at Militia Hill Given the distance between the 2 nd green/3 rd tee, and the 9 th green/10 th tee, golf staff provides carts to help with traversing those two segments of the round. Please consider: Carts are provided for both players and caddies. Caddies are not permitted to ride on the back of a golf cart but may use their own cart to move between locations. The number of carts taken from #2 to #3 equals the number needed to go from #9 to #10. Players who walk one way should walk the other to ensure those who took carts down have them for the return trip. Please note that players who walk and then use a cart from #3 to #9 will be billed a cart fee. Noise As a classic golf course, Wissahickon has quite a few locations where tees and greens are adjacent to one another. Militia Hill also does, although not to the same extent. Players are highly encouraged to be aware of their surroundings, particularly in these areas, as voices/noise carry very easily on the golf courses and can potentially impact players on nearby holes.
Getting to & from the Range Our practice facilities are among the best on the East Coast and are centrally located so they are accessible from Wissahickon and Militia Hill. Each requires a cart ride and that entails traveling through one or the other golf course. Players are asked to be sensitive to their traffic: Stop and look before moving on to a path that crosses a hole (especially #6 & #11 at Wissahickon). Stay still when members are putting (especially #4 & #9 at Militia Hill). Keep noise to a minimum. Park carts on a paved surface in an orderly way Fivesomes at Militia Hill Play in fivesomes at Militia Hill is permitted at any time. To arrange a fivesome, the originator of the tee time simply needs to contact a member of the golf staff to add the 5 th play in the time. Fivesomes are expected to adhere to normal pace of play policies. Filling Divots Golfers often ask if they should replace their divot, fill it with whatever has been provided in the divot buckets, or just leave it for the maintenance crew. The fastest way for turf to recover is to replace divots, when possible. Replacing divots on the course is generally preferable to filling a divot hole with mix. If the divot has some soil attached and hasn t been blown into a hundred pieces, it will heal quickly if it is replaced immediately. Be sure to replace the divot (green side up) and step on it to establish contact with the soil below. If the divot cannot be replaced, then the sand/seed mixture should be used in the scarred area. Golfers who take the time to replace a divot properly or repair divot areas help keep the fairways in good condition for their fellow golfers. Applying too much sand or mixture to a divot can cause damage to mowing equipment. (James F. Moore/USGA) Do Fill divot holes with the material provided by the maintenance staff. Don t Overfill the hole, which results in a sand mound that can dull or damage the mowing units. Do - refrain from using the divot mix bottles on the PCC teeing grounds. The mix used on the tees is different from the mix used on the fairways, so the grounds staff handles the filling of divots on tee boxes. Do Refill divot mix bottles if necessary. Bottles can be refilled near the 10th tee at Militia Hill and by the 11th tee at Wissahickon.
Ball Marks Few aspects of golf etiquette generate more discussion than fixing ball marks and even superintendents disagree on the best method of ball mark repair. Unrepaired ball marks take two to three weeks to properly heal, leaving behind unsightly, uneven putting surfaces. On the other hand, a repaired ball mark only takes half that time to heal. The inability to agree on a single best method stems from the fact that ball marks are not all the same. On soft greens, a shot that descends from a very steep angle produces a deep, almost circular ball mark. On the same green, a shot that comes in low and hard will produce an elongated tearing of the green, and it often removes a plug of grass and soil. Ball marks on soft greens take time to repair properly. Compacted soil needs to be lifted gently and the raised sides of the ball mark need to be gently pushed back toward the center. The elongated mark needs to be kneaded back together by pushing in from the sides, stretching the turf rather than tearing it. Replacing removed turf seldom accomplishes much so it is best to leave it out. In contrast, very firm greens can resist ball marks so well that they can be hard to find at all. On such greens the marks will be slight indentations that require a minimum of effort to repair. These marks can be repaired with a very slight lifting to restore smoothness. The right way to fix a ball mark Use a pronged ball mark repair tool, knife, key or tee. Insert it at the edges of the mark -- not the middle of the depression. Bring the edges together with a gentle twisting motion, but don't lift the center. Try not to tear the grass. Smooth the surface with a club or your foot. You're done when it's a surface you would want to putt over. Do Restore surface smoothness by gently pushing from the sides and, in some cases, gently lifting the compressed area. Don t Aggressively twist (like that so often used by pros on television) or jab at ball marks with your putter head; it does more harm than good.
Bunkers Among the first rules of etiquette taught to young players are to rake the bunker smooth of footprints and repair divots after the shot. Shoving sand around with your foot or the club head is no substitute for raking. Avoid pulling sand down the bunker face when raking. Doing so results in very shallow sand on the face, leading to exposed soil that is easily erodible. Also, many bunkers are constructed with liners or lining material installed on the slopes to reduce the problems of sand erosion. These liners should always be covered with at least 2 to 3 inches of sand. It is equally important to avoid pulling sand out of the bunker and onto the adjacent turf. Piles of sand around the bunker edges can cause serious damage to mowing equipment. Sand raked out of the bunker will also result in a poorly defined bunker edge, making it difficult to determine whether the ball is in or out of the hazard. Climbing in and out of the steep side of a bunker can cause significant damage to liners and the sod on the bunker face. Entry and exit should always be from the low side -- the point that's closest to your ball, but most level to the adjacent playing surface. Do Push sand up the bunker face and enter and exit from the low side of the bunker. Don t Climb out of the high side of the bunker, which causes damage to liners and grass faces. Climbing into a bunker on the high side can be detrimental to liners and grass faces. (James F. Moore/USGA) Do Place rakes outside bunkers and in positions where they will be least likely to affect play. Although there is no set rule as to where the bunker rake should be placed, the USGA recommends (and PCC agrees) that rakes be placed outside bunkers. According to the USGA, the guideline for placement of bunker rakes is "out and down." The rake should be placed outside the bunker, lying flat on the ground, and pointed in the direction of play (parallel to the likely flight of the ball). By the way, the USGA says the proper term is "bunker," and not "trap.
Carts Nothing causes more damage to golf courses than the improper use of golf carts. Superintendents expend many labor-hours repairing this damage and trying to prevent it in the first place. One of the most common problems is players driving their carts on the banks of tees and the banks and approaches of greens. Driving too close to the greens is particularly troublesome, since the wear and tear on the turf in this area directly affects quality of play. These areas are frequently irrigated and therefore more susceptible to damage. Ropes, signs, and painted lines are all too frequently ignored. Carts should always be kept off tees and greens. (James F. Moore/USGA) Unthinking cart drivers frequently pull two wheels off the path, presumably to make room for other carts to pass. Since they invariably do this next to greens and tees, it is no coincidence that ruts are commonplace in these areas immediately adjacent to the path. Do Avoid wet areas, stay off green and tee banks, and follow all directional signs, ropes, and lines. Don t Pull half off the path, as it is unnecessary and causes damage to high visibility areas. Keep all four tires on the path whenever possible. Do not park with tires off the path. Seldom will someone need to pass a parked cart. Avoid pulling off the path near tees and greens and don t cut the corner on the paths. Do - Park your golf cart behind or beside the green, not in front, to allow players behind you to hit sooner after you've finished the hole. (You should generally always avoid driving a golf car into the "approach" area 20 to 30 yards in front of the green). Do - Avoid abrupt stops and sharp turns that cause skidding. Do - Avoid following the same path of the carts before you and scatter as much as possible. Spread out wear-and-tear by avoiding compacted areas. Do - Watch for special signage or other markers that direct traffic. Don t - Drive over sprinkler heads and yardage markers. Don't - Drive cars into out-of-play areas that may be environmentally sensitive (such as fescue areas and marshes).
Other Highlights Don t - Take divots on practice swings. Do Pay attention to ropes and the areas they are intended to protect and don t step on the rope, step over it. Many golfers step on the ropes rather than over them presumably in an effort not to trip. Unfortunately, this practice pulls out the stakes that the ropes are attached to, leaving the rope lying on the ground. Do - Pick up broken tees; it helps prevent damage to costly mower reels. Don t - Overfill trash containers prevents trash from blowing across the course. Do Replace a sign or rope stake that has been knocked down keeps the course looking neat and helps prevent damage. Do Advise the Grounds Committee Chair or the golf professional staff if a course maintenance or turf issue is identified. Driving Range Divot mix buckets were removed because the grounds staff concluded that the most effective way to maintain the practice tee area would be to have maintenance staff fill and smooth divots. Accordingly, a schedule and process was implemented to ensure that each quadrant of the practice tee area is maintained after use. By having staff handle this task, members will be relieved of the expectation that they are to fill divots upon completion of each practice session. It will also allow us to ensure that divots are filled to the correct depth and density. Do - Take into consideration your divot pattern as you use the grass portion of the practice tee. Particularly when using irons, players should consider placing each shot directly behind the last divot created. By doing this, players will minimize the disruption to the turf and the area scarred by divots. Do - Use the upper practice green for chipping and pitching; use the lower practice green for putting only. Don t - Stand in one place for extended periods when practicing putting. Doing so can cause damage to the putting green.