Replace your divots and repair pitch marks. They are synonymous with golf’s etiquette code – and plastered on posters and signs in practically all our golf clubs.
But there are other standards expected on the golf course that aren’t shouted about quite so loudly. They don’t get as much attention, but they should, and we’re going to highlight five of those golf etiquette rules right here.
Maybe they won’t catch you by surprise, but maybe they’ll give some of you a little reminder. Let’s get stuck in…
5 golf etiquette rules to follow
Don’t talk when someone is playing a shot
Or jangle your change. Or get in a player’s line. Basically, just stand out of the way, be quiet for a few seconds, and wait. It’s not hard.
That conversation won’t die a death in the time it takes someone to play. You can hold that train of thought a few fractions longer.
We’re always looking for excuses for hitting a bad shot. Try not to be the one getting blamed simply because you couldn’t keep your trap bolted.
If you think about it, most of us spend barely a couple of minutes of our four hours on the golf course hitting shots. In the time we do, remember the old mantra: silence is golden.
Oh, but keep your voice down too!
Bellowing to each other on opposite sides of the fairway isn’t ideal when there’s a player next door contemplating a tricky chip.
Some voices just naturally carry but if your layout is one of those that’s tranquil except for the sounds of nature then careless talk is going to cost shots.
And while I’m not one of those evangelists who’d ban phones anywhere inside the gates, it’s pretty poor form to take a call while you’re playing unless it’s an emergency.
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They’ll leave a message if it’s important. You can always wait to call them back. Don’t yap away absent-mindedly while the rest of your group are trying to play.
Don’t spend an eternity looking for your ball
I get it. Pro V1s don’t grow on trees. Golf balls are expensive and even though it’s inevitable we’re going to lose some from time to time – or in my case pretty much every round – we want to at least have a look around before we consign that cash to history.
But there is searching and then there is wilful hoping. We all know when we’re probably not going to find one. So spending about 10 minutes trying to do just that is one of the most irritating things you can do on the course.
For a start, it’s forbidden in competitions. The Rules of Golf only allow you up to three minutes to search, after which it is a lost ball.
Find it and play it after those sands of time have run out and the penalties can start racking up.
Even if you’re just having a knock, though, have a bit of common sense. It’s a ball not a gold nugget. Better to just let it go than start holding up the players on the course behind you.
Pick up broken tees
You won’t see this one barked out at your club as often as divots and repairing ball marks but it’s just as important.
If you’re like me and don’t so much launch the ball as hack at it then breaking a tee peg will be a familiar experience.
Don’t be tempted, though, to kick what’s left of it off the tee or into the nearby bushes. If there’s not a bin provided, pick it up.
Here’s why. Leaving plastic tees lying about is just horrendous for the environment. Nuclear fallout has got a shorter half-life than this stuff. And while you’re waiting the decades for them to finally break down, they can destroy golf course machinery when they get caught up in the blades.
Sustainable golf tees are a bit better but, even so, why would you want to leave them littering the course like it’s fly-tipping on a side road?
Just clean up after yourself and keep everything looking spick and span.
Watch where you’re going with that buggy
Golf buggy, cart, whatever you call them and wherever they roam, they can be a menace in the wrong hands.
Is there a cart path? Stick to it. Don’t go careering all over the fairways. If you’ve got the right to roam, just be sensible about it. Watch where you’re going.
Playing with people who aren’t using transport? Be social. I’ve walked round with people who were in buggies and it was a bizarre experience.
I’d barely hit my drive and they were off and flying up the fairway. I only really bumped into them on the green. I might as well have played by myself.
Golf’s a competitive sport, yes, but it’s a game about people too. Take a breath and try to take your foot off the accelerator.
Have your say on these golf etiquette rules
What do you make of this quintet and what have we missed? And what did we get wrong? Let me know by leaving a comment on X.
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