Fallen leaves on courses

[astavrides]

Looking for my ball is probably my least favorite part of golf. I try to avoid courses with a lot of trees once the leaves start falling.

Can generalizations be made about leaf management practices at courses? Do private courses and upscale public generally pick them up several times a year and dispose of them outside the course? Do many courses wait until all the leaves have fallen and then pick them up? Do a lot of downscale public courses just leave them (pardon the pun) to blow away eventually or get mulched by mowers? Does it depend on how wet the climate is or how much snow the course gets?

[Ronald Montesano]

Ross designed his courses to maximize fallen-leaf accessibility. It's a little-known fiction I just made up.

[Nigel Islam]

Ross designed his courses to maximize fallen-leaf accessibility. It's a little-known fiction I just made up.

I am being stared at as I laugh out loud at that post, imagining you sitting in a bar wearing a mailman's uniform.

[Dave McCollum]

Speaking for the downscale public sector, we pick them up.  In casual rounds we use the leaf rule: if you see your ball go into a bunch of fallen leaves and can't find it right away, free drop.  Helps with pace of play and probably indicates we don't do it as frequently as some would like.   

[Jim_Coleman]

    I recently learned that if a falling leaf hits a moving ball (say on the green), the shot MUST be replayed.  I'm sure the rules gurus here know this, but I was surprised.

[Thomas Dai]

Seems like leaves naturally 'blow away' fom short grass fairways but 'stay' or 'stick' in the longer grass rough. Anyone ever consider lowering the rough-cut height just before the leaf fall period to help this natural dispertion?

atb

[Ronald Montesano]

In all sincerity, in my experience everything depends on three factors: density of leaves, budget of course/club and priorities of course/club.

[Pete Blaisdell]

Jim

  You are correct that if the ball was ON the green and putted and a moving object struck the moving ball, stroke MUST be replayed.

  If the ball was ONE INCH off the putting surface and putted with the same scenario , then the player would play from the new position. No replay required.

  And, you are right. Not alot players know this.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Looking for my ball is probably my least favorite part of golf. I try to avoid courses with a lot of trees once the leaves start falling.

Looking for balls in leaves is far more preferential than looking for them in snow.

[Chris DeToro]

Funny story--I was playing at a local club recently and we were all about to hit our approach shots onto the green, however, there appeared to be a large object about 20 feet left of the flag.  It looked to be a leaf blower, but we all thought that was absurd.  Sure enough, the group in front of us brought a leaf blower to the course and left it on the green by accident.  Is there a rule on that one?  Can you bring your own leaf blower?  What if one of our shots had hit said leaf blower? 

[Pete Blaisdell]

Chris,

  Interesting situation..

  It could be argued that bringing your own leaf blower would constitute being an " Artificial device  " and the player, team and/or group would violate Rule 14-3 and that gets you a free trip to the DAIRY QUEEN. The blower might actually improve other areas besides removing leaves. Never thought of it. That's a new one for me. I may call Golf House for an interpretation . Will get back to you.

 If your shot hit the blower , you play it as it lies. No replay .

[Pete Blaisdell]

Chris

  Just got off the phone with Golf House.

  A good chuckle was had by all .

  If a player uses a leaf blower during a stipulated round , the player is DQ. If other players in the group ask that their situation be improved with an artificial device such as a leak blower or do nothing to stop a player from improving their situation with said device , they get the same ride to the DAIRY QUEEN.

  That's the deal. Pick 'em up by hand or use a club.

[Brent Hutto]

Chris

  Just got off the phone with Golf House.

  A good chuckle was had by all .

  If a player uses a leaf blower during a stipulated round , the player is DQ. If other players in the group ask that their situation be improved with an artificial device such as a leak blower or do nothing to stop a player from improving their situation with said device , they get the same ride to the DAIRY QUEEN.

  That's the deal. Pick 'em up by hand or use a club.

Ummmm, Dairy Queen. Oreo Cheesecake Blizzard.

You gotta love a game where the penalty for cheating is a trip to get some ice cream.

[Chris DeToro]

Too funny.  I was just as surprised that someone would think to bring a leaf blower to the course. 

As for me, I like a Reese's Peanut Butter cups blizzard with chocolate ice cream and a splash of the mint syrup 

[Mark Bourgeois]

So what if it's the maintenance staff operating the blower, and their work just happens to coincide with your play...for 18 holes. Or...what if you time your play to their work? Outside agency?

One more: what if the Committee makes a local rule and arrays leaf blowers strategically around the course?

[Dan Kelly]

...  an artificial device such as a leak blower ...

Now there's a technology I could get upwind of!

[Craig Sweet]

With a buffalo blower I can consolidate the leaves in the rough and with a couple of guys vacuuming up behind me, we can clean 9 holes in a few hours...nearly spotless.

We blow tee thru green in order...the idea is to get the leaves off the tees, fairways, and greens....and then we concentrate on the rough.  In the rough I take a 50yd x50yd area and circle it several times blowing the leaves into a 10ydx10yd area...that opens up a lot of "green space" between the 10x10 piles...and it makes pick up easier. 

We have several places where we dump the leaves and compose them...

[Kirk Gill]

During a recent round at a local muni the crew there was driving around using massive blowers to get all the leaves off of the greens and fairways, but leaving them in the rough. I'd like to think that they'd come back later and vacuum them all up, but the way it looked on that day they'd been blowing the leaves into the rough for a while. I'm assuming that this would kill the grass eventually.......... My group treated it like mountain golf - miss the fairway and kiss your ball goodbye....... although we did find a few. Mostly not our own.

[Mark Smolens]

I guess this thread is no longer relevant for those players from the Buffalo/Rochester area?

4 feet of snow in a day?    Hurts just watching that on television...

[John McCarthy]

What is wrong with you people?  Heath Bar Blizzard all day long.

[Mark McKeever]

Do what Cricket did and cut all the trees down.  That seems to work well!   

Mark