All The Small Things
Golf Etiquette: A New Golfer’s Guide to Course Care
Golf is a game steeped in tradition, etiquette, and respect for the course and fellow players. As a new golfer, mastering the basic skills of the game is essential, but equally important is learning how to take care of the course. Proper golf etiquette ensures that the course remains in great condition for everyone to enjoy. The following items are very noticable for golfers who have been playing for years and apply the care for the golf course. As a seasoned golf instructor I feel it is my responsiblity to raise golfers awareness to these course maintenance practices. I have been responsible for the conditions of a golf course and dealt with customer’s satisfaction during their round of golf, therefore I want to help educate all golfers to make the experience on all golf courses as enjoyable as possible. Here are four key habits you should adopt from day one: picking up your tee, fixing your divots, repairing your ball marks, and raking the bunkers.
1. Picking Up Your Tee
After you hit your drive, it's important to pick up your tee. Leaving tees scattered across the tee box not only looks messy but can also create hazards for golf course maitenance equipement and other golfers. Who does not like to see a clean tee box free of tee-litter?
Why It Matters: A clean tee box is safe and pleasant for everyone. It promotes a healthy tee box for grass to grow. Plastic tees are great for there reusability but often bend over time, making them difficult to use. They also take an very long time to break down and often contain harmful chemicals for the environment. Wooden tees often blend into the turf and wooded surroundings. Wooden tees means more cutting down of trees to make more wooden tees. This is not even touching the painted tee debate with our environment.
How to Do It: After your shot, walk over to where your tee is, pick it up, and place it back in your pocket or bag or in a nearby trash bin if it's broken. My pockets are overloaded with tees post round.
2. Fixing Your Divots
A divot is a chunk of turf that gets displaced when you hit the ground during your swing. Properly repairing divots is crucial for maintaining the fairways and greens.
Why It Matters: Unrepaired divots can create poor lies for other players and take longer to heal and for new grass to grow.
How to Do It: If your course provides sand and seed mix, use it to fill the divot and smooth it over with your foot. Otherwise, simply replace the grass chunk you took out and press it down firmly. Replacing the displaced turf will often grow back and repair itself faster than divot mix. Some types of grass will not regrow as other as other species of grass so fresh seed is important to maintaining the course..
3. Repairing Your Ball Mark
When your ball lands on the green, it often leaves a small indentation, known as a ball mark or pitch mark. Repairing these promptly ensures the green stays smooth, green, and true for putting.
Why It Matters: Unrepaired ball marks can cause bumpy greens and affect everyone’s putting experience. They also lead to brown or dead grass on the putting surface.
How to Do It: Use a ball mark repair tool (or a tee if you don’t have one) to gently push the edges of the mark toward the center, then tap down with your putter to smooth it out. Avoid prying upward, as this can damage the grass roots.
4. Raking the Bunkers
After playing a shot from a bunker, it's essential to rake the sand to erase your footprints and any ball marks.
Why It Matters: Smooth bunkers ensure fairness for all players and maintain the course’s appearance.
How to Do It: Find the nearest rake, start at the spot of your shot, and rake backward to the edge of the bunker. Make sure to smooth out any ridges or footprints as you go. Place the rake outside the bunker when finished.
Respecting the course is part of what makes golf a unique and enjoyable game. It is a good rule of thumb to leave no trace of your imprint on the golf course. By adopting these habits, you'll help maintain the beauty and playability of the course for everyone. You play an important role in maintaining the traditions of golf as a noble game. There is nothing worse than paying top dollar to play a golf course only to encounter your fellow golfers lack of care for the course conditions. Plus, you'll earn the respect of your fellow golfers. Happy golfing!
Fore the love of golf,
-Ryan
