Golf Rules/Etiquette

General Rules for Middle School Golf Matches (golfers keep in bag) 1. Play Red Tees 2. May move ball 1 club length anywhere, no closer to the hole. (Except Hazard or green) 3. Play triple bogey max. 4. Maintain pace of play with group in front. Be ready to hit when it’s your turn. Be lining up your putt while other person is putting etc. Scores are recorded as you are walking to next tee. 5. Have tees, ball marker, and divot tool in pocket when you tee off. 6. Proper golf etiquette, no talking, moving when someone else is hitting, putting etc. 1st one to pick up or hole out will grab the flag. 7. Good sportsmanship- Shake hands when round is complete. 8. Repair ball marks, rake bunkers etc. 9. Make sure scorecards are legible, accurate, totaled, signed and attested before turning in. 10. If you go into the lateral hazard, there should be drop points on the other side painted white. Drop in there and hit.

Golf Etiquette Guidelines General Etiquette ● Obey all signs posted on the course. ● Be courteous, know when to be quiet. When another player is playing his shot, do not talk, do not jangle change in your pocket, do not rattle clubs in your bag, do not take a practice swing. Be still, and be quiet. Give the other player a chance to concentrate. It's worth noting that the time to be quiet begins before the player steps up to his ball. Golfers with even a small amount of experience go through what is known as a "pre-shot routine," which usually begins about the time they pull a club from their bag. They might then stand behind their ball and look down the target line before stepping up to the ball and addressing it. It is during this "pre-shot routine" that it is customary and polite for other players to step aside and get quiet. Silence is one of the pressures that makes golf such a thinking-person’s game.

On the Tee and in the Fairway Where do you stand. Do not stand directly behind another player's intended target line. This is distracting because the player can usually see you out of the corner of his/her eye. Do position yourself so that you can observe where the ball goes. Not only is it courteous to watch where their ball goes, but it will speed up play, and potentially save your playing partner the cost of a ball and the lost ball penalty. ● Advice and Comments. The basic rule is do always be positive; and do not offer advice. When you are playing for the first time with someone, do not assume that everyone's standards are the same as yours. What is a bad shot to you may be a pretty good shot to your playing partner. Like mom and dad always say…if you don’t have something nice to say about a golf shot, don’t say anything at all. ● Let faster groups play through. If you have a gap of more than 2 strokes ahead of you, you are playing too slowly and you may be holding up other golfers behind you. Do invite faster groups to play through, that is, let them go ahead of you, move to the side of the fairway or green and signal to the group behind that they can “play through”. ● Know what ball you're playing. All golf balls have brand names (Top Flite, Titliest, Nike) on them along with a number (usually 1, 2, 3 or 4). Do know the brand of ball you are playing and the number on it so you can positively identify the ball as yours. Experienced golfers use a permanent marker to put a mark on their ball. Think of your own unique marking, maybe a dot over the brand name, or a series of two or three dots. Mark all the golf balls you'll be playing your identifying mark. Then if you find another Titleist 3 right next to your Titleist 3, you'll know which is yours. Always identify a ball as yours before you play each shot. (Without lifting it.) It might belong to the guy who's playing the hole next to the one you're on. ● Yell FORE! when appropriate. When you hit a ball in the direction of other people on the golf course, you should yell, "Fore!" loud enough so they can hear you. And you should do so to give them plenty of time to cover their heads, not just as the ball is about to land. Getting hit by a golf ball is no fun, and can cause severe injury, such as loss of an eye, or even death. It's nothing to fool around with. Do not yell “Fore!” on a shot that doesn’t need it, it’s not funny and causes unnecessary distractions. ● Know when it's your turn and be ready to hit. It is customary for the person who took the fewest strokes on the previous hole to tee off first on the next hole. This is known as "honors." You'll often hear someone say, "it's your honor." That mean's you're first to hit on the tee. Then, after everyone's ball is in play, the player whose ball is furthest from the hole is expected to play next. If you're furthest from the hole, then "you're away" and it's your turn. Do get prepared to play your shot before it is your turn, that means practice swings have already been completed and you are ready to address and hit your ball when the time comes. Do not slow down play by dilly-dallying to your ball, or taking 5 practice swings for every shot, or standing and talking after a shot has been hit. ● Bags and pull carts. Know where your bag is and where it needs to go. Do not drop it 50 yards in front of the green and leave it there after you pitch on to the green. You'll have to walk all the way back there when you're finished putting and the group behind you will have to wait before they hit. Pitch the ball to the green, then grab your bag and place it up near the green. The best place to put your bag while putting is off the surface of the green, but between the hole you’re playing and the hole you will be going to next. Do not put your bag, or pull cart on to the surface of the green or on the fringe. Placing bags on the green can cause damage that may take weeks, or even months to repair. Do not place your bag behind you while you are hitting. Do put the bag up next to your ball. This will allow you to hit and then grab your bag, instead of walking back 10 yards to get a bag you dropped while walking up to your ball. Etiquette on the Green ● Do not walk in someone's line. On the greens, be aware of where everyone else's ball (or mark) is. It is bad form to step on someone's line. (In case you don't know, the "line" is the route that the ball will travel on the green from the spot where it is to the hole.) Take the few extra steps to walk around their line, or at the very least, step over it without stepping on it. Do not drag your feet! Greens are delicate so do walk softly, do pick your feet up, do not run or jump on the green. ● Mark your ball on the green. Do keep a ball marker or coin in your pocket to mark your ball's spot on the green. If your ball is near someone's line, they're not going to want to look at your ball and wonder if their ball is going to hit yours. Mark your ball by placing the coin behind it, then lift your ball. The Rules of Golf allow you to remove your ball from the green and clean it (which is a good idea, especially if it picked up a clump of mud). If your coin is in another player's line, they may request that you move it. Simply pick out a spot in the distance, a tree or a bush --something you can use as a reference point--and place your putter head next to your coin, pointing it in the direction of the reference point. Then simply move your coin one putter-head length. (Then, be sure to remember to replace your coin in its original position before you replace your own ball.) If you putt/chip your ball near the hole and do not plan to putt out, mark your ball with a coin or ball-marker. Aside from being a distraction, other players will incur a 2 stroke penalty if they play a putt from the green and their ball hits yours. Which brings us to ... ● Putt Out's and Gimme's. There are times when it's allowable and in fact, courteous to putt out of turn. If your ball rests only a short distance from the cup, and you will not interfere with another player's line, you may then putt. It is a courtesy so ask "ok if I putt out?” There are no Gimmie’s in competitive golf at the middle school level, so please finish all putts during matches. In practice, if your partners agree that you have a putt you will definitely make, than it is OK to take a “gimmie”. ● Balls just off the Green. When a player's ball is off the green ("off the green" also includes that closely-mowed area around the edge of the green called the "fringe" or the "collar"), he has the option of leaving the flagstick in the hole. Before removing the flagstick, ask the player "how he wants it"—in or out. If they want it left in, do not remove the flagstick as the ball approaches the hole. Do leave the flagstick securely in the hole and step away so the player may continue his/her shot. ● Tending the flagstick. The Rules of Golf state that a ball which is played from the green must not strike the flagstick. If it does it's a two-stroke penalty (or, in the case of Match Play, loss of the hole). Therefore, when players are within range to be able to see the hole from their ball, it is customary to remove the flagstick and lay it down somewhere out of play. Do not drop the flagstick do place it on the ground. Do not place the flagstick in someone’s line or behind the hole, do try to set the flagstick on the fringe. Do not drag the flagstick across the green, do pick up the flagstick and carefully place it in the hole when play is finished. If a player is putting from far enough away that he can't see the hole, it is customary for someone to "tend" the flagstick. This means you stand beside the hole with your hand on the flagstick, and you remove it after the player strokes his putt and before it reaches the hole. When you tend the flag for someone, do stand on the side of the hole so you do not cast a shadow on the hole. Do hold the flag down tight against the stick, so flapping noise is not made during someone’s put. ● Watch your shadow. As mentioned before in describing the proper procedure in tending the flagstick, players should always be mindful of where they're casting a shadow. When other players are putting, always stand quietly still, and be sure your shadow is not in someone's line. Same thing with any other shot on the golf course. Make sure your shadow is not a distraction to other players. Pace of Play ● Slow play. Golf's biggest problem is a slow pace of play. We discussed earlier about knowing when it's your turn. Nothing will irritate your playing partners more than if you take an eternity to take your shot. Know exactly what club you are going to hit and already have your practice swings made when it’s time to make the shot. The longer you stand over the ball, fidgeting, taking practice swing after practice swing, the less likely you are of making a good shot. In fact standing over the ball for a long time will only hurt your play. Know what you’re going to do and get on with it. ● "Ready golf" Many golfers and golf courses recommend playing "ready golf," which is a custom which states that when you get to your ball, play your shot. Proceed to your ball as soon as it is safe and begin preparing for your shot. Be ready to play when it is your turn. On the green, survey the contours and grain while other players are putting if you can do so without being distracting then putt as soon as it's your turn. We will be playing “ready golf”. ● Scorekeeping. Do not write your scores on the scorecard until you reach the next tee. Standing on the green counting your strokes and writing scores takes time that people behind you could use to hit into the green. Putt out, replace the flagstick and get off the green.

"The Golden Rules of Golf."

In 1982, GOLF Magazine teamed with the United States Golf Association to produce "The Golden Rules of Golf." These 10 fundamental guidelines, which still hold today with slight modifications due to Rules changes, summarize most situations you are likely to encounter on the course. If you learn them well and keep a Rules book in your bag, you'll be ready for anything.

I - Play the ball as it lies.

II - Don't move, bend, or break anything growing or fixed, except in fairly taking your stance or swing. Don't press anything down. III - You may lift natural objects not fixed or growing, except in a water hazard or bunker. (No penalty.)

IV - You may move man-made objects even in a bunker or water hazard. If they are immovable, you may drop within one club-length of the nearest point of relief (unless your ball is in a water hazard), no nearer the hole. In a bunker, you must drop in the bunker. (No penalty.)

V - Unless your ball is in a water hazard, you may drop away from casual water, ground under repair, or burrowing animal holes or their casts. On the putting green, place at the nearest point of relief, no nearer the hole; otherwise drop within one club length of the nearest point of relief, except that in a bunker the ball must be dropped in the bunker. If complete relief is impossible within the bunker, drop in the bunker at the point of maximum available relief. (In each case, there is no penalty.)

VI - In a water hazard or bunker, don't touch the water or ground with your hand or club before the stroke.

VII - If you hit your ball into a water hazard and cannot play it, either drop behind the hazard or at the place you played the shot. (One penalty stroke.) If you hit into a lateral hazard you may also drop within two club lengths of the point where the ball last crossed the hazard margin, or a point equal distant from the hole on the opposite margin. (One penalty stroke.)

VIII - When you hit your ball out of bounds or lose it, add a penalty stroke, go back and drop a ball at the place you played the shot. (On the tee, you may tee the ball.) If you think you have hit your ball out of bounds or lost it outside a water hazard, play a provisional ball before searching for the first one.

IX - When you have an unplayable lie, you may drop a ball at the place where you played the previous shot, adding a penalty stroke. (On the tee, you may tee the ball.) Alternatively, drop within two club lengths, no nearer the hole, or any distance behind the unplayable spot, keeping it between you and the hole. If the ball is in a bunker, you must drop in the bunker, under either of the alternative options.

X - On the putting green, you may repair ball marks and old hole plugs on the line of the putt, but not spike marks.