Golf Etiquette
The golf course is Mesa Verde Country Club’s most important and potentially fragile asset.
The mission is to provide our Members a first class golf venue that provides an excellent playing experience. Beyond supporting our management team and staff, we need your daily assistance to keep it that way. Before teeing off, please review the information contained in this brochure on how to care for our course while playing. Thank you for your cooperation.
We need your help Club Leadership is committed to making Mesa Verde the premier course in Orange County. You have been a big part of this ongoing process. Although our work is never done, we look forward to making future enhancements in the next few years to make our course event better. Beyond the daily maintenance by our talented team, supporting capital expenditures, the Members can provide daily assistance for the care of our course. Based on the recommendations from the Golf Course Superintendent and the Greens Committee, your Board of Directors has identified membership involvement in the day to day care and maintenance of the golf course as one of the Club’s top priorities going forward. Each of us needs to redouble our efforts every time we play to leave each hole on the course better than we found it by performing a few simple steps set forth in this brochure. We know that you are familiar with most of these tasks, but we ask that you spend a few minutes reviewing them, and that you, your family members, and golf partners incorporate them into your daily golf routine. If you notice something on the course that you are unable to repair, please notify the Golf Shop. Thank you for your participation in making Mesa Verde the premier course in Orange County.
Pace of Play All players must play in four hours or less. Consideration will be given to competitions such as Club tournaments and all team play. However, competitors must keep a reasonable pace. Players failing to keep pace will receive one warning. A second violation, in competition, will result in penalty strokes as applicable under the Rules of Golf. All players on Saturdays and Sundays who play before 8:00 AM must complete the round in less than four hours. (Speed Zone Time) Since one group can be the cause of slow play by the many groups following it, the initially slow group will be targeted unless there is an obvious gap later in the day’s play sheet.
In the event that a player/group plays in over four hours, the following actions will occur: 1st excessive time: The professional staff will discuss the policy with the offending individual/group. 2nd excessive time: The player/group will receive a letter from the Pace of Play Committee. 3rd excessive time: The Pace of Play Committee will send a letter and impose restrictions. The player/group may choose to appeal the decision of the Committee. 4th excessive time: (within one year of the first excessive time): The Pace of Play Committee will bring the matter to the attention of the Golf Committee and Board of Directors and suggest sanctions for approval.
Dress Code All persons who use the golf course and practice facilities must wear attire deemed appropriate for golf, including golf shirts and golf shoes. The only exception is during a designated themed club event. Golf shoes may not include either metal or ceramic spikes. Gentlemen: • Gentlemen must wear a shirt with either a collar or mock turtleneck. • Shirts must be worn tucked in, unless the shirt is a “Tommy Bahama” style (Square Bottom) that buttons top to bottom. • Hats, caps and visors are to be worn with the visors facing forward. • Hats may not be worn in the upper level of the clubhouse at any time. • Traditional golf Bermuda shorts must be an appropriate length. Ladies: • Ladies are expected to wear conservative golf attire. • Collarless shirts with sleeves or sleeveless shirts with collars may be worn. • Mock turtleneck golf shirts are acceptable. • Traditional golf Bermuda shorts, skirts, or skorts must be an appropriate length. • Capri style pants are acceptable.
Unacceptable Attire: Inappropriate golf attire is prohibited and includes the following items: • t-shirts • tank tops • midriff tops • sweatshirts • sweat pants • swimwear • baggy pants • cargo-style shorts with expandable pockets • halter tops • blue denim • sports jerseys or any type of shirt • shorts with hems that are deemed inappropriate and/or blouse with printed phrases, pictures or slogans General Information: • Children are subject to all of the golf attire rules listed above. • Guests have lockers and shoe services available to them and it is requested that shoes be changed and cleaned using these services inside the clubhouse rather than the parking lot. The Club’s Management and staff are required to enforce the Dress Code. The code has been developed to deliver a comfortable country club atmosphere for all. The member is responsible for insuring that they and their guests support the codes. Violations will be brought to the attention of the member.
Daily Golf Course Care & Maintenance Guide for Players
Care of Teeing Grounds Please remove your used or broken tees from the teeing area after concluding your drive. Our turf staff will fill all divots on par threes to create an even surface and enable quick turf recovery. Care of Practice Areas All of the above maintenance tasks also apply to our practice facilities including the chipping greens by the range and adjacent to the 1st fairway. Once you have finished your practice session, please rake the bunkers and repair any ball marks on the greens. Please use the equipment provided on the practice area adjacent to the 1st fairway to assist you with cleaning up practice balls left on the greens. We ask that you do not hit balls back towards the driving range from the lower practice area.
Care of the Driving Range When hitting iron shots from grass areas on the practice tee, please use the smallest area possible. You can achieve this by placing your practice ball on the back edge of your previous divot. Continue this technique until you have completed your practice session. When you are finished, you will have created a small, uniform area of damaged turf, not multiple divots. Smoking Make sure to pick up any trash, cigar or cigarette butts and place in the appropriate receptacles. Handicaps Handicaps are required of all golf equity members. MVCC members are expected to keep handicaps which are a reasonable indication of their ability.
Use of Golf Carts Electric Carts Electric golf carts must be kept on the cart paths around all tees and greens and also on all par threes. At no point may a cart be driven past a green without use of a cart path and carts may not be driven closer to the green than thirty (30) feet under any circumstance. All directional cart signs must be followed. Electric golf carts and all handcarts are not allowed to be between the bunkers and the green on any hole. Carts of any kind are not permitted on the teeing ground, including the driving range. The driver of any electric golf cart is responsible for any damages either to the golf cart or to club property caused by the cart. No minor under the age of 16 shall be permitted to operate an electric golf cart. Minors 16 and over must possess a valid driver’s license. Disabled players may use a disabled flag with prior authorization from the Golf Professional. Disabled players must follow club electric golf cart policy with the exception of specific rules for disabled golf cart use which will be issued with prior authorization. Carts with a disabled player flags must stay at least thirty (30) feet from all greens and tees or stay on the cart path; whichever is closer.
The driver of the cart should be alert in trying to avoid wet, soft and bare areas of the course. Entrance and exist gates established by the Course Superintendent are to be followed at all times. No more than two riders are permitted on golf carts at any one time and must be seated properly. Handcarts may not be attached to or towed from electric carts at any time. Pull Carts/Speed Carts The sloping areas that make up most of our green complexes are very sensitive and should not be used as pathways for pull carts. Pull carts should be kept at least 15 feet from a green or greenside bunker, and should never be parked or pulled between a green and a bunker.
How to Fix a Divot The best way to speed healing of a fairway divot is to use the “chop in, then fill� method. To chop in a divot, use an iron to bring the sides of the divot together or kick in with your golf spikes, creating a loose mat of grass within the divot hole. Then, fill the remaining area with sand and smooth. These steps will enable the grass to take hold and begin the regeneration process much more quickly than if left unattended. This same procedure is applicable to a divot taken in the rough area. Player participation in divot repair will result in a dramatic improvement in fairway playing conditions and the general appearance of the course. Members are encouraged to fix other’s divots. If you are walking or using a pull cart, please make sure you carry sand with you for this purpose. Divot
Chop
Compress
Fill
Complete
How to Repair a Ball Marker on or around the Green Once you locate your ball mark, take your divot tool or a golf tee and gently lift the compacted grass from back to front and then side to side, back towards the center of the mark until all the compacted dirt and grass created has been brought together and filled. Use your putter to softly tap down the area to create a flat, even surface. This same procedure is applicable to marks just off the green on the closely mowed fringe areas. If you see an unrepaired, or poorly repaired ball mark, on or near the green, please take care of it.
Care for the Cup Make sure to leave the cup as you found it. Repair the edges should a ball mark collapse the hole. Please do not retrieve your ball with the putter head as this tends to cause tears in the edge of the cup.
How to Rake a Bunker Raking a sand bunker after taking your shot is a customary courtesy. Once you find your ball in the bunker, locate the closest rake. Enter the bunker so as to minimize the area that will need to be raked when you exit. Once you find an easy entry point, walk directly to your ball with the rake and your club of choice. After your shot is complete, rake the area where your ball entered, the divot made by club impact, and your footprints. When the process is complete, the bunker should be imprint free in the area of your shot. Once you have exited the bunker, place the rake outside the bunker approximately 3-4 feet from the edge where it least interferes with play, usually on the outside edge, opposite the green or fairway. Locating the rake in this fashion is consistent with USGA recommendations.
3000 Clubhouse Road, Costa Mesa, California 92626 Phone: (714) 549-0377 Fax: (714) 549-9163