Golf
Etiquette Concepts and Rules
Dress
Code:
The following is considered
proper dress code for our
golf course:
Golf shirt with sleeves
and collar. No Denim
Jeans or Shorts, no Cut-off
Shorts, No T-Shirts,No Swimwear or Tennis Attire, No Tank Tops for men or women,
and Golf Shoes are preferred but Sneakers are acceptable.
Beverages:
Please - No coolers
or outside beverages are
permitted on the golf course
at anytime. We provide
a beverage cart and offer
beverages at our Halfway
House. Please be
sure to use proper trash receptacles when
disposing cups and wrappers.
Safety:
The
first
and
foremost
rule of golf and golf etiquette
is safety.
This rule applies to young
and old alike. Here are some
of the safety rules
of the course:Don't take practice swings towards another person. Don't swing
your clubs if someone is close enough to you that you may hit them.
Quiet:
This
is
a
requirement
on any golf course. Golf
Requires a lot of concentration.
Walk, don't run. Walk
quickly, but lightly if
needed.
Pace
of Play:
Here's
some of the things that
you can do to maintain
a good pace of play: Take
only one practice swing.
(If you take 120 shots
in a game and you take
an extra 30 seconds for
each one you will add an
hour to the
length of your golf game.)
Hitting
into The Group Ahead
of You:
It is never acceptable
to try to speed up the
group in front of you
by hitting the ball into
their playing field.
Playing
Through:
Here's some tips
regarding playing through:
Be sure there is room
for you to properly play
through before you ask
permission. Be
courteous and quick as you hit your shots in playing through. If you
hit bad shots, don't take any Mulligans, just drop a ball near where yours
was last seen and play on.
Playing
Ready Golf:
If you're not playing
in a Golf Tournament,
or other sanctioned event,
it's ok to play "ready golf". Ready golf means the golfer who is ready to
hit can do so even through he or she may not be farthest away from the hole. Just
agree ahead with the other players in your group.
Golf
Carts:
If you are driving
a motorized cart, drive
at a moderate speed.
Keep
carts on paths at all
times. 90 degree rule-this
rule requires that you
stay on the cart path
until you are even (at
a 90 degree angle) with
your ball. Then
you may drive your cart
straight out to your
ball. When you've
taken a shot, drive straight
back to the cart path.
Golf
Etiquette on The Teeing Grounds:
The
Teeing Area:
The teeing ground is technically
the area between the markers and
two club lengths behind the markers. But,
when we refer to the tee in this
discussion, we are referring to
the entire tee area.
Standing Position:
Please stand behind the golfer
teeing up, or when it's not possible
to stand behind the player be
sure to remain outside their
peripheral vision. Also,
be sure that you are out of the
range of the swinging club.
Watching the
Shots:
It's
proper etiquette to watch the shots
of everyone in your group. Sometimes
people end up hitting straight
into the sun or will not be able
to watch where the ball has landed. If
you are courteous in watching the
flight of each ball, you maybe
be able to assist the group member
in locating their ball.
Noise Level:
Remember to be quiet. Don't
talk or make comments about bad
swings.
Golf Carts:
As
mentioned in the general Rules
of Golf, be sure to keep all carts
off the tee area.
Golf carts on the green can make ruts in the ground. Also, while traveling
through the course in a golf cart, be sure to stop while other groups or individuals
tee off. Any interruption of
noise from a cart or change in peripheral vision may cause the player to make
a mistake in teeing off.
Golf
Etiquette on The Fairway:
Be
aware:
Be sure to notice where your
group members are located on the
fairway before you hit. You
also want to try to determine whether
it is your turn or if you should
wait for someone else to go ahead
of you.
Divots:
One thing that is important
to note when you play a shot out
of the fairway grass is that your
club will often cut out a piece
of turf. This piece of turf
is called a "divot". It's
quite normal to "take a divot" and
it actually can be a sign of a
well-hit shot. If your shot
creates a divot, be sure to place
it back in the spot at which it
came from and lightly step on it
to help the grass reattach to the
soil.
Losing a Ball:
One
of the least fun parts of golf
is losing a ball. If the
ball is driven into the rough or
trees, dotry to recover it, but
do not waste more then a few minutes
searching for the ball. It
is best that you drop a ball closest
to where you believe the ball has
gone.
Bunkers:
If your ball lands in the bunker
there are a few rules to follow:
- Enter
the bunker from the low side nearest
to the ball. Do not climb
up the wall of the bunker.
- Do
not test the conditions of the
sand. Before your shot, you
may press your feet down into
the sand to get a good stance. This
is a Golf Rule!
- Do not
touch the head of your club in the sand
before you shoot. This is a Golf
Rule!
- When
the shot is complete, use the
rake the course provides to
even the sand and remove the
footprints.
- Please
be sure to leave the rake outside
the bunker with the rank handle
running parallel to the fairway.
Golf
Etiquette on
The Green:
Spikes:
The first thing to realize
when you walk onto the green is
that the grass is very delicate
and even your footprints can damage
the grass. With this in mind,
if you wear spikes on your shoes
it will be especially damaging
because when golfers twist their
feet while swinging, they can tear
the grass and dirt. It was
once thought that spikes on the
bottom of a golfer's shoes were
actually good for the grass, allowing
it to aerate the soil. This
is of course not true, so for that
reason soft spikes are mandatory.
Stepping Over
the Ball Path:
Please notice the place of
everyone's ball once you approach
the green. The reason you
should carefully note where
all of the other balls are is so
you don't step on the path on which
someone else will momentarily putt. If
you step on the bath of a ball
laying on the green what will happen
is that your footprint will make
a little hole or depression right
where that golfer is going to send
their putt. This depression
may cause their ball to go off
course, making them miss their
putt.
Repairing Your Ball Marks:
When
the ball lands on the green, it
will leave a mark. Depending
on how hard and fast the ball travels,
how hard the greens are and how
wet the ground, that dent may vary
from a little bump to a big gash
out of the greens. When your
ball marks the greens, be sure
to use your "ball marker repair
tool". This will allow
another golfer playing behind you
to have a smooth playing surface.
Marking Your
Balls:
When on the green, the Rules
of Golf allow you to mark and clean
your ball. The cleaning helps
to ensure that you will get a nice
even roll on your putt; the marking
part ensures that you will put
the ball back in exactly the same
spot when you are finished cleaning
the ball.
When using the ball markers, be sure to put the maker behind the ball. Placing
it in front
of the ball may leave a dimple in the grass, sending your ball off course. Be
sure to place the marker behind the ball and then pick up the ball. Also
when returning the ball, place the ball down before you pick up the marker to
insure that you have the ball in the same place.
Removing/Tending
the Flagstick:
The
Rules of Golf tell us that the
ball may not strike the flagstick,
in the hole when the ball has been
played from on the green. So,
for this reason the flagstick must
be removed from the hole before
the player begins their putt.
Written
by Jim Corbett (Copyright 1999) www.mrgolf.com
