MANHATTAN, Kan. – If 80,000 people walked through the same city park over the course of a year, no one would be surprised if the grass showed wear and tear.

Yet, golfers expect pristine grass conditions, even though Kansas’ more active courses can host 70,000 to 80,000 rounds per year. And, most of those players are driving heavy carts.

Courtesy toward each other is tradition among golfers, said Jack Fry, horticulturist at Kansas State University. Many don’t seem to realize, however, that practicing a kind "etiquette" with golf course turf is a natural extension of that courtesy.

"Anything that has a negative impact on the grass also has a negative impact on the golfing experience. You can’t separate the two," said Fry, who is a K-State Research and Extension turfgrass specialist.

Simply walking on grass compacts the soil it’s growing in. Compacted soil, in turn, has trouble absorbing water ... which reduces the oxygen available to plants ... which puts grass under stress.

"But walking certainly is easier on turf than driving a cart over it. For some reason American golfers have become drivers, while European golfers still tend to walk. If we could switch back, that would be the absolute best thing that could happen to golf course turf – as well as make golfing better exercise for the players," he said.

In the meantime, however, golfers’ actually following course directions and rules would help turf a lot. This includes signs that direct golfers to "Exit fairway" and "Park carts here."

"Some courses are putting up barriers so golfers will keep their carts on designated pathways. You’d think that would be enough to help people figure out that carts really shouldn’t go into certain areas. But you’d be amazed by some of the stories I’ve heard," Fry said. "You’d be amazed by some of the things I’ve seen: People driving right up onto a green ... four people playing together, but driving four golf carts."

Some course signs can be temporary and easy to overlook unless golfers remain aware of their surroundings, as well as their game.

"This is particularly true right after a rain," he said. "And what the signs say can be particularly important then, because the potential for soil compaction and golf cart ruts is even greater than normal."

Fry suspects many golfers don’t quite realize just how important "turf etiquette" is on golf greens, because the turf there really is so fragile.

"They think course managers move the cup as a part of golfing strategy. But it’s really for the health of the plants. If you leave a cup in the same spot for two or three days, you start to see turf wear," he said.

All grasses for greens are under stress, because they’re mowed so short, Fry added. But Kansas’ greens are more vulnerable than most, because they’re often a variety of creeping bentgrass. That turf spreads by sending out runners on the soil surface, where golfers walk, putters swing and balls roll.

That’s why the horticulturist applauds the courses that now are banning steel-spiked golf shoes, which "rip up greens, carpets, concrete. ..." Newer approaches to golf shoes are widely available now, with many models substituting plastic, much less damaging spikes.

"Even so, if you hit high and create a ball mark on a green, that spot probably will die if you don’t repair it. The force of the ball will dislodge roots, compact the soil and damage the leaves. With enough unrepaired ball spots, you’ll get a green with tan chickenpox," Fry warned.

Many golf pro shops now sell tools golfers can use to repair such damage. Some supply them at no cost, along with USGA instructions on proper use.

Golf courses also are beginning to supply shaker bottles filled with sand and grass seed, for golfers to use when they tear out a divot.

"That’s particularly true on par 3 tees, which tend to get that kind of damage," Fry said. "So golfers should check their cart or the tee zone for a bottle. Or, an even better course would be to find the divot, put it back in place and step on it to get the roots in contact with the soil."

A new movement in the golf course industry is to use more native and near-native plantings.

"In terms of environmental benefits, wildlife habitat and the beauty of a golf course, that’s definitely a good thing – although it sometimes can slow down the rate of play," Fry said.

As golfers get used to such courses, he hopes they’ll pay particular attention to protecting the native plantings.

"Driving a golf cart through a natural wilderness area would be about like driving a dirt bike through a park. Golfers still will need to stick to designated paths, even when a course doesn’t look as formal as the traditional ones do – in the United States, at least," Fry said.