Sand Buckets on Par Threes

[Paul Carey]

I have gotten int a discussion about maintenance of Par Three Tees.  I think most courses now put sand buckets out to keep the tees boxes in better shape and it is a great idea.  Others have said "high end" courses don't put them out since they look tacky.  Can you please let me know what "high end" courses and highly respected clubs use sand buckets on par threes?

Thanks

Paul

[Ben Kodadek]

Paul,

I've played a couple of higher end courses that "bury" the sand buckets so they sit flush with the ground.   They then fill them with bottles of sand/mix so you don't have to bend over too far.  I think this is a great option as divots get filled but there is no eyesore associated with the boxes.

[Matt Wharton]

Paul,

I can't speak for other courses but we do NOT have them at my club where I am the super (CGC in Charlotte, NC).  When we were reopening after our restoration the club chose a very minimal amount of accessories and containers for divot sand on tee boxes was not selected (we do not have ball washers either).  As for our teeing grounds we do not have any problems keeping on top of our divot situation.  This is on all tees, not just par 3's.  It just depends on what the members want to see and staying committed.

Also, since we have bermudagrass tees and fairways we use a colored sand during the growing season then switch to a white sand during the time the turf is dormant.

[Matt Bosela]

Here's my favourite...pretty good golf course too!

[Bill Brightly]

We have them and I think they are a good idea. One negative is that players think it is better to use the mix rather than replace a "full gouge" bentgrass divot that they normally would have replaced...which is wrong. I also wonder if over filling the divot leads to uneven tees over time.

[Anthony_Nysse]

We do not have divot boxes (or tee trays) on any tees, par 3s included. The staff fills divots on tees every morning when changing the tee markers. We also pick up any broken tees on and around the tee tops. I'd rather have our staff filling the divots to ensure then they are filled properly. I think that this is especially important, considering that we have tifeagle tee surfaces.

[Alister Matheson]

I think it best the greens staff refill divots on tees no matter how much you try to educate members on the correct way to do it you will always get a small percentage who leave a filthy mess behind lots and lots of clubs have tried this over the years very few stick with it.

ITS MORE REWARDING AS A GREENKEEPER TO SEE  MEMBERS/VISITORS RAKING BUNKERS PROPERLY AND REPAIRING PITCHMARKS PROPERLY.   

Cheers
             Alister

[Mike McGuire]

We do not have divot boxes (or tee trays) on any tees, par 3s included. The staff fills divots on tees every morning when changing the tee markers. We also pick up any broken tees on and around the tee tops. I'd rather have our staff filling the divots to ensure then they are filled properly. I think that this is especially important, considering that we have tifeagle tee surfaces.

I have thought the staff could do it and Im glad to hear some supers do it.

Players can go overboard with the sand and later in the day its a sand pit between the markers

[Sean_A]

It shouldn't be difficult to teach members of a club how to fill divots.  Personally, I like the idea of each member adopting a hole and doing what it takes to keep it tidy as they play it. 

So far as attractive buckets, this can't be hard to do or hide - its no big deal to me.  What I really dislike is carrying sand around.  Its alright for cartballers, but who wants to lug a few pounds of sand in their bag?  I usually see wakers use that sand as soon as possible - like in a few holes!

Ciao

[Jerry Kluger]

We don't have them at my club and here is the reasoning of our superintendent:  there is fill on the golf carts which players can bring to the tee; players who walk are supposed to carry bottles of fill and there are boxes on every hole with fill to replenish those bottles; and his staff picks up the broken tees and moves the markers everyday so filling in the remaining divots takes very little time and is less effort than moving and filling a bucket of sand. 

[Steve Pozaric]

Would the type of grass dicate whether sand is used; e.g., would you use sand if th teebox was zoysia?

[Anthony_Nysse]

Would the type of grass dicate whether sand is used; e.g., would you use sand if th teebox was zoysia?

We filled zoysia tee divots with sand when I was at Long Cove.