I was asked to provide some GOLF COURSE ETIQUETTE for our new members.
- ON THE TEE:It's a good idea to have a mark on your ball that identifies it as yours and show it to your playing partners. This can avoid a costly penalty if it turns out two players are using the same ball.Unless playing in a tournament ready golf is recommended for order of play with one exception being waiting on the tee for the golfer who had a birdie.If you wish to make practice swings while another player is hitting, make sure you are out of the player's peripheral vision.Your standing position should always be to the side of the person hitting the ball.Make a habit of announcing the yardage to others when you laser a par 3.ON THE FAIRWAY:Ready golf is again encouraged if it is safe to do so. If you aren't ready to play when it is your turn, encourage someone else to go ahead and play.If a player is struggling, offer to fill her divot or rake her bunker. This will be appreciated more than you can know.
After you hit your shot, be sure to watch the ball actually land and stop so you know where to go for your next shot. This is easy to do if your ball is in the fairway. Harder if you are near the woods or in thick rough. After you see the ball stop, pick a landmark that you can use to help locate the ball when you get up closer.
Help others find their ball as long as you are not up next to hit. If that’s the case, hit first then go help. Most often the ball will be found while you are hitting therefore you have saved the group a lot of time.
Yell “FORE” if your golf ball is going towards another hole or going towards a player on the golf course. Ideally yell “FORE” and the hole your ball is heading to. Example: “FORE on 6”.
ON THE GREEN:
Ready golf is applicable on the putting green as well as the fairway and tee.
Do not stand where you might distract a fellow player and do not move.
Do not stand on a fellow players putting line.
When marking your ball use a small thin marker. Big markers can be a distraction to the person putting.
If you are closest to the hole it is your responsibility to tend the pin if a player desires the pin to be pulled. Hold the flagstick at arm's length so the flag doesn't flutter in the breeze, make sure your shadow doesn't fall across the hole or line and you are not standing on any players line. Loosen the bottom of the flagstick so it doesn't stick when you try and remove it by pulling it straight up after the other player has putted. The flagstick should be removed right after the player has hit the ball.
When removing the flag lay it down carefully on the green out of play.
The first person to finish the hole is responsible for replacing the pin.
After putting out, a real time saver is to stand on the side of the green closest to the next tee as long as you aren't in anyone's line.
Help to pick up stray towels and/or clubs as you walk off.
Mark the scores on the next tee - not the green.
And my favourite: check to see if your cart riding companion is not about to take a sip just before you do your Mario Andretti imitation. 😎GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE ETIQUETTE
DIVOT REPAIRWhen possible it is always preferable to replace the divot with the grass. Make sure the divot is put in the proper direction and use your foot to press it down.When using sand provided on the cart or on buckets, it is important to avoid over or under filling divots. Under filling a divot will result in a depression that affects golf ball lie. On the other hand, overfilled divots will damage mowing equipment and create poor playing conditions. To properly fill a divot, bend over and directly place sand in each divot, making sure the sand does not spill onto undamaged turf. Add sand until it is even with the base of the adjacent turf. Finally, just as with replacing divots, use your foot to compact and level the sand. This will provide better soil-to-ground contact to enhance the growth of the turf.BUNKER MAINTENANCE
The goal is simple - use the rake to produce as smooth of a surface as possible.
When raking near the edge of a bunker, do not pull sand out of the bunker into the grass. Sand can accumulate in the grass around bunkers over time, causing the grass to dry out. Raking sand over the bunker edge also makes it difficult to define the edge, which can be problematic from a rule’s perspective.
As you are exiting the bunker, use your club to knock any sand off the bottom of your shoes. This is especially important following greenside bunker shots. Walking across the green after hitting a bunker shot can leave sandy footprints that cause playability issues for other golfers and may even damage expensive maintenance equipment.
I hope this helps our new golfers. If anyone has any other suggestions, please let me know.
