Golf - The game of etiquette

Golf etiquette starts before you get to the golf course and we want to guide you through all the steps to make sure you are full of knowledge before, during and after your round of golf! 

We will begin with etiquette before you even enter the grounds at the golf course. This may seem weird, why are we learning etiquette when we are not even at the course? Well that is because there are considerations to make before going! The biggest one you will encounter is course attire. What do you wear? Now most golf courses have this posted on the website, so you will want to check that out for whatever course you are playing. A majority of the golf courses will require you to wear golf clothing. What does that look like? For women, pants, a skirt or shorts will be acceptable as long as it is at least mid thigh or knee length. You can look at what the pro shops are selling and get some ideas for what is acceptable! There a lots of golf brands to discover and you can find unique brands through social media or an online search. For your shirt, a collared t-shirt is preferred however many places allow sleeveless collared shirts. There has been a move towards no collars on shirts and some places will allow these as well. Always check on the course website for more information! 

Now that we have established the dress code, let's talk about equipment. This is for your

general knowledge and not required at the course. You can use your own golf balls and tees. If you do not have them then you can purchase them at your course pro shop. You can have up to 14 clubs in your bag. For a recreational round if you accidentally have more in the bag, keep trying them out! If you choose to compete, 14 clubs is the maximum before you get penalized. The important clubs to have would be a putter for the green, a driver for the tee box, one long, mid, and short iron, and a wedge. In our bag we have a driver, a fairway wood, a hybrid, irons 4 to a pitching wedge, 3 wedges and a putter. 

Let us move on to the golf course. Upon arrival, you will check in at the pro shop. They will tell you everything you need to know. If you would like a warm up, we recommend showing up at least 45 minutes before your tee time. You should always be there 30 minutes before your tee time to get everything prepared and be on time! 

We guided you to the first tee so now we will begin with on course etiquette! On the first tee box, you will determine who will go first. You always play every shot with the person furthest away from the hole going first. This includes on the first tee box as well. If you have one person playing the blue tee box (as pictured) and the rest playing the yellow tee box, the person playing the blue tees will go first. If you are all playing from the same tee box, a tee toss is used. Simply flick a tee up in the air and whoever the pointed end of the tee is facing will go. You do this till your order is confirmed.

As a side note, why are there two yardages from the tee box? This happens when there are two separate tee boxes that can be used, which produce a different yardage. While in this case 5 yards is not a big difference, some can add over 20 extra yards for the hole.

Once you all hit off the tee box, you will continue with who is furthest from the hole going next. As the playing partners, you want to make sure you are quiet and staying behind the person hitting so you are out of the way and out of their sight lines so they have as little distractions as possible. Once you get onto the green, the same rule applies. The player furthest from the hole will hit first. On the green, you want to make sure you are quiet and out of the way. When going up to mark your ball, you want to make sure you are not stepping in another person's line to the hole. This means that you are not stepping in the way that they will hit and leaving a mark. You also want to repair your divots on the green. The golf gods should help you out for this one! You can use a tee or get a repair tool. Some golf courses will provide free plastic ones or you can buy your own for your future rounds! You will continue using these etiquette tips for your entire round. Once you get done on your last hole, you will thank your playing partners by a handshake or a hug for a great round! 

The biggest piece of etiquette to follow is pace of play! You wouldn't want to be following a group taking forever, and you do not want to be the group everyone is angry with. Most courses have a pace of play of 4 hours and 15 minutes but check the scorecard prior to your round to find the pace of play. If in doubt, a good rule to follow is an average of 15 minutes per hole. While Par 5's may take a little longer than this, Par 3's should take shorter to even out throughout the round.

We hope these tips will help you throughout your round and get you started on your golf journey with us! Message us with your story on how these helped or what else you would like us to cover!

The Birds and the Tees