Golf Etiquette
February 10, 2010 by admin
Filed under Beginners Guide
The rules of etiquette in golf center around issues of:
- Safety
- Consideration for other players
- Pace of play
Safety
What could possibly go wrong on a golf course, you ask? All sorts of things! The primary risk for any golfer is the risk of getting hit by something – be it a stray golf ball or the club of another player.
So, rule #1 is: look before you swing!
- It doesn’t matter if your taking your ‘official’ turn or just doing a practice swing. Always look to make sure that:
- No one is standing near you who may be hit by the club.
- There are no rock, twigs, etc that might strike you or someone else if your club sweeps them up.
There’s no one close on the green in front of you who could potentially be hit by your ball.
As for general, common sense guidelines: be mindful of ground abnormalities as you’re walking the green, and make sure you’ve got any emergency necessities you might need like a cell phone, medications, water, etc.
Consideration
Respect for other players is one of the hallmarks of golf. When it is someone’s turn to play, they are said to have the “honor”.
Whoever has the honor is allowed to make their play before any fellow-competitor swings or tees the ball. In other words, if it isn’t your turn, the considerate thing to do is stand quiety at a distance while your fellow player tees up and takes his shot.
Additionally, ‘honor’ applies to any player or group of players who happen to be in front of you on the course. You should not play until they are out of range.
Pace
Although golf is considered a ‘leisurely’ game, the Rules state that all players should play “without undue delay.” This doesn’t mean you have to rush your shot, but the Rules have some specific instruction as to the time spent walking the green and looking for balls.
First, if your ball is lost outside a water hazard or out of bounds, you should play a provisional ball rather than waste time searching for the lost ball.
Second, when you are searching for a ball, you should signal the players behind you to move ahead on the green. If you happen to find your ball shortly thereafter, you must wait for those players to move out of range.
Third, you must leave the putting green immediately after completing the play of hole.
As far as other guidelines concerning a player’s priority on the course, when no other special rules exist, the following is recommended:
1. Two-ball matches take precedence over three- and four-ball matches.
2. Single players have no standing and should yield the way to all other forms of matches.
3. Any match playing a whole round (18 holes) is entitled to pass a match playing a shorter round.
