Golf is a game of rules and etiquette, and it is very important to know the essentials of golfing etiquette before you go up to the tee to play your first game of golf.

It doesn’t matter whether you are playing on your own, in a twosome or in a foursome, golfing etiquette demands that you must always wait your turn. You must remain aware of the group on the next hole and wait until they are well ahead of you before hitting your ball.

Golfing etiquette also means that it is never cool to “hurry” the group in front of you. If you are playing with others, wait for your turn to hit the ball; never hit at the same time as another player.

While you are waiting for your turn to play, go to your ball and decide which golf club you will need to use and how you are going to hit the golf ball with it. This is called “ready golf” and keeps the game moving along, but don’t hurry everybody, just be ready for your turn to play.

Another useful piece of golfing etiquette, especially for beginners is ‘playing through’. For example, if your team is holding up the players behind you, perhaps because you are playing consistently over par or taking a long time to choose your club, let them play through. You would simply wave them through, or if they are near enough to you, just ask them if they would like to play through. You will never make an enemy by doing this!

When someone is making a shot, you should be standing behind them and you shouldn’t make a sound! It is so distracting to be about to to tee off and just as you pull back, someone decides to jingle loose change in their pocket or noisily unwrap a sweet.

Replacing your divots. Say you are on the fairway and you hit the ball and a clod of dirt and grass goes flying, golfing etiquette says you should replace it. On some courses you just put the clod back and step on it to press it down, but on most courses, there is a sand/seed mixture on the course to put into the divot. If your ball makes a deep impression when it lands on the green, you can use your divot tool to repair it.

As soon as you have finished a hole, replace the flag and leave the green as quickly and quietly as possible there may be another team teeing off at the next hole) so that the next players can play that hole. Count your score and write it on the scorecard when you get back to your trolley.

Of course, there are many more rules of golfing etiquette, but these simple ones will enable you to get through the course without making anyone annoyed. If we all keep to golfing etiquette we will keep the game dignified, right?

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