Here's the thing, golf can be really intimidating to learn and play for someone who's new to the game. It's an old game, with lots of strange rules. I know a lot of new golfers who are afraid to get out and play rounds because they don't want to play too slow or offend their playing partners by doing something wrong. I certainly felt this way when I started, and always wish someone had made a simple, not-too-jargon-filled primer. So... here ya go.
We'll do this in a Q&A format:
Question #1: When's it my turn?
Answer: According to the rules, whoever is furthest from the hole should play. So look around; if you're furthest away, it's your turn.
This is pretty straight-forward to follow in most situations, but there are a few where it can get tricky:
- When teeing off on a hole, players from longer tees should go first (which is consistent with the rule). So if you have two golfers playing the far tees (we call them "the tips"), one playing the second tees and one playing the forward tees, they should go in that order.
- Golfer X and Golfer Y are teeing off from the same tees. In this case, both players are the same distance away, so now what? Well, this is where "having the honor" comes in.
The player with the best score on the previous hole goes first. If Golfer X shot a 5 on the last hole, and Golfer Y got a 6, Golfer X goes first; she "has the honor".
If they tied on the last hole, you go back to the previous hole's score, and keep doing that until someone has the honor.
If you just started the round - it's traditional to "toss a tee" in the air between the two players before you tee off on the first hole. Whoever it points towards, goes first. It stays this way until one of the two players gains the honor by getting a lower score on a hole. - Here's a tricky one around the greens that most golfers get wrong -- The rules say it doesn't matter who is on/off the green -- whoever's furthest from the hole should go first. Most people think everyone should get on the green first and then you take your turns from furthest away.
FWIW -- don't be adamant about this. If you're off the green but closer and your playing partners insist you go, go for it. It can save time so go with the flow.
Playing "Ready Golf": Follow these rules as best you can, but on most rounds you should be prepared to play "ready golf". That means you should be ready to play (technically "out of turn") when another player is hunting for their ball or not ready to tee off, in order to keep things moving. Just make sure your playing partners know you're taking your turn, and be aware of what they're doing. Generally, you don't want multiple players hitting their shot at the same time.
Playing ready golf is one of the most important things you can do to help with our next question…
Question #2: How do I keep from playing too slowly?
Answer: As a new player, you will hit more shots, that's just a fact of life. You'd be surprised to know that's not what leads to slow play (in most cases). The one aspect of play where players - new and veteran alike - lose the most time on the course is the time between when you get to your ball and when you actually hit your shot.
With that in mind, here are a few tips that will help you be efficient without rushing between shots…
#1: Start prepping to hit your next shot as you are walking/driving up to your ball. You can find the yardage, decide what club to hit and be ready to hit pretty quickly if you get in the mental habit of doing this as you approach your ball.
Many players wait to get to their ball, then walk around finding yardage markers, hemming and hawing over which club to hit, and before you know it, five minutes have passed and your playing partners are all waiting on you.
Most courses have 200, 150, and 100 yard marker posts in the middle (or edge) of the fairway, and a majority have yardages on sprinkler heads in the fairway. These can sometimes take a little hunting to find near your ball, so keep an eye out as you're walking/driving to your ball. If you have a GPS, GREAT! Have it out and ready.
#2: If you need to walk far from the cart or your bag, and aren't sure what club you will need, take 3-4 clubs with you so you have options. This will save you the time of running back and forth to the cart to get different clubs.
#3: Take one or two practice swings at the most, and do it away from/behind your ball. New players often feel they need to do 4-5 practice swings, and do it as close to their final swinging position as possible (probably because they see the Pros doing it). However, studies have shown that more than 1-2 practice swings leads to poorer shots. The extra 2-3 swings add tension to your body and are more likely to let small faults sneak in. Doing them away from the ball will reduce tension (that little white ball gets in your head real quick!)
#4: As soon as you're standing over the ball (at the "address" position) and are balanced, start your swing. DON'T WAIT. Every extra second you spend standing over the ball at address adds tension to your hands, arms and shoulders, and greatly increases the likelihood that you'll hit a bad shot.
Note: If you're looking for a good example on the PGA tour, look no further than Brandt Snedeker. He decides what he's going to do while standing well behind his ball, takes a few quick practice strokes, then walks up to the ball and swings quickly (especially when putting!) No muss, no fuss! Just a good, relaxed swing and good results!
Just doing these handful of things will reduce time lost on the course, help you play better and keep up without feeling rushed.
Question #3: Where can I walk on the green? I see other players trying to avoid something. What am I missing?
Answer: It's bad etiquette to walk on another player's putting line to the hole. We wear golf spikes/cleats, and they leave indentations on the green that can alter a putt. Putting's hard enough as it is, so this is a sign of respect for your fellow players. When you see the pros walking a LOOONG way around to their ball, or standing awkwardly on a close tap-in, they're trying to be respectful of their playing partners' line to the hole.
Tip: Once your group is on the green, take a quick look around to see where your fellow players balls/markers are, and where they're likely to putt their ball to reach the hole (their "line" to the hole). Don't worry, you don't have to get it exact, but you want to avoid stepping on their line to the hole. You also usually want to walk around -- rather than step over -- their line. Just think of it as extra steps for your [insert fitness tracker of choice here].
Also, if someone else is putting, you shouldn't stand directly behind them, or directly behind their ball (looking down the line of their putt to the hole) while they're putting. The former is a courtesy, the latter is against the rules.
Question #4: Is it OK to share clubs?
No, it's not. It's technically against the rules of golf, but the bigger issue is that it almost always leads to slow play (i.e. - when you both need the same 8 iron and you're on opposite sides of the fairway). If you've just started playing and don't have all the clubs, that's okay. I recommend using the closest one you DO have. If all you have is a putter - rent clubs from the pro shop (seriously).
Question #5: When is it NOT OK to talk?
It's not OK to talk (or make distracting noises) from the time when another player nearby has started their pre-shot routine until they've finished their swing.
This is about being respectful of your fellow golfers, and allowing them to concentrate while hitting. Talking, clanging your clubs, driving your golf cart or cracking open a cold one in someone's back swing is a BIG no-no, and is a sure-fire way to get yourself in hot water (or tossed into the water hazard, if you do it repeatedly).
Pretty much any other time is OK to talk. Recreational golf should be a social experience, so feel free to chat away. Just do so respectfully and not at the top of your lungs.
Question #6: Anything else I should know?
Answer: One of the most overlooked aspects of golf etiquette is taking good care of - and having respect for - the course itself. Nothing's worse than playing on a beat up course that the players before you haven't done their part to keep in good condition.
Courses with lots of dents in the green (called "pitch marks") and unfilled/seeded divots on the fairways/tee boxes are less fun to play - and both of those things are preventable. Here's how you do it:
- Replace/fill your divots - If you take a big chunk of grass & dirt when you swing - called a divot - don't worry; it's normal (all the pros do it!) Just make sure you replace it. If the divot is all in one piece, go grab it and place it back in the hole. If the divot came apart into a bunch of pieces you can't easily replace, use the little container tube thingy of sand/seed (usually mounted on the side of every golf cart) to fill the divot. This stuff is called divot mix. Some courses don't have any divot mix handy, in which case don't worry about it. They usually have someone go around end of day to fill them in.
- Fix your pitch marks: If your ball lands on the green and leaves a small dent where it landed (called a "pitch mark") use a tee or a divot tool to flatten it out again. While you're at it, find and fix one more. Just don't take forever to do it. Here's a helpful video (youtube) on how to do it correctly (doing it incorrectly can harm the grass).
- NEVER swing a club in a way that will take a chunk out of the green. Frustrated for missing that putt and tempted to smash your ball off the green? Don't do it. I learned this one the hard way (It's been 4 years and I still won't play at the course where I did this because I feel so guilty). Greens are VERY expensive to repair and maintain, and golf is more fun on courses where the greens are in great shape. Treat them delicately.
We all play bad at times and we all get frustrated regularly but even when nothing's going straight and you can't buy a putt. Take a deep breath, calm down, and remember that you're still playing a magnificent game in the great outdoors. There's an old golf axiom that says, "The worst day of golf is better than the best day at work" so enjoy it!
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