Necessary destruction

Occasional Observations

Necessary destruction

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Necessary destruction

Do groundskeepers despise divots?

thehilker

<1 min read·May 1, 2025

Despite its reputation as a quiet, peaceful pastime, golf is a destructive sport.

Finely-manicured divots flying down the fairway. Corduroy sands scattered onto the greens. Bent clubs at the bottom of the lake. It all happens as part of the game.

As a groundskeeper, it can be easy to fall into the distraction that the quality of the course is my end-all. But the course is there for the game of golf. The purpose of a pristine tee box is not to remain as such, but to enable quality drives. Destruction is both the cost and the byproduct of playing golf well. 

A golf course is the setting, not the story; a prop, not a player.

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Richard.M.Lu
Commented 2 weeks ago

The article helps fill a gap in the available literature.

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Commented 2 weeks ago

Golf may have a serene image, but it's rooted in destruction. From errant divots to misplaced clubs, every shot takes a toll on the course resiliently servingthe game. The role of a groundskeeper is not just to create perfection, but to support quality play. Discover more insights from @trh's latest blogpost!