As you are probably aware, golf is considered sort of a gentleman’s sport. Indeed, much of the attraction to the game lies in its lessons of honesty, integrity, humility and respect. GolfWashington offers this tutorial for minding your manners on the course.

Pretty much all the unwritten rules of golf etiquette consist of common sense and common courtesy. Please use the information on this page to benefit your own game and improve the experience of those playing with and around you.

Since slow play is one of the biggest problems concerning public golf today, part 1 offers ways to speed up play.

TIPS TO KEEP THE GAME MOVING

KEEP UP:  Slow play is the number one complaint on golf courses. Try to stay on pace with the group ahead of you. If the distance between your group and the group playing ahead exceeds one hole, YOU ARE PLAYING TOO SLOWLY!!

ALLOW GIMMES:  Concede putts inside 12 inches or so, referred to as "gimmes" (slang for give me). Allowing each other gimmes will help speed your play immensely! (Gimmes are strictly prohibited in tournament play.)

PLAY READY GOLF:  When teeing off it is customary for the lowest score from the previous hole to hit first, followed by the next lowest score, etc. Ready golf simply refers to hitting when ready. If you’re the first person to the next tee but are waiting to hit in order, please hit away. Always discuss ready golf with your partners before assuming it’s OK, but it’s done all the time and it really helps.

TAKE YOUR MEDICINE:  When searching for your errant golf ball, remember 5 MINUTES is the maximum amount of time allowable by the USGA for searching. At some point you have to accept the fact that you made a bad swing, only this one cost you at least a stroke if not a golf ball. Accepting your fate in a timely and relatively anger-free manner is known as "taking your medicine."

PAY ATTENTION:  When approaching the green to putt, always have an eye as to the direction of the next tee block, and leave your bag or cart near that part of the green. That way when you’re done putting you simply snag your bag on the way to the next tee. This not only speeds up play, but allows you to keep from looking like a complete beginner!

BE READY!!  Whether it’s on the tee, in the fairway or on the green, be ready to hit or putt when your turn comes. The time to determine yardage, club, speed and slope of the greens, etc., is while someone else is doing the same. That way when it’s your turn, you’re all but ready.

PULL THE TRIGGER:  Swing already! It’s yet to be understood the advantage of taking six or seven practice swings before addressing the ball. You don’t see tour pros taking a bunch of practice swings, save for a particularly tricky shot. If it actually helped their game, you can bet they would!

TAKE MULTIPLE CLUBS:  Particularly if you are riding in a power cart, there will be many occasions when you need to take several clubs with you to hit a given shot. If you’re in a greenside bunker, for example, you know you’ll need at least a sand wedge, perhaps a pitching wedge if you leave your sand shot on the fringe, and at some point your putter. TAKE ALL THREE CLUBS TO THE BUNKER! This habit is a huge time saver.

HIT A PROVIE:  "Provie" is slang for provisional.  There will be occasions when a particular shot looks like it probably stayed in bounds, but with a bad bounce or unlucky break, could have gone OB (Out of Bounds). In these situations always assume the worst and simply drop or re-tee and hit a provisional ball. There is no penalty if your first shot stayed in bounds, and you saved yourself the potential time and embarrassment of having to walk all the way back to the spot of your errant shot and hit again.

PLAYING THROUGH:  If, for whatever reason, your group simply can’t keep up with the group ahead, you fall at least a hole behind, and the group behind is right on your tail, please allow them to play through. Just wait at the next tee for them to finish putting and offer them the chance to step up and tee off ahead of you.

OK, now that you’re progressing briskly toward the 19th hole, don’t forget these basic golf manners.

GENERAL ETIQUETTE

REPLACE YOUR DIVOTS:  We’re all prone to taking a big chunk of fairway sod on any given swing. Make sure you retrieve that sod, replace it in your newly created divot and tap it down with your foot. It takes a fair number of days for the divot to grow back if it has to be seeded. Help keep your course in the best playing shape possible.

RAKE THE BUNKERS:  After hacking out of the sand, cover your tracks. That’s what the rakes around the bunkers are for. You’d be amazed how many golfers neglect this simple courtesy.

REPAIR BALL MARKS:  When you hit an approach shot onto the green, repair the mark your ball left there. This is what that little two-pronged metal or plastic tool is used for. Just insert the pronged end into the ground around the ball mark and gently push the sod back up above ground level. Do this until all of the ball mark has been pushed up and then tap the area with the bottom of your putter until entire mark is level and smooth. To show what a courteous golfer you are, repair an extra ball mark. The course and everyone’s play will be better for it.

PLAY SAFELY:  Don’t hit into the group in front of you! Don’t be a hero here. If it will take a superhuman effort to reach the group ahead, THEN HIT AWAY!!! Always keep in mind pace of play.

DON''T STEP IN MY LINE!!!  When approaching and reading your putt on the green, be aware of where everyone else’s ball is lying. Do not walk between their ball and the hole to read or mark your ball. You don’t want to have to putt through a size-12 Footjoy imprint, nor does anyone else.

QUIET PLEASE:  Golf is hard enough without noise or movement during my backswing. SSSSHHHHHHH

A LITTLE HELP:  If your ball is in play somewhere in the general vicinity of where a playing partner is searching for his/her ball, please, help them in their quest. Remember the 5-minute rule, but the more sets of eyes, the better the odds of quick success.

**#%@@*x!!@ GOLF BALL!!  Keep your frustrations to a low roar please. Sounds carry on a golf course.

PARTY TILL YA'' PUKE!:  Is not an appropriate logo on a tank top or tee shirt. Many courses have a minimum dress code consisting primarily of no cutoff shorts and some kind of collared or nice mock-tee shirt. Keep that in mind; it can save an unnecessary hassle. Being noticeably intoxicated, rowdy or obnoxious on the course is also rarely accepted.  I’ve seen plenty of nicely dressed drunkards escorted off of the course.

150-YARD 8 IRON:  We all know golfers who can throw one that far. Golf clubs, when thrown, have a tendency to either stick or careen wildly, and they rarely (much like golf balls) go where they are intended. You can see why club throwing, as a general rule, is not good. (And we didn’t even discuss the costs incurred for repairing broken clubs!)

YOU ARE NOT ALONE:  It should be evident from all of the above that, as mentioned in the beginning, golf etiquette is all about common sense and common courtesy. Just being aware that an unwritten code of conduct exists is half the battle. It’s easy to get so engrossed in your own game that you forget about all others. Try not to. And please, if you don’t already do so, incorporate some or all of the above courtesies into your game. It’s as big a part of improving your game as practice swings on the range.