HAND CART CONTROL - If you prefer to walk and use a handcart we need your help. I frequently observe handcarts being pulled where they don't belong. To reaquaint you with our preferences at Discovery Bay: Please keep your carts off of the teeing surfaces. Do not pull them on to the green aprons - the short mowed grass that borders the actual putting surface. Plan ahead; Whenever possible, leave your handcart on the side of the green closest to the next tee. Avoid the area between the green and adjacent bunkers as much as possible. All these practices help reduce wear and tear in these high traffic areas and benefit the turf.

BALL MARKS, AGAIN - I was going to put another one of those heartfelt pleas for you to repair your ball marks in this spot, but judging from the looks of our greens nobody ever heeds these requests, so I decided not to bother. It's disgustingly evident that when it comes to ball mark repair, more don't than do. We can sand topdress every two weeks, treat for Poa control, overseed with improved bentgrass varieties, verticut, double cut, roll, etc., etc., etc. But, until the ball mark repair situation changes, you will never know how good these greens could be. Unrepaired ball marks are the graffiti of the golf maintenance business. Expensive and unsightly, there's nothing good to be said about either. Soft spikes were a real breakthrough in augmenting putting green quality and improving ball roll. Eliminating ball marks, through individual responsibility and prompt repair - is the next step. Go for it!