As a beginner, a lot of people will fail to take into consideration one of the most important parts of using a golf course, and that is exercising proper golf course etiquette. Nobody likes playing with someone who isn’t considerate of other people’s time and space, and you can avoid making the mistake of being “that guy” but reading up one the quick tips that will be mentioned in this article.
Probably the most important fundamental of good golf course etiquette is being respectful of their time. You got to remember that not everyone has all day to play their 18 holes (in fact pretty much nobody does), so that means you should play your holes in a timely manner. That doesn’t mean you have to hurry through the game so quickly that you don’t even get to enjoy it, just remember that a lot of the time people may very well be waiting on you, which in case you may want to hurry things along. As long as you remember not to be the slowpoke that everyone hates getting stuck behind, you will have no problem with this aspect of golf course etiquette.
Following the golf courses’ dress code is also a huge part of exercising the proper golf course etiquette. The dress code is obviously going to be different for different golf course, but a polo with khakis will pretty much be the standard for anywhere you go, no matter how high-brow. Hats are generally acceptable, as long as they aren’t something that is a little bit too low class. In fact, a lot of the time a hat is going to be recommended if it is a particularly sunny day when you schedule your tee time.
When you are playing a round of golf, remember to leave the goofy antics at the house. Nobody wants to share a course with some guy trying to crack jokes and holding up the line. Think of it as a library, you don’t have to be overly quiet, but be respectful of others and do exactly what you are they for- to golf. Also, this sort of thing seems to always slow golfing groups down, so this ties in with the rule of not wasting other people’s time. Just remember that you don’t have to be so quit that you don’t even enjoy yourself when golfing, but remember that there are other people on the course too.
Another big part of golf course etiquette is something that both other golfers will appreciate, along with those that are taking care of the course to make sure it is always in a presentable condition. And that is being respectful of the course, and not ruining it in anyway. This could apply to a lot of things- so it would be best just to say if you leave it the way you found it, you are sure to be ok in this regard. Remember that the course doesn’t naturally fix itself overnight; there are people that have to do that work. By causing any excess damage to the course, you are putting an unnecessary strain on the country club’s resources.
When learning about golf course etiquette, most people have quite a few questions to ask, which can irritate those that are more experienced on the subject. But after reading this article, you will have a much better idea of what to do, and what not to do! Just remember that if you can remain respectful of other peoples’ time, then you are almost never going to have any problems at all.
