How to Impress Your Golfing Buddies with your Golf Etiquette Knowledge
Yes you’re new to the game of golf and you have the basics of the golf swing down. You have played with several different golfers, but you have never been asked to join up with them a second time. What’s wrong, you seem to be a nice guy /gal? Maybe it’s your manners. What! you say, there‘s etiquette for golf too?
Yes there is, is, is—and if you have had a few dirty looks from other players on the course, it may be because you do not know your golf etiquette.
Almost all etiquette rules for the game are designed to enable people playing with you to enjoy the best possible environment for their game and since golf is a game of concentration, anything that disturbs that concentration is considered poor etiquette.
Let us cover general rules first:
• Do not yell or laugh loudly (unless, of course you ‘re yelling ‘fore’).
• Do not use foul language (absolutely forbidden on most courses).
• Do not dress inappropriately (Muscle shirts, short shorts, low cut blouses, you get the picture).
• Do not move or step on another player’s ball.
It seems appropriate to start on the tee and progress to the green, so we will begin on the first tee with who will tee off first. This is normally determined by a flip of a coin. On the second tee and thereafter, the player with the lowest score on the previous hole tees off first. This is referred to as “having the honor”.
Rules on the Tee
• Do not stand where the person teeing off can be distracted by your movements.
• Do not talk while someone else is teeing off.
• Be ready when it is your turn
• Do not take ten practice swings-not even three (you are holding up others).
Rules On the fairway
• The person farthest away from the pin always hits first.
• If a player has lost a ball, allow a maximum of 5 minutes for a search.
• Always replace your divots.
• Do not walk or drive ahead of a player who has not yet taken his shot.
Rules On the green
• No one should putt until all player’s balls are on the green, even if one of the balls on the green is farther from the pin than the ball that is not on the green.
• Mark your ball if there is even a remote chance that it might be in someone else’s way.
• When all players’ balls are on the green, the player farthest away goes first.
• Never walk on the line a ball must traverse to get to the pin. This can cause an indentation in the green that could divert the other player’s ball.
• Never stand such that your shadow is on the line another golfer’s ball must travel to the pin.
• If your are holding the pin for another player who is putting from a long distance away, make sure you stand so that your shadow is not on the hole or line the ball will traverse.
• Repair any marks your ball or shoe spikes may have made on the green.
• If it is windy, flapping clothing can be a distraction, so stand well back or hold the clothing in place.
It takes years of practice for the best pros to learn how to ignore distractions and keep
their heads down. Don’t be the supplier of distractions.
Bad temper, throwing clubs, or digging holes in fairways, is never acceptable behavior. This is, after all, a gentleman’s game. Golf can be an extremely frustrating and infuriating past time. If you cannot control your temper, perhaps you should take up boxing.
You may be required to play with strangers some time and most golfers will definitely appreciate your knowledge of golf etiquette.
Just as an afterthought, I have at times been in groups that have elected to play ‘ready’ golf, because the golf course was extremely crowded. This means that whoever is ready, plays first. This tends to speed up play and is acceptable if all players have agreed to it.
