Golf etiquette you should know
The last thing that anyone wants to do when they’re on the golf course is to be called out for being rude or not following etiquette. I’ve put together a list of do’s and don’ts so that you never get yourself into that situation.
First, let’s start with the 3 most important etiquette items:
Be quiet while someone else is standing over their ball about to take their shot.
On the putting green: do not walk on someone else’s line. “The line” means the imaginary line between your playing partner’s golf ball and the cup. Do not cross this line, instead walk around. Walking on the line can disrupt the surface of the green, creating an uneven path for the ball to roll. It’s considered disrespectful to your playing partner.
Keep up with pace of play. The best way to do this is not to worry so much about the group behind you, but instead make sure you are always keeping up with the group in FRONT of you.
Keeping up pace of play is arguably the most important.
Tee times are generally 9 or 10 minutes apart. Each golf course has an expected pace of play (which you can usually find on the scorecard and if not you can ask at the pro shop). Generally speaking, you should be finishing 9 holes in 2 to 2.5 hours. You should be finishing 18 holes in 4 to 4.5 hours.
So how can you keep up pace of play?
Every little opportunity to save (or waste) time adds up quickly on the golf course. Here are the DO’s and DON’Ts of keeping up pace of play:
DO: Arrive early to your tee time - 30 mins early gives you time to check in, hit a small bucket of golf balls and roll a few putts on the practice green.
DO: Take a sharpie and write your initials on your golf balls. This will prevent any confusion and time wasting during the round of who’s ball is who’s.
DO: Be ready to hit when it’s your turn - while your playing partners are hitting you should be getting your club out, getting your glove back on, getting your tee ready, and thinking about your next shot.
DO: Keep an extra ball and tee in your pocket so in case you can’t find your ball or break a tee, you don’t waste time going back to your cart.
DO: Place your ball marker down on the putting green right away in place of your golf ball, and start thinking about how you’ll hit your putt while it’s other people’s turn
DON’T park your golf cart in front of the putting green. Always park behind the green.
DON’T record your score just after walking off the putting green. WAIT to record your score until you arrive at the next tee box.
DON’T take more than 1 practice swing. OK, ok… maybe you can take a second one every now and then, but definitely try to keep the practice swings to a minimum.
DON’T hit any more shots than double the par on a hole. Pick the ball up and try again on the next hole!
On a par 3, your max strokes are 6.
On a par 4, your max score is 8.
On a par 5, your max score is 10.
I know that’s kind of a long list… and I didn’t even cover everything.
Pro tip: let your partner borrow your putter if hers happens to break during the round :-)
When you are starting out, it doesn’t hurt to tell your playing partners that you are relatively new and want to make sure you are following proper etiquette. You can ask them to let you know (kindly) if there’s something you should be doing or not doing with regards to etiquette.
Really, it’s tough to go wrong if you simply make sure you’re keeping up with the group in front of you. In general, most people you encounter on the golf course will be friendly especially if you are open to feedback and genuinely trying to learn.
I hope this helped answer some of those questions about etiquette. Is there something I missed or something you are wondering about that is specific to etiquette? Let me know in the comments.
