Course Rules
- Any ball lost outside mowed area will be played as a lateral water hazard.
- Carts must be kept on paths at all times unless otherwise posted.
- All tees, sprinkler heads, and 150 yardage markers are measured to the center of the green.
- Please repair ball marks on green and level sand in bunkers.
- Please replace your divots.
- Appropriate golf attire is required.
Etiquette
ON THE TEE
* Stand to the side, not behind or in peripheral vision of the golfer. Or, as a USGA official put it, if you are looking directly at the golfer's "belly or butt" you are in the right place. * Don't move until the ball is hit. * Don't make noise. * These first three "hints to keep everyone happy" hold true anywhere on the course when a golfer is addressing the ball.
ON THE FAIRWAY
* Player farthest from the hole hits first. * If you are walking ahead and to the side of someone hitting to save time, stay out of their vision — and danger — and watch every move they make. * Visualize your shot and figure your yardage to the hole as you get to the ball and/or are waiting for someone to hit. Be ready to go when you get to your ball.
IN THE BUNKER
* Before leaving a bunker, a player should carefully fill up and smooth over all holes and footprints. It should look better than when you entered. * Replace the rake outside the bunker, tongs down, at the farthest point from the center of the fairway.
ON THE GREEN
* Mark your ball without someone having to ask. * Repair your divot and ball marks, and a few more if you have time. Also fix any spike marks or other damage. * Stand to the side of someone putting (the "belly and butt" theory again) and watch from an angle. You can move to a better angle as soon as the putt is hit. * Closest to the hole tends the flag. * First to finish the hole is responsible for replacing the flag. * Tending the flag is tougher than it looks. Stand still and to the side — the shady side if the sun is out. Do not stand on anyone's intended putting line on either side of the hole. Make sure your shadow is not over the hole or distracting the putter. Keep the flag from flapping. Work the pin out early so you can pull it out gently and not damage the hole. * If you don't need the pin, place it on the apron where no one can possibly hit it and it won't damage the green. * In case you're wondering — and you shouldn't be — do not place your golf bag on the green. And don't drive the cart too close. * Do not walk on anyone's intended putting line — from their ball to the hole. More experienced golfers also consider the "through line" — where their putt might go if they miss and the ball stops within a three-foot circumference of the hole — part of their line. * Leave the putting green as soon as the last putt is in.
PACE OF PLAY
* Check in at least 15 minutes early. Municipal courses require check-in 30 minutes before your tee time. * Keep up with the players in your group and the group ahead of you. If the group behind you is still grumbling, it's their problem, not yours. If there is no group behind you, still keep up with the group in front. * Unless you are in a tournament or the rest of the group disagrees, play "ready" golf and skip the honor. And don't be pulling on your glove with your teeth on the tee. Do that after you putt out. * If you are a hole or more behind the group ahead, and the group behind is waiting, you are obligated to let it through — or speed up. * Limit your practice swings to one, at most. It took Bobby Jones three seconds from the moment he stood over the ball to his follow-through, and he wasn't bad. * Don't linger too long over putts, they won't get easier. * Putt out every chance you get as long as you're not stepping on someone's line. * Play a provisional ball (a second ball, or beyond if you hit that out), and announce it, to save time if you think your original ball might be OB. And play the provisional after everyone else has hit. * If you are working on a double-digit score for the hole and it isn't a tournament, pick up and move on. You will all feel better. * Limit searches for lost balls to five minutes.
FYI: As one Web site figured out, if each golfer individually wastes five seconds per shot and shoots 90, that adds up to 7 1/2 minutes, per golfer, or an additional 30 minutes in the round. That doesn't include lost balls, temper tantrums, food, self-swing analysis and other assorted distractions.
COMMON SENSE
* Safety first. Also second, third and ... you get the idea. The golf ball is hard and the clubs are weapons. Watch out. * Before playing a stroke or making a practice swing, be sure no one is standing close or in a position to be hit by the club, the ball or any stones, twigs or debris that might be moved by the stroke or swing. * Be quiet, and lose the cell phone, corn chips and loose change in your pocket. * Yell "fore!" if there is even a remote possibility your ball might hit someone. * In a tournament, you can ask others for clarification on rules, but not how to play a ball or what club to use. * If you pick up another ball, be sure it doesn't belong to anyone else on the course who might still be looking for it — and is bigger than you. * No player should hit until those in front are out of range of your career shot.
Sources: USGA board member Mary Bea Porter-King, pros David Ishii, Cindy Rarick, Casey Nakama and Kevin Ralbovsky, The Women's Golf Guide video: Understanding the Game, Its Rules and Etiquette; learnaboutgolf.com.
