About 15 years ago, I was working out of town with a project team and had to stay out there one weekend. I planned ahead and fly my sticks out with me and planned to get in a round that weekend. A few of my project team members were in the midst of taking golf lessons and I didn't feel like playing alone, so I asked them to join me for a round. I quickly learned that one thing that the pros don't teach right away during lessons is course etiquette.

The team members who joined me were all female and none of them had played on a course in their life. They were instantly enamored with the golf carts, so much so, that I let the girl I was playing with drive our cart. On the first hole, it became evident that it was going to be a long round. There was no cart rule that day, however, the girls drove down the cart path, stopped and walked all the way across the fairway to their balls. In an effort to speed things up, I explained that they could drive to their balls, since the course was dry.

After what seemed like an eternity on the first hole, I offered to set the flag and asked my cart partner to bring the cart up to the next tee. As I was walking to the 2nd tee I heard something that didn't sound quite right.

I turned around to see her happily driving the golf cart across the middle of the green, following me directly to the next tee! I nearly soiled myself. I did my best to maintain some composure and calmly and swiftly get her to get the cart off the green. After explaining that she could not drive across greens, she apologized and felt very badly. She continued to the next tee, while I walked and to my surprise, she drove up and over the tee box! Now, I nearly wet myself!! It was at this point that I offered to drive the remainer of what was the longest round of my life.

Sounds like the first round with my 12 year old.

I think that a lot of etiquette is just going to come with experience. I'm in the beginning stages of teaching my son the game and it's a process. He just finished a week long golf camp at our club. They didn't play a round until the last day. Each day was spent on the range and chipping and putting. the first two days all they did was chip and putt. I don't think they spent much, if any time on etiquette unless it came up as they were going along.

If your like me I hate to be "that guy" that is always giving advice and making suggestions. But etiquette is different, they've got to be told at some point, even something as obvious as driving the cart across the green. After your initial reaction you had to be laughing your ass off. I'd have been on the ground.

My local golf shop/range offers "beginner" seminars where they cover the basics of golf in a 4 hour class. They cover basic swings with all clubs, rules, and basic etiquette for the course. Sounds like this is something every "new" golfer should do... and maybe even some guys who have been playing a while.

mjaber wrote:

My local golf shop/range offers "beginner" seminars where they cover the basics of golf in a 4 hour class. They cover basic swings with all clubs, rules, and basic etiquette for the course. Sounds like this is something every "new" golfer should do... and maybe even some guys who have been playing a while.

That's a great idea.

I remember my dad bringing me to the course a dozen or so times when I was little teaching me etiquette before even allowing me to pick up a golf club. When I took my nephew for the first time, I realized why.

But at the same time, there are some etiquette rules that I just don't get. For instance, unless someone is actively lining up a putt, I don't understand why we're not supposed to step on his/her line. It's not like no one else in the history of the green has ever stepped on that line before.

But...yeah...common sense tells me that the first time someone is on a golf course with a cart, it's probably wise to not let him/her drive. Heck...I rode in a cart a good two dozen times before I felt comfortable driving.

@bjohn13 - Walking on any sort of turf mats it down by bending a blade or breaking some of the surrounding cell walls which makes the grass lay flat instead of standing tall. Since a footprint can push the grass in any one or multiple directions, and since the grass on a green is so short it can have noticeable effects on a putt.

The time between one group walking off the green and the following group walking up is normally enough (except in the most arid or windy conditions) for the grass to rebound if not in full, at least to some sort of random directionality so that the nap of the turf wont force a putt in a specific direction or cause a depression which would cause a ball to bounce.

At least thats what we were taught in our golf course design classes... (I'm a landscape architect)

It's funny I saw this post. Last year I was putting together a golf etiquette class targeted at golfers who play just a couple times a year. Corporate golfers would be my target audience but beginners as well. I may pursue this idea again...

If anyone has suggestions, please let me know. I live in Austin TX...

Most definitely there should be etiquette in golf lessons. At least the first lesson. that should be covered big time. The cart things can be solved with a little plaque or something on the cart itself which i've seen on some "keep carts 20 feet from greens and tee boxes. etc etc etc." But there's no excuse for bad on-course etiquette when you're actually golfing. talking while others are hitting. Excessive horseplay and the like. NOT PUTTING BACK DIVOTS AND FIXING BALL MARKS. Jeez you need a lesson on the proper way to just fix ball marks!!

Definitely yes is my answer.

I love fixing ball marks! I love huffing out my chest, walking all macho-like up to it, and fixing it while thinking to myself "Yep. I'm the man. Look where I placed my shot."

Any round where I have to fix a lot of ball marks is a good round.

That said, another one of those etiquette rules that I don't understand is "don't talk". I don't talk when other people are shooting, but there is almost always someone talking when I'm shooting. As long as they're not being obnoxious or trying to scare the crap out of me in the middle of my swing, I don't see the harm. Heck...even when there isn't anyone talking, there are always birds chirping, frogs croacking, and crickets cricketing. We have this red winged black bird around these parts that's about ten times more annoying than any person talking. It's like a microwave going off except it's ten times louder and not at regular intervals. And then there are the carp who occasionally try to jump out of the ponds. Let's not forget the ducks and geese who occasionally make crash landings into the ponds...or even worse yet, decide to start quarreling at the worst time.

I'd personally rather have people talking to cover up the noises made by all of the wildlife.

I was taught golf etiquette by my father. My son is learning it from me, over, and over, and OVER again!!

Our first time on a course he (at 9-years-old) walked across the green dragging his heels, IN GOLF SPIKES. I about crapped myself. When I showed him what his cleat marks did to a ball in motion he got the idea, and it was the last time. Then I spent 10 minutes fixing his error. On the next hole he made it painfully obvious that he was CAREFULLY picking up his feet and putting them down.

Replacing divots & repairing ball marks are still items on the list of things he will be taught. If I have to tell him to stay out of my putting line again, I think I'll hemorrhage! Nothing drives me more crazy! On the other hand I have also come to recognize that I'm not allowed to work on any part of my game other than mental when I play with a 10 year old. Hopefully some day, he will be able to teach his kids the same lessons and live my pain!

mdbuschsr wrote:

Our first time on a course he (at 9-years-old) walked across the green dragging his heels, IN GOLF SPIKES. I about crapped myself. When I showed him what his cleat marks did to a ball in motion he got the idea, and it was the last time. Then I spent 10 minutes fixing his error. On the next hole he made it painfully obvious that he was CAREFULLY picking up his feet and putting them down.

LMAO...I got a mental image of my nephew doing exactly this when I read this!

He's 11 now...I don't think it's safe to let him wear spikes on the course yet. I did make sure, though, that he was very aware of how adult and professional he needed to act on the course before I took him out for the first time. But I give him some slack because there is a lot to remember for a kid that age.

The one thing that I have a hard time getting him to understand is why it is so important for him to stay in the tee box until everyone is done hitting. Since he is always the first one to hit after the tee box, and since he understands the importance of keeping the group moving, he wants to be ready to hit right away. I'm still a 20 handicap that occasionally duffs a shot. I had one head in his general direction once, and I about crapped my pants. I think he understands now.