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Golf Etiquette - Silence Is Golden On The Golf Course

Having respect for your fellow golf players is an absolute essential
part of golf etiquette. Playing golf requires very high levels of
concentration and mental focus, which means that all distractions
outside of the course itself should be completely eliminated.

The Audience Understands

Take a look at most sporting events that take place all over the world.
You will see and hear boisterous crowds cheering on their team, chanting,
and loud announcements over the intercom from sports commentators.

Regardless of all the noise, these players are expected to play at their best.

The same cannot be said for golf.

During a golf tournament, the fans and spectators are all amazingly silent
and still. Commentators who are following the game for television even talk
in a very low tone of voice, and the player’s cannot even hear them!

If you can understand just how wonderful it is to play golf, walking in
nature on a beautiful day, and all the while your friends are cheering
each other on. This my friend, is what it’s all about. There are so many
layers of enjoyment to playing golf besides getting making good shots and
beating your personal record.

Be Respectful

While golf is a quiet game that demands respect from each player, there
is one time that is especially important to be totally still and quiet,
without even a whisper - during shot preparation.

Whenever someone is preparing for a shot, all conversations should stop,
no noise, and no movement. Make sure that you are not accidentally moving
your clubs or any other distracting motions.

Imagine preparing for a big shot and out of the corner of your eye you see
someone taking a practice swing. Nothing could be more frustrating.
And if you are the one that absolutely must be on the sides tweaking
something or practicing a swing, be responsible and make sure that you are
completely out of view of the players.

However, use common sense when walking around the course and don’t wander
off in a direction where a player may have a bad swing and hit you with the ball.

Golf Etiquette - Learn To Pick Up The Pace (Part 2)

There is nothing more annoying than having your golf game slowed down to a snail’s pace because of inconsiderate players or beginner golfers who just don’t know any better.

In addition to learning how to speed up the pace by reducing practice swings, preparing early for your next shot, and moving through a hole that has obviously defeated you, there are a few more tips that can help the game move along at a decent pace.

Choose To Use The Provisional Ball If Necessary

Creating an all-out manhunt for a potentially lost ball can waste an enormous amount of time, as well as delay the entire game for the players behind you. Most of the time you will be able to know whether or not the ball is going to be tough to locate. The best choice in such a situation is to just choose to make the provisional ball shot as soon as possible.

If you decide not to hit the provisional shot and are unsuccessful in finding the lost ball, you now have to travel all the way back to the original location where you took the shot in the first place, just to hit the ball again. Save all of this time by making the right choice in the beginning.

Make The Turn

When playing on an 18 hole course, most players tend to take a break in between the front nine holes and the back nine holes, heading off to the restroom or to buy something to eat or drink. Of course taking a few minutes to get comfortable and grab a drink is totally acceptable, however, far too many people end up resting for 30 minutes or more, causing major delays. So when coming to your halfway point, “make the turn” as soon as you can.

Stop Lingering

Once you and your group of players have all finished a hole and have made your shots, try not to linger on the green for too long. In fact, it’s best to leave the green immediately. Standing around and discussing your putt shots, or anything else for that matter, is a bit inconsiderate for those people playing behind you. Just move to the next tee and adjust your scorecard, discussed the plays, etc. all when you arrive.

Be Kind Enough To Allow Faster Groups Behind You To Play Through

Another item of golf etiquette when it comes to being considerate on the course is to allow groups of players that are behind you to play through if they are obviously moving at a faster pace than you and your friends are. Simply move aside and allow them to play through so that you can continue at your own pace without causing frustration for other golfers.

Golf Etiquette - Learn To Pick Up The Pace (Part 1)

Although golf is a wonderful sport and can be extremely addicting, there is one factor that always seems to annoy many players on the course: Groups that play through at an extremely slow pace. An 18 hole course should take only three to four hours to play through. But it seems that nowadays the game takes a lot longer to play, sometimes more than five hours.

Having too many people on the course can contribute to extra time, but the truth of the matter is that a slow game is usually the result of players who cannot keep up with the pace. Some golfers (especially beginners) tend to think too much and take a long time to decide on what shot to make, and with what club to use.

Many players have the habit of taking a lot of practice swings before making their actual shot. Beginners sometimes play on a course that is a bit advanced and end up causing an enormous amount of delays.

Not that there’s anything wrong with new golfers trying to get a handle on the game, but imagine group of people in front of you taking 10 or more shots on every single hole they play. This could get annoying, and fast!

Learn To Pick Up The Pace

Learning how to speed up your game is quite easy. You just have to follow a few common sense rules.

1. Be prepared to make your swing as soon as it becomes your turn to hit the ball. Before you approach the ball, try your best to have in mind what type of club you want to use and the choice of shot you would like to make.

2. When you have decided on your next move, go ahead and take out your club and be prepared, even if it isn’t your turn yet.

3. Avoid the habit of taking too many practice swings when your turn does come around. Try making it a rule of thumb to make only 1 - 3 practice swings, then the real shot.

4. If you are new to the game of golf, avoid playing through on an advanced course. Instead, opt for a smaller sized course, such as a par-3/9-hole.

5. Also for new golfers, have the courtesy to move on to the next hole if you are taking far too many shots. As a beginner, there are times when you must accept defeat, pick up your ball, and start at the next hole. Trust me, the people playing behind you will be very appreciative.

The official rules of golf state that when playing your shots from the green, you have to make an important decision regarding the flagstick. You have to decide whether you would like to remove the pin from a hole or leave it in and have your golf partner or
caddie watch over it.

This may not seem like a hard decision, but what happens when you have to play a very short shot, what should you do? There is no right or wrong answer to this question, however there are definitely pros and cons to making each choice. Here are a few scenarios to help you make an informed decision about whether or not to remove
the flagstick when the time comes:

Pulling The Flagstick

Pros: The benefit of removing the flagstick is that you totally clear the pathway of the hole so that the ball can make it inside without any obstructions getting in the way. When the pin is removed, there is no worry about the ball bouncing against the flagstick and back out of the hole, which can be very upsetting to watch.

Cons: If you just made a shot and the ball is heading directly for the hole, but is moving too fast, it now has an opportunity to roll right over, skipping the hole entirely.

Keeping The Flagstick Inside

Pros: If you decide to keep the flagstick in the hole, it can serve a good purpose by blocking a ball which is traveling at high speeds. Also, you may even sink the ball into the hole as a result of the pin remaining inside, due to it stopping the ball from passing over so fast.

Cons: If you do not remove the flagstick, it may prevent the ball from falling into the hole. It may bounce right off of the pin and depending upon the terrain of the green, especially if it is downhill from the hole, the ball may roll far away from the intended target.

Last Minute Tip: As we stated earlier, there is no hard and fast rule to making the decision of whether or not to remove the flagstick. We have given you some sensible pros and cons when it comes to the flagstick, but you must also keep stock of other variables on the course you are playing on. Take note of the green. You may want to leave the
flagstick in the hole when hitting the ball on a downhill slope, or leave the pin in if you are making a shot up hill towards the hole.

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Hit ‘em straight

Ben

As you become a more experienced golf player (classified as intermediate), you will need to figure out different methods in order to find out how well you are progressing.
The easiest way to do this is by determining your score.

Your score shows your handicap. A decrease in your handicap proves that you are getting better with your game.

However, if you want to know precisely what your handicap is, you need to turn in your real score for each hole.

How Can Cheating On Your Score Help Your Skills?

The answer is that it can’t. By bending the rules of the game, you are only turning in inaccurate scores. Fabricating your handicap may look good on paper and may even impress other players, but it will not do you any good when it comes to determining
your progress with the game.

In fact, lowering your handicap can harm your play by putting you at a disadvantage in competing. If the score shows that you are a 12 handicap, although in reality you are more likely an 18 or 20, then you won’t get as many shots as you should when playing with people that match your handicap (which is based on a lie).

Long Term Effects Of Cheating

Cheating with your score also has long term effects on your competitive play. Once your golf buddies realize that you are forging your scores in one way or another, whether you are using an offbeat way of keeping scores or bumping your ball so you can better the lie, they will no longer trust you, even when you are not cheating anymore.

Worse yet, these people may decide not to play with you again. So even if you turn over a new leaf choose to start playing by the rules, you’ll probably have a hard time convincing your golf friends that you can be trusted.

In the great game of golf, keep in mind that first and foremost, you are in competition with yourself, and your score indicates how far you are progressing. By forging with your score, you are only cheating yourself of having the real feeling of accomplishment. And when playing with others, it is just as important to document your scores accurately.

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Hit ‘em straight (and TRUE…)

Ben

The driving range is where you should be spending most of your time when just starting out with the game of golf, and certainly a lot of time if if you are a regular weekend player. It offers you the opportunity to learn the distance at which each of your
golf clubs can hit at, teach you to focus on a target, and help you to make contact with the ball every time you swing.

Practicing Your Short Game

Many golf ranges also offer an opportunity to improve your short game skills. Some of these facilities offer one or two green areas that are set aside for men and women to practice their shots which require shorter distances. 

If you are fortunate enough to have a local driving range that offers such an area, be sure to invest just as much time there as you would at the regular range.

This is a big mistake many beginner golfers (and regular golfers) make.  They spend a tone of time hitting long-range shots with the driver, but yet never practice with the short game clubs. A great way to spend you time at the range would be to simply split your time up, perhaps one hour at the standard range and the next at the short game area.

The Hunt For Real Grass

Although hard to find in most locations, a driving range that offers real grass to practice on is invaluable. Most private clubs and high end golf courses offer access to a driving range that has natural grass. The reason why real grass is preferred over turf is simply because it mimics the exact conditions you will play in during a real game of
golf at the local course

Be Considerate When Hitting Balls On Real Grass

While utilizing a driving range that offers real grass to hit the ball from is preferable, some beginners may not be ready to handle such a quality service due to their inability to control their swing.

It is good etiquette to take care of the grass as best possible. For example, when taking a nice shot with an iron, you will almost always create a divot, which is simply a large chunk of grass cut out from your swing.

Too many of these shots can ruin the turf temporarily, until the grounds keepers shut down the area and reseed with new grass. Try to hit every ball as close to where you hit the last ball. Doing so will reduce the areas of divots created to just one
spot in particular.

It is inevitable that the grass to be damaged, and the facility understands this, but your job is to minimize this damage as best possible.

Hit ‘em straight

Ben