The putting green is the most expensive, most carefully maintained, and most important playing surface on the golf course. It requires the greatest care from every person who steps on it — and as a caddy, you should be leading by example in how you treat it.

What is a ball mark? When a golf ball lands on the green from a high approach shot, it compacts and tears the grass slightly, leaving a small indentation. If left unrepaired, a ball mark kills the grass roots and leaves a dead brown scar on the surface. If repaired immediately and correctly, the grass recovers within hours and leaves no trace.

How to repair a ball mark correctly:

• Step 1 — Use the right tool. A ball mark repair tool (a small forked device) is the proper tool. A tee works in an emergency. Never use a golf club — too much pressure, wrong angle.
• Step 2 — Insert at the edge, not the center. Push the tool into the ground at the outside edge of the indentation, angled slightly under the center of the mark. Do NOT push straight down into the middle — this compresses the root zone and makes the damage worse.
• Step 3 — Push grass inward from all sides. Work around the mark, pushing the edges toward the center from multiple directions. The goal is to lift the compressed center back up to green level without tearing or removing any grass.
• Step 4 — Do NOT lift the grass upward. Pulling the grass upward tears the roots and does more damage than the original ball mark. Push inward only — never lift.
• Step 5 — Smooth with the putter. Once the edges are pushed in and the surface looks level, gently smooth with the putter face. This compresses any air pockets and blends the repaired area into the surrounding surface.

Other green care responsibilities:

Never place the golf bag on the green. Never drag your feet across the green (pick up your feet — shuffling tears the grass). Never step on another player’s putting line — the line between their ball and the hole. And when you tend or remove the flagstick, place it gently on the fringe (the edge of the green), not on the putting surface itself.