Golf has literal books full of rules. Most people have at least a vague understanding of what these expectations are. We throw around phrases that more or less summarize what hundreds of pages of eye-wateringly dull text ramble about (play it where it lies, etc.). But what about etiquette?
The guidelines that make golf a true gentleman’s game? These can be a little more elusive or misunderstood. In this article, we take a look at 5 must-do things for playing fun, respectful golf.
‘Quiet on the Tee Box’
Noise pollution is generally frowned upon in most golf course settings, but particularly so in two contexts. On the tee box and at the green, all of the players in your party are usually in the same place at the same time. This tends to produce more chatter, even as players step up to hit their shots.
Most—though unfortunately, not all—players know to stop talking once someone begins their backswing. However, silence is actually important even before then. Once someone begins their pre-shot routine, it’s proper etiquette to remain as silent as possible until they’ve hit their shot.
There are certainly still moments for conversation. While you drive the cart. While you wait for the fairway or green to clear out. Certainly at the nineteenth hole. Just not while people are trying to concentrate.
Are there exceptions to this rule? Some groups will be a little silly or loud, even while their friends are getting ready to take their shots. However, unless these conditions are clearly stipulated before the round begins, it’s best to be quiet until the ball is in the air—or dribbling several feet from the tee box, as the case may be.
You should also try your best to be quiet on the range. While this environment is more relaxed than the course itself, people are trying to concentrate. Approach it the way you might a library. Speaking is ok. Causing unnecessary disruption is not.
Sand Bunker Etiquette
Those rakes lining the edges of every sand bunker are there for a reason. Once you’ve taken your three to six shots getting out, you are supposed to clean up after yourself. Those impressions you made with your shoes and club will make escape that much less likely for the next person to find their way into the dunes.
The rules around bunker play are already so punishing. If another player does find their way into your footprint, rules prohibit them from doing anything about it. Bunker maintenance is considered “testing the conditions,” under the rules of golf if you haven’t hit your sand shot yet. Violating this rule comes with a two shot penalty.
There’s no reason this ever needs to happen. Raking bunkers takes six seconds. Do it.
Fix Your Divots
When a good player hits a golf shot, it generally leaves behind an impression on the turf that looks approximately like a dollar bill. When a bad player hits a shot, the impression can look like anything. A cesarian scar. The state of California. Your mother on the day of her prom.
These impressions are called divots. During the height of the golf season, courses experience a lot of them. Occasionally, on day four of a pro tournament, you’ll see patches of fairway on the broadcast with hundreds of sandy little lines dotting the turf. Most pros hit the ball within twenty yards of each other, which means that after four days of playing, certain spots on the course take a major beating.
When you make a divot in the fairway, use the sand provided in your cart to fill in the patch of exposed soil. This levels the turf, making it easier for the grass to grow in evenly.
On the rare occasions when you hit the green from far away, the ball will also often make a divot, or “pitch mark,” roughly the size of a quarter. These can be repaired with a divot tool (snag one here: Divot Repair Tool + Ball Marker (golfsupply.shop)—something like a small, two-pronged fork—or, in the absence of that, a golf tee. Use your tool to pull the grass toward the center of the impression. Tap it down with the heel of your putter to finish it off.
Why fix divots?
For one thing, this helps the grass grow in better. It’s a small courtesy that will keep the course in good condition for many rounds to come. It can also improve the short-term playability of the hole. Landing in divots on the fairway turns good tee shots into difficult approach shots. Trying to putt on bumpy greens is frustrating and inconsistent.
Note that this also applies to the driving range. Experienced players know to try their best to keep divots orderly. Hit your shot, then position the next ball so that the new divot will merge with the last one. This makes it a little bit easier to repair the damage and let new grass grow in evenly.
Once you are done at the range, Use the sand to fill in your marks.Bottom line? Leave the course the way you want to play it in the future. That means fixing your divots.
“You’re Away”
Conventional rules require players who are furthest from the pin to play their shots first. If your playing partner hits their driver further, you’ll traditionally get to hit your approach shot before them. If you stick it five feet from the hole and they shank into a bunker, it’s their shot next.
This convention also applies to assigning t-shot rotation. If you beat your playing partner on the previous hole, you will get to tee off first on the next one.
This is referred to as the “honor system,” and it lives on the fine line between being etiquette and part of the rules canon. In fact, the position of “honor,” was recognized within the first thirteen rules of golf when the game first began in Scottland.
Since then it has developed into a system that is applied consistently at the tour level, but often ignored in favor of “ready golf,” for less formal rounds.
Even the pro-circuit ignores the honor system from time to time. For example, when a player hits their putt to within an inch of the cup, it’s usually in no one’s best interest to mark it, wait for the next player to putt, and then tap it in. In this situation, the player is usually expected to tap in out of expediency and convenience.
Expediency and convenience are also the hallmarks of “ready golf.” You don’t always want to sit idle in the fairway waiting to hit your shot while your playing partner spends ten minutes rooting around in the woods for their ball.
Ready golf allows you to hit your shot and then go and help them find their ball. Is the honor system hard etiquette, or an antiquated tradition that you can ignore?
That depends on who you are playing with. The key is to agree clearly on how the round will play out before anyone hits their shot. This will help you avoid disagreement and keep the round friendly.
Don’t Be Shy About Yelling Fore
“Is it going their way? It’s not going their way. Is it?” We’ve all been there. No one wants to have to scream about their snap hook from two hundred and twenty yards away. However, the risks of getting hit by a stray golf ball are too big to ignore.
During the 2018 Ryder Cup, Brooks Koepka hit a shot that permanently blinded a woman in one eye. Granted, you probably don’t have anything approximating his velocity. Still, mishits carry risks. Yell fore if there is even the slightest chance someone might get hurt. It’s very bad golf karma not to.
Let Faster Groups Play Through
We’ve all had days at the course ruined by an aggressively slow foursome that can’t take a hit. While they are taking twenty practice swings to prepare for their approach shot---several yards from the tee box—we’re sighing, wishing perhaps, that we’d taken up tennis instead.
When the player behind you consistently arrives at the tee box while you are still on it, that’s usually a good sign that they should play through. In that case, step to the side, let them hit—they’ll shank it into the woods because you are watching—and then tee off after they’ve hit their approach.
If play is slow because the course is crowded, you can disregard this.
There Are More Than Five
Golf is full of expectations. This can include everything from what you wear—many courses require golf pants and polos—to marking your ball on the green even when it isn’t in the way, so as not to distract other players.
Don’t walk on other people’s putting lines. Don’t dawdle when it’s your turn to hit. Certainly, don’t show up late to your tee time. Don’t forget to put the flag back in.
If you feel overwhelmed, that’s ok. The main rule is to be polite. Show up with a respectful attitude. Do that and most of the other etiquette guidelines will take care of themselves.
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Why you should walk your rounds