Minimilism in regards to marking the golf course

[Cory Brown]

I was marking hazards the other day and I started thinking about the eight cans of paint and 100 or so stakes we have marking the golf course.  We are diligent about marking the course to the USGA recomendations, but I sometimes feel like it is overkill.  
I would be curious to hear any thoughts on marking the golf course without the marking being an eyesore.  Also thoughts on Native areas and marking them as hazards or environmentally sensitive areas.

[James Bennett]

Cory

my club (in Australia) probably doesn't follow USGA recommendations.  However, we have followed the lead of a couple (at least) of Melbourne clubs (Rosanna and Peninsula) with the water hazard markings.  We have used small metal squares with sides perhaps 6 inches long, placed at perhaps 5 yard intervals.  These are attached to the ground with a central spike, and are painted either yellow or (in our 'lateral' case) red, and are the only water hazard markings used.  Admittedly, the ground conditions and slopes are such that a ball is unlikely to stop at or near the hazard edge so a continuous line is probably redundant.  However, we haven't had any issues so far with determining balls in or out of a hazard.

The method also gives a nice, clean visual line for the water hazard.  No 'pegs' to break up the aesthetics.  Lovely to look at a green on the other side of a lake, and not see little sentry-like posts waiting to divert your eye or perhaps catch a ball.

James B

[Cory Brown]

Thank you for the idea, it sounds like a very classy solution.
One of the problems we have is that we have many native grass areas adjacent to ponds, some of them extend right up to bunker edges and it looks great.  We have been marking those as hazard by painting a line a couple of feet before the bunkers through the long grass.  It is a look that, in my personal opinion, I hate.  The only other option is to mark close to the water, however this creates the dilemna that if a ball travels into that area and the golfer is unsure as to whether or not it went into the hazard it is considered a lost ball.  I believe this could create slow play.  
I feel that a native grass area should not typically be considered hazard, but it can be a little bit confusing in this situation.

[John_Cullum]

I believe the best method is paint on the ground supplemented with traditional stakes. The paint eliminates any doubt as to the location of the hazard margin. The traditional stake allows a golfer who is unfamiliar with the course to know whats out in front of him and to know what to do when he hits his ball toward that area. Only use the stakes for idntifying from a distance, not for defining the margin. So I say stay with this method for the bulk of your markings.

I understand you have a problem area. Why not use paint right along the edge of your bunker, where it meets the native grass area. I understand painting sand is practically impossible, but it allows the players to make the best judgment as to where the margin should be, and they will be close enough in 99.9 % of the cases. There are always traces of red paint to be found in these sandy areas. Some clubs use a very short stake, about 4 inches high, and they do well. The markers James B mentioned will work but I think you need a stake every now and then.

[Peter Nomm]

We have a lot of marked hazards on our course, and I understand exactly where Cory is coming from.  In order to minimize the look from a distance, I rely mainly on the turf paint and have the stakes positioned only at key areas so the player can judge things.  One trick I use is that we plan it so that the change of cut from the maintained rough to the native areas surrounding the hazards is the defined edge, so if I paint it lightly and less frequently, then if it happens to wear out for regular play, my members still understand where the intended line is.  Also, I try to mark as much as I can either running or from the cart, so that the line is thinner and a can of paint goes further (not to mention the job goes faster too).

As far as marking long grass, I only do it when it surrounds a hazard.  However, I am liberal on a few occasions if it would be difficult to determine whether a ball was lost in the long grass or the hazard.  In that case I mark the long grass so the player at least can make a proper decision.

If my first attempt at an attachment works, then here is an example of one of our hazards.  I lightly paint the rough/native line, and as you can see there are very few stakes visible.