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 One of the main reasons a round takes too long is slow play. Golf also has a thick rule book. But since there are no referees throwing flags or blowing whistles, golfers must police themselves. That’s especially true when it comes to etiquette. “When you’re at a campsite, you don’t leave it worse than you found it, and when you knock on someone’s door, you don’t tramp through their flower bed,” said Eric Lohman, director of golf at Oak Creek Golf Club in Irvine. “Why view a golf course any differently?” Broadly speaking, etiquette comes in two forms — how you interact with other players and how you treat the course. Here are nine areas Lohman and Ron Robinson, tournament director at Jurupa Hills Country Club in Riverside and an instructor at the Professional Golfers Career College in Temecula, say golfers should keep in mind every time they tee it up. 1. Pace of play Long rounds typically rank among the biggest gripes of people who stop playing golf. “If you’re slow, you affect everybody on the course,” Lohman said. “It’s as bad as yelling or leaving trash all over the course.” Simply put, if you lose sight of the foursome ahead of you, pick up the pace. But also be prepared by keeping a second ball in your pocket in case you lose yours, and have the right club in hand when it’s your turn to hit. “In general, allot yourself 15 minutes for longer holes and 14 minutes for shorter holes, and that will get you around a golf course in under four-and-a-half hours,” Robinson said. Nowhere is pace of play more important than on the green. “That seems to be where the most time is wasted,” Robinson said. “Maybe it has something to do with watching golf on TV and observing how long it takes for the professionals to putt. For the most part, none of us should ever have to take that long.” Reading your putt and walking the green before it’s your turn will speed up pace of play on the green, Robinson said. And don’t consider the beverage cart or halfway house “an excuse to take a break,” Lohman said. 2. Silence is golden Most people know that talking during a player’s pre-shot routine or swing is a no-no, but they often think nothing of making loud noises at other times. “It’s all about being respectful to other people on the course,” Robinson said. “In general, it’s a peaceful, quiet game out there, and we need to be mindful of it.” Lohman said that having fun is part of the game, as long as your group doesn’t attract unwanted attention. “Trust me, no one else out there cares that you just made a 5-footer to save par,” he said. 3. Take it easy No one likes playing with people who berate themselves over every bad shot. It takes the fun out of the game for everyone in the group, and perhaps even people on nearby holes. “To a degree we’ve all had situations where we hit a bad shot and want to scream, but even here there has to be a sense of etiquette,” Robinson said. You can start by keeping the club in your hand. Throwing it is just plain dumb. You might ruin an expensive piece of equipment or run the risk of hitting another player. 4. Smooth operator Poorly raked bunkers can affect another player’s shot by creating a hazard within a hazard. “One of the most sacred rules of golf is you must play the ball where it lies,” Robinson said. “And if it’s lying in a big depression because the person ahead of you didn’t do the courtesy of raking the bunker, there’s nothing you can do about it.” When finished, place the rake close to the bunker’s edge. Ask the golf course you’re playing if it has a policy on rake placement. 5. Wipe your feet Before you walk on a green, make sure there’s no loose sand, leaves, pebbles or other debris on your shoes. Having a smooth putting surface is important to players in your group and those who will follow. “Just tap your heels a couple times with your club to remove any loose sand, and if you can do the same after walking through the rough, even better,” Lohman said. “And if you see some sand on the green, try and remove any large clumps or pebbles.” 6. Clean it up With trash cans on almost every hole, there’s no excuse for food wrappers, extra scorecards, napkins, pencils or cups to be spotted on tee boxes, fairway or near greens. Also, it’s important to pick up your tee or properly dispose of tee fragments after a drive. Most trash comes from items flying out of a golf cart. You can prevent that by battening down the hatches and getting rid of trash as soon as possible. 7. Fill it up Filling or replacing divots on the tee and in the fairway is courteous and crucial for course maintenance. “You should go through at least four full sand and seed containers per cart per round,” Lohman said. “That’s the least you should go through.” 8. Prepare to repair Fixing your ball mark on a green is simple, but we’ve all walked on greens full of small craters. “Even if you didn’t see where you ball hit, you can see other marks,” Lohman said. “So why not fix them?” 9. Know your boundaries Cart signs, ropes and that day’s cart rules are in place to ensure the safety and playability of the course. “But, still, so many people gripe about the rules and ropes, and run them over or don’t put them back,” Lohman said. Added Robinson: “I think a lot of time people see an area roped off and think that they have to drive 50 yards out of their way, so they just drive right over the ropes or pull them down. These are just inconsiderate people. It doesn’t go with the game, or trying to set an example either for younger people or those new to the game.” |
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RSS SubscribeReaders Feedback:
10. Be patient and wait for the group in front of you to get out of range of your tee shot. You never know when it all comes together and you hit the shot of the day and blast further then normal. It dangerous and the guys in front of you will be sure to make it uncomfortable when you come up to them on the next tee box.
| Comment at 5/19/2010 |
I wonder way the rule is not universal on where a rake is suppoded to be placed after using. It certainly isn't fair that the rake stop a ball from entering a sand trap or going on to the green ot stopping the ball from exiting the green. I asked recently retired senior PGA official Skip Wittet where a rake should be placed after raking. He sail paralell to the green in the trap is the rule he used. He also said most courses won't tell you unless you ask what their policy is. Don't you think a standard placing should be enacted? Thanks for the article on etiquite. Jim
| Comment at 5/22/2010 |
SUBJ1
| Comment at 10/17/2011 |
