1. Tee. One player on the
tee, at a time. Stand even with the ball well outside of the teeing
ground, left or right, while each player hits. It is a breach of
etiquette to stand behind a golfer on the tee, or anywhere else
on the golf course. (See Section
I: The Rules of Golf) No golfer should have to ask you to
move out of the way anywhere on the course, but especially on the
tee, where players are concentrated like nowhere else. If you are
a following foursome and arrive at a tee already occupied by the
group in front, wait well off the tee for your turn. Joining them
on the tee to watch the shots is a breach of etiquette, but if you
do, follow the positioning rule above, at the very least. Always,
remove your peg from the tee after hitting. It is a breach of etiquette
to pound your tee into the ground or to leave it embedded in the
teeing ground.
2. Speed of play. Always play
without delay at all times. Paramount in this category is to be at
your ball, ready to hit, when it is your turn. After the tee shot,
all the way to holing out, the order of play is always farthest from
the hole first, and there really are no exceptions. Always carry two
uniquely-marked balls. Limit your divotless practice swings to just
a few seconds, and never practice swing towards anyone. On the green,
study your shot alternatives, line of putt, and putting strategy while
others are preparing to hit. You should always hit well within 45
seconds of the previous golfer's stroke. The only way to judge your
speed is your position relative to the group in front of you. You
are in position if, as you approach your next shot, they are just
moving off. Don't lag behind or crowd unnecessarily the group in front.
Never talk or tell stories that in anyway, even for a few seconds,
delay play. There is plenty of time between shots while walking or
riding to the next shot for discourse and jocularity. Consider the
score card after hitting, while proceeding to the next shot, never
on the tee or green.
3. Cart use. Golf carts should
speed up play not slow it down. After the tee shot, proceed to the
first ball and drop off the player, then proceed, safely, to the other
ball. The dropped-off player should take extra clubs, if there is
any doubt. As a general rule, don't wait while the other person disembarks,
hits, reembarks and before proceeding to the next ball. Enter the
cart with your club in hand and then exit to your bag before hitting
the next shot. No need to go the bag twice for every shot.
4. Gimmies & Mulligans. Never
give a shot that matters unless it is beyond the realm of remote possibility
that the player could miss it. A one-foot putt takes about as long
to putt as to pick it up. The essence of the game is putting the ball
into the hole and it is a courtesy to allow that to happen whenever
possible. Mulligans are never allowed. Strategy in match play sometimes
requires a give-putt situation, but in reality these "gamesmanship"
maneuvers should be kept to a minimum and play allowed to take its
normal course where skill and proficiency prevail over tactical machinations.
5. Sand Traps. When you leave
a trap you should remove all evidence that you were ever there. A
few extra careful strokes with the rake to smooth the sand is always
required. Think of the times you have had to hit from another's footprints
or inconsiderate raking.
6. On The Green. Fix your ball
marks like a craftsman, leaving no bare ground and an even, smooth
surface where the ball mark was. Never dig under a ball mark and leverage
the soil upwardly with your tee or tool: this dislodges and extirpates
the tender plant structures. Pull the surrounding grass gently to
the middle of the mark, starting at the highest point. Never stand
along the line of another player's putt, front or back. Get completely
out of the way. Again, standing even with the ball left or right,
at a considerate distance, is always correct. Never talk or whisper
while another player is putting (see the 7th Commandment). When you
mark and replace your ball on the green never advanced it even infinitesimally,
or appear to advance it. One of the most carefully-watched
moves a golfer makes is marking and exactly replacing the ball. Be
precise in this process, developing a system that is obvious and beyond
any possible criticism. When removing the flag, don't drop it onto
the green with a slap; either lower it gently or remove it to the
first cut around the green. The player whose ball is closest to the
pin has the pin responsibilities. Never lean on your putter while
on the green, and when retrieving your ball keep your feet and weight
well away from the hole. Return the pin carefully without any damage
to the hole. Proceed to the next hole immediately upon holing out.
7. When Another Player is addressing the
ball. There are only two things that every other player
should be doing when a player is addressing the ball: standing absolutely
still and watching the player hit. Movement is unacceptable. Talking
is unacceptable. Fussing with equipment is unacceptable. Looking around
is unacceptable. Stand still and watch the shot. If you can't render
this simple courtesy, then you do not belong on a golf course.
8. Clearly state your score when holed out.
Making other players ask what you had on the hole is a breach
of etiquette. At the time of holing out, as you retrieve the ball,
clearly state, "Par," or, "bogey," or, "Eight."
Check the card occasionally to insure accuracy. Don't say, "I'll
take a six." Golf is all about accurate scoring. After the game
is over the appropriate handicap adjustments can and should be made.
Incidental to this rule is the requirement for each golfer to have
a standard USGA handicap. Without an official handicap, you are not
able to truly compete in golf, and in every match you play you have
brought an element of unfairness to the game. Accurate handicaps provide
the only fair basis for competition. Playing without a handicap is
a breach of etiquette, especially in light of how easy and inexpensive
it is to officially obtain one.
9. Settling up. Always have the
exact amount needed to settle the game. Saying, "Do you have
change for a twenty?" is a breach of etiquette.
10. Temperament. Babe Ruth said,
"It is hard to beat a person who never gives up." This should
be your guide to behavior and temperament on a golf course. Golf is
a game of days, next shots, and handicaps. You are never out of it
until you get mad, become beligerent, start throwing things, in other
words, until you give up. Never blame other golfers for your bad play
out loud or even quietly to yourself, if you want to play well. Never
blame another player for enforcing and championing the rules of golf.
Don't explain why your shot was bad, or good, and never yell out or
whine after hitting a bad shot. Don't be so competitive that you forget
that golf is a game played competitively for enjoyment. Play like
a gentleman, in demeanor and attitude, because, in golf it is not
what happens to you, it's your attitude towards it that determines
the ultimate outcome. Which would you prefer: a career round in the
midst of bad temper, bad humor and embarrassment over your lack of
decorum, or, a 10-shots-over-your-handicap-round where you still thoroughly
enjoyed the effort and the game? Scoring and playing well is what
golf is about, but that's not what golf is all about.
And the Second Golden Rule of Golf
is to study The Official Rules
Of Golf until you understand them, which is long after you first
open the book looking for some specific rule that came up during
a match. There is a basic principle involved, which all the rules
protect: influence and affect nothing on the golf course except
your own ball.
Source is from Legendinc.com |
