Golf Etiquette

[anyho]

I play a lot of public golf courses and notice that most of the time there’s some basic behaviours that many golfers could be aware of that would make the game a lot more enjoyable for those who share the course.
These are simple things that if everyone were aware of would improve the game for themselves and others.

Slow Play:

Most of the time spent on the golf course is when you’re not hitting the ball, so if you’re aware of what you’re doing between shots this will help you can keep up with the group in front of you:
- Play ready golf. Walk up to your ball and choose your club while your partners are hitting. Be ready to hit when it’s your turn.
- Line up your putt while others are putting.
- Increase your pace. Golf is supposed to be exercise.

Tee it forward:

http://www.golfcanada.ca/amateur-competition/amateur-championships/article4482.ece

Get real … most golfers drive less than 250 yards and hit less that 50% of the fairways so move it up you’ll have fun.

Practice basic etiquette.

- Fix your ball marks on the green.
- Keep you golf carts and push carts well away from around the green and off the tee box.
- When you get to the green park you cart or pushcart where you will be leaving the green. Grab your putter and wedge and walk back to your ball.

It’s really frustrating to be waiting on every tee box for the group ahead. A round of golf is supposed to take less than 4 ½ hours not 5 +, so for those who consider themselves golfers please consider how you behave on the course.

 

[badbadboy]

Good post and most newbies probably haven't thought about 3/4 of your comments.

I played on a course last summer in the Okanagan with two other strangers. One guy was an experienced player from Toronto and the other was a oil field worker from Alberta. The guy from Toronto did it all by the rules and the guy from Alberta basically had a fuck it attitude and did everything wrong.

He drank five double rum and cokes while on the course. He drove his cart everywhere including too close to the green on one hole. The course is set up to shut down carts that get too close to the green so he was manually trying to push his cart off the green. It was an extreme fire warning and golfers were requested not to smoke. Not only did this guy smoke on every hole, he actually put one out in the green and stepped on it with his foot. He was also a pretty good hitter and hit into the preceding group numerous times. Twice they took his ball and threw it in the woods. Finally a course marshal came by and the preceding group reported "US".

I took exception to tarring us with the same brush and threw this Albertan under a bus and detailed everything he had done while on the course.

The marshal was a cool older guy and just walked up to the Albertan and said "this is your one warning, do any more of this stuff and we will have you banned permanently from the course, understand?" The marshal actually followed us for the five remaining holes to ensure there was no more BS from this idiot.

Then afterwards the Albertan got in his car and drove off. Point 0.08 hah, that obviously didn't matter to him.

 

[cougarhunting]

Sounds like you had a pretty entertaining golf day badbadboy!

I am not in ANY means an experienced golfer but I do enjoy hitting with the boys every couples weeks or so...... Gotta admit I do indulge in some drinks during the day haha makes it more enjoyable for me

That is BS though if someone I was with was disrespecting the game like that I think I would throw him into his golf cart and direct him to the closest pond.

I hate people that ruin any sports activity.... Such a downer

J

 

[Sleepmonger]

It’s really frustrating to be waiting on every tee box for the group ahead.

I agree, but you know whats even more frustrating... When you are waiting on every tee box for the group ahead, and a group of two behind you who only scheduled 3 hours to play 18 holes as a form of excercise comes up behind you demanding that you let them "play through."

I'm all for letting people play through, especially if I'm playing with a large group of poor players... But golf is inherently frustrating enough, some people just need to relax and enjoy the game.

 

[mik]

Don't forget proper etiquette for the spectators:

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[storm rider]

Yeah bad behavior on golf courses is pretty common place but it is mostly encountered on municipal courses as the cheap green fees attract the weekend hackers.Though you do see it at higher end golf courses as well.Last year I was playing a round at Wintergreen and I got put into a group with a Filipino family which consisted of the father and the son/daughter.The father was not too bad but the son just plain sucked.He pretty much took a muligan on every tee box with the reasoning that golf should be about having fun.It certainly was not fun for the people behind us.At one point the marshal spoke to us and pointed out that 3 holes were wide open ahead of us.This still did not jumpstart the guy.Well over 5 hours to play the round and not once did we have to wait at a tee box = TOTAL FAIL.

SR

 

[tadolder]

Golf is ment to be played by the rules, now I know there are a lot of obscure rules, but the basic ones for sure have to be obeyed. If they aren't playing by the rules then they aren't playing golf. Most courses have rules where by less than a foursome have to maintain their position on the course unless the group or groups ahead of them let them play through, they have no right to ask or demand. The pro shop letting them out should have let them know that.

 

[vancity_cowboy]

Yeah bad behavior on golf courses is pretty common place but it is mostly encountered on municipal courses as the cheap green fees attract the weekend hackers.Though you do see it at higher end golf courses as well.Last year I was playing a round at Wintergreen and I got put into a group with a Filipino family which consisted of the father and the son/daughter.The father was not too bad but the son just plain sucked.He pretty much took a muligan on every tee box with the reasoning that golf should be about having fun.It certainly was not fun for the people behind us.At one point the marshal spoke to us and pointed out that 3 holes were wide open ahead of us.This still did not jumpstart the guy.Well over 5 hours to play the round and not once did we have to wait at a tee box = TOTAL FAIL.

SR

the last time i golfed (just before the crimean war), you were required to let the group behind you play through if you were slow

i should think that three wide open holes ahead of a group would pretty much define the word 'slow'

has this rule changed, storm rider?

 

[vancity_cowboy]

wow - you really are old!

like fine wine, ma'am... ound:

 

[storm rider]

the last time i golfed (just before the crimean war), you were required to let the group behind you play through if you were slow

i should think that three wide open holes ahead of a group would pretty much define the word 'slow'

has this rule changed, storm rider?

No this rule has not changed and I was pissed that we were 3 holes behind as it was no fault of mine.The son taking a mulligan on every hole was the problem.When the marshal told us we were behind and to pick up the pace the son's response to me when I said dont take a mulligan again was "well they can play through" to which I replied "Yeah well if you had any etiquette for the game we would not be 3 holes behind"

Truth be told he was an arrogant prick who should not be allowed to play golf as he has no regard for other golfers.What really cheesed me was the fact I was hitting some gargantuan drives that day.On the 10th which is a very sharp dogleg right par 4 I smashed the shit out of the ball and threaded it with laser precision through the trees and wound up 15 yards shy of the green.This spectaculary PGA highlite reel worthy shot was subsequently followed by a bad chip due to his loud conversation with the beverage cart gal and it got worse once I made onto the green.

The only round of golf that I have played that was more annoying was a round at Shaganappi point the summer I volunteered as a starter for free golf.I got paired up with 3 other walk on singles and 1 of them was also a volunteer and he was an annoying douchebag.1 guy was a pretty good golfer who had his game honed very well and every time he missed his 1st putt (usually for a birdie) the douchebag would quip"great Canadian golf...as close to the hole but not in".After 14 holes of listening to this same parroted remark the guy grabbed his own bag and threw it a good 10 feet and let out a string of profanities.The aforementioned douchebag thought his actions were out of line and told me so.My response was that he was lucky he was not spitting out chicklets after continually repeating the same stupid remark for the last 4 hours.

On the flip side the most enjoyable round of golf I have played was 18 holes on Mt.Kidd at Kananaskis.I drove out early on a saturday and got out immediately.Did not get to hit the range and warm up but no big deal as I got to play 18 holes of golf with Bill Murray.there were 5 of us in 3 carts as his executive assistant had a cart for himself and he spent the whole time sending texts on his blackberry but he was front and centre at the turn to pick up the tab at the half way house (2 bud king cans and a roast beef and chedder on focacia for me).
The round was peppered with one liners from Caddyshack all the way and the several times my ball sliced off into the woods he handed me a Pro V1 with the Wachovia Championship logo on it and told me to reload.
Best moment was my drive on the 15th par 4.I opted for my driving iron and used my severely fucked up looking swing and smashed it up the left side with a nice bit of left to right on the ball and screamed "cartpath...cartpath...CARTPATH!!!" yeah well I got the cartpath 3 fricken times and it gave me an extra 140 yards to leave me a perfect chip shot into the green.He looked at me and then down the fairway and then back at me and then said "I am rich and famous but I could not buy that shot for love or money" and then gave me a wink and said "nice shot".I made the birdie and gave gim a good read on his putt and also gave him the right advice about the speed of it.Most enjoyable round I have ever played so I take it with a grain of salt when I get paired up with some douchbag who has no etiquette.

SR