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BE ON TIME! Arrive at least 20 minutes before your tee time. If you get there 45 minutes early you'll have time to hit some balls on the driving range, and practice your putting. Practice before the match – not on the course.
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"If you must, only one practice swing"
Pick up your tee after hitting your drive.
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When you’re on the greens or the teeing ground think library. (Quiet!) Don’t talk when another golfer is preparing to hit.
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Keep your voice down during play, since fairways are often close to each other.
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And absolutely no cell phones or beepers!
Wait until the players ahead of you are out of range before hitting.
Yell “fore” loudly if your shot has a potential of hitting any other players.
Be prepared and play quickly when it’s your turn – remember your group and all groups following are waiting for you.
Ready Golf means that the player who is ready to hit can do so even if not the farthest away from the hole. Just agree about this before play with the others in your group.
Develop a pre-shot routine so that you don’t take several practice shots every time you hit! Take only one practice swing. Many of the professional golfers don’t even take a practice swing. Watch the pros, most of them just hit the ball without all the jiggling and worrying. Less thinking, and fewer wiggles may improve your play.
Be quick and decisive when you choose which club to use.
When finished putting, players should immediately replace the flagstick and leave the green.
Write your score on the scorecard when you reach the next tee not on the green.
Lost ball? Look for a few minutes, but not more than five. If you don’t find it, play a new ball and take a penalty .
Most golfers save time by not putting the head covers on after each shot.
Fairways: Repair divots by retrieving and replacing the grass
chunks then pressing them down with your foot, or if provided,
using the seed mixture.
Bunkers: Enter the bunker, rake in hand, from the low side
nearest your ball. Remember the following players must play
the ball as they find it – even from your footprint! So cover your tracks! Rake the sand after your shot with the rake provided -- and leave the rake outside the bunker with the
handle running parallel to the fairway.
Greens: Repair ball marks, both yours and others you may find.
Use a ball-mark repair tool or a tee to pull back the grass that is bunched up, and then press it down with your fingers or your putter.
Putt-Putt: The player furthest away from the hole putts first. After you putt, you have the option of putting out, if your ball is near the hole (two feet or less).
At all times on the green, avoid stepping on the putting line where another player’s ball may travel. Failure to do this is a major faux pas!
Make your mark: If your ball is near the hole, or in another players line you should mark your ball with a coin or ball marker. Place the marker directly behind your ball opposite the hole. If your marker would be in the line of another player, move it a club head length to the side. When it’s your turn to putt, place the ball on the ground in front of your marker then
remove the marker.
Flag: The flagstick stays in the hole until everyone is on the green, unless a player requests its removal. If your ball strikes the flagstick when putting on the green, you incur a penalty. From off the green, your ball may hit the flagstick without penalty.
To remove the flagstick, pull it straight up to avoid damaging the rim of the hole. Take it to the edge of the green and gently lay it down so the bottom knob is off the green and it can’t make a mark on the green.
If a player needs the flag left in, to better see the hole for his putt, you may tend the flag by holding it at arms length and standing to the side of the cup. Make certain your shadow does not fall over the cup, or across the putting line, and that you are not standing on anyone else’s putting line. Hold the flag down to keep it from flapping, and stand still. After the player putts you can lift the flagstick out before his ball reaches the hole.
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