No need to play high speed golf. Just be aware of the people around you.
We have a lot of new members, some of which are discovering golf in all its beautiful intricacy. There are so many things to learn when you join a golf club. During our last committee meeting, we tried to work out what we could do to help them get the most out of joining the club and playing golf. We came up with the idea of a welcome pack with the information they’ll need to find their way around. One huge part of the game of golf is etiquette, which all golfers need to learn about. It’s defined as follows by the R and A:
Etiquette is an integral part of the game, defining golf’s core values. It describes the manner in which the game of golf should be played to ensure all players gain maximum enjoyment.
In short, it’s about “respect”:
Respect for the course – leave the course as you would like to find it by repairing pitch-marks, replacing divots and raking bunkers
Respect for your fellow players – be sportsmanlike and polite, stay by the green to watch them hole out, and avoid distracting them
Respect for the game – by knowing the Rules and etiquette of golf
Essentials are deemed to be Care of the course, Keeping pace and Consideration for others. I thought it would be useful to include a short guide on all of them, starting with pace of play. I’m still working on it, as I’m not sure how “formal” the tone should be; this will be discussed with the committee. Also, I want to help beginners without scaring them and I don’t want to alienate experienced players who might see things differently. It’s quite a tricky balancing act, but here’s what I’ve got so far. It’s a starting point, which only covers friendly rounds, as strict rules must be followed in matches and competitions. I’m hoping that feedback will help me improve it.
Pace of play
Summer’s here and the course is getting busy. One of the essential aspects of etiquette on the course is pace of play, which has a knock-on effect on everyone who’s out in the sunshine. This is not about being a great golfer: never forget that nobody cares how well you play, as long as you do it fast. This is the first and last rule in an excellent Golf for Her article titled 10 things to know before your first round ever. The main pace of play indicator is the group in front: as long as you’re keeping up with them, you’re doing fine. If you find yourself regularly struggling to do so, don’t stress! There are few things you can do to speed up and get back on the path of golf righteousness. Follow me, as I give you a few pointers from tee to green.
Have everything ready
Make sure you have all your tools readily accessible: balls, ball marker, pitch fix and a few tees. That way, you’re always ready to take your turn.
Short hitters first
This is not about discriminating against vertically-challenged players. In a friendly round, don’t be too hung up on the order of play. Let the shorter hitters go first, especially if they won’t reach the group in front.
Think about your next shot
As you’re walking to your ball, try and start thinking about you next shot: what club you will use, the hazards you need to avoid, etc. This speeds up the decision process when you get to your ball. Same on the way to the green: as you approach it, pay attention to its general layout to start working out the line of your putt.
You’re not a wildebeest
No need to travel as a pack. Every player should go to her own ball instead of crowding around one ball, then the next, then…
Chatting is great
But hitting the ball is even better! Don’t delay taking your shot because you’re in the middle of a brilliant piece of gossip. Pause, hit, resume conversation.
Don’t take too many practice swings
Most coaches recommend having a pre shot routine to “get in the zone” and focus on your shot. Try and keep yours to a reasonable length.
Hit a provisional ball
Your ball didn’t go exactly in the direction you intended and it might be in trouble? Take a provisional shot so you don’t have to come back to the same spot if you don’t find it. If you’re playing for fun, you can also drop a ball near the place it disappeared.
Look out for your buddies
Try and watch your partners’ shot and to spot where their ball ends up to help them find it quickly. They’ll love you for it, plus this might give you an indication of what might happen to your shot. Maybe you hadn’t realised there was a strong lateral wind. Maybe you hadn’t noticed the bunker on the right. Now you know what to look out for.
Ready? Go!
In a match or a competition, you have to follow the rules when it comes to order of play, but during a friendly round, it’s much quicker to play “ready golf”. This simply means that if you’re ready and it’s safe to do so, take your shot even though it’s not your turn.
Leave your bag in the right place
When you get to the green, have a look at where you’re heading to next and leave the bag so that you can just pick it up on the way to the next tee.
Take all the clubs you need
If you need to chip on to the green, take your putter with you so you won’t need to take unnecessary trips to your golf bag.
No loitering around the green
Don’t stand by the green bemoaning another three putts or filling in your scorecard. This can be done just as satisfyingly at the next tee while someone else is teeing off.
Let the people behind you play through
If, in spite of everything, your pace of play is off, you lose the group ahead of you and the group behind you catches up, let them through. They’ll be happy and you’ll be more relaxed.
The video clearly shows that she did place it in the wrong spot and so it was right that she was penalised. However, it should have been done on the spot, not a day later. This made me think about recent breaches of rules in my amateur golf world. On Friday, my team played in a match play competition. During one of the matches, one of my teammates (let’s call her Charley H to protect her anonymity) spotted a rogue ball on the fairway and hit it out of the way with her club. Her opponent claimed the hole because hitting a ball other than yours is punished by rule 15-3.
The rules are essential because they give a framework without which competitive golf would be impossible. When you spot your opponent making a mistake, you’re perfectly within your rights to call them on it. However, it doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily the right thing to do from a competitive point of view. I’m not talking about the moral side of things here; this is an entirely different argument. For a golfer, short term gains don’t necessarily translate into final victory. Indeed, especially with match play, the psychological part of the game is enormously important.
In Charley’s case, being penalised on what is, really, a tiny technicality, meant that she was all the more determined to win her match. On the other hand, her opponent clearly felt uncomfortable about her action: even after the match, I heard her justify her decision to Charley. She obviously felt bad and I wonder whether it played on her mind during the rest of the match, which she lost.
Hello, hello, baby You called, I can’t hear a thing I have got no service In the club, you see, see Wha-wha-what did you say? Oh, you’re breaking up on me Sorry, I cannot hear you I’m kinda busy Lady Gagolf
In a similar vein, I recently played a match where my opponent (let’s call her Suzann P) checked her phone constantly. She even made a call. This is clear cut: I could have claimed the hole the first time she did it and I knew it. However, I didn’t. Why? For two reasons. First, the question I asked myself was: is Suzann checking her phone hampering my chances to win? The answer was no. It didn’t really bother me and, if anything, it was hampering her focus, not mine. Second, she was checking her phone because she’s self-employed and had problems with a client. She also had a missed call from her son’s school, so she was worried. It would have felt mean to take advantage of her personal problems. The guilt would have been much more of a distraction to me than her using her phone. I let her get on with it and I also won my match.
We are complex animals and I think it’s useful to be aware of what kind of a competitor you are to succeed. If you’re the kind of golfer who is happy to apply the rules strictly and not bother yourself with the rights and wrongs of every decision, go for it. If, like me, you tend to overthink everything and calling out an opponent on a small breach of the rules might cause guilt and emotional turmoil, it’s probably best to leave it. However, making that decision before you step onto the first tee stops you from wasting precious mental resources during your match. So what kind of golfer are you?
Judy: “She won on count back.” Me, nodding gravely: “I see.”
The fact is, I’ve been playing golf for five years and the famous “count back” was still a mystery to me. It’s a side of the game that I leave to more experienced players (like Judy), because I’m not great with numbers. Or anything that doesn’t involve hitting a ball, really. So I though I’d investigate, and it turns out it’s quite simple.
Count back is simple, honest
Count back for Stableford competitions
When the format is Stableford and you’ve played 18 holes, you total up the points of everyone sharing the tie over the last 9 holes of the event. If one player is ahead with the best score, they win. If several players are still tied, count the scores over the final six holes. Still no winner? Repeat the process over the last three holes. That’s still not enough? Resort to the last hole.
Still no winner? Things get creative. The winner is the best score on the most difficult hole (stroke index 1). If that still doesn’t work, add up the best scores across the three most difficult holes, then six, then nine.
Still no winner? It’s ok: at this stage, everyone is so fed up with counting that they will probably go home and vow never to play golf again.
Count back for stroke competitions
For a handicap stroke (medal) competition, things are a bit more complicated, as handicap has to be deducted in proportion. For count back on the last nine holes, half the handicap is applied, for the final six holes, a third of the handicap, and a sixth of the handicap for the last three holes.
Long live sudden death!
It’s all very clever, but I think a sudden death contest should determine the winner. Less counting, more golf!
High-level discussions over the possible sacrifice of daffodils
The seniors discuss wildflowers
I was in the clubhouse earlier when I saw a couple of seniors engaged in a very serious debate. I approached to investigate. It turned out they were talking about an issue my playing partners and I had to face on Wednesday: what do you do when your ball ends up in a beautiful clump of wildflowers, daffodils in our case? This is likely to happen, as they are in full bloom and everywhere at Brighton & Hove at the moment.
The rules say the daffodils must be destroyed
The consensus was that the daffodils were making everyone happy and that they should be protected. Taking a drop as close to them as possible, but no nearer the hole, was quite acceptable. The problem was, do the official rules agree? I quickly checked on the internet. The answer is that the rules are cruel. The daffodils are considered a natural part of the course and as such, the ball needs to be played as it lies.
Eureka! Let’s just make our own rules!
Nevermind, we agreed on the perfect solution: a brand new local rule. It would say that if your shot in any way endangers a daffodil, you can drop it a club length’s away. We were very pleased with ourselves. It just so happened that I was on my way to see our greenkeeper and the pro, so I asked them if we could do that. Their answer: you can’t just invent local rules because you feel bad about hacking into pretty wildflowers. Also, that would mean changing all the scorecards for an issue that affects play two weeks a year.
Golf moral maze
So isn’t this a situation where the rules could be bent a tiny little bit? Yes, the player would gain a small advantage with a free drop, but so what? Is it really going to make a massive difference to her final score? In the grand scheme of things, aren’t daffodils and other beautiful children of Mother Nature more important than petty scoring? On the other hand, it wouldn’t be fair on other players in the field, who might be in the same situation and adhere strictly to the rule. Then the playing field isn’t quite level, and this bothers me.
So I really don’t know where I stand here. Definitely not on daffodils, though! What do you think?
Oh great. Just as I’m learning the rules of golf, they’re changing them! Why? Because they’re too complicated, numerous, confusing and they slow down the pace of play, hence the modernisation. So I’m not really complaining. I had a look at some of the main changes, and it’s all good news. The changes simplify a lot of the more complex rules, which means that players are less likely to apply them badly or be confused as to what to do next. In turn, this should speed up play, which can’t be a bad thing. The simplification and modernisation of the rules and of the language they use is also part of a wider aim: improving the image of golf in order to stop the decline the sport has been experiencing since 2009.
I’ve been through the proposed new rules on Golf Digest, and here are the ones that stand out for me:
Ball in motion
If your ball accidentally strikes you, your caddie, your opponent or any equipment, there is no penalty. Play it as it lies. But you cannot deliberately try to carom a shot off your equipment. Currently: Accidentally hitting yourself, your caddie, the person attending a flagstick on the green—or an attended or removed flagstick when making a stroke from the putting green—resulted in a one- or two-stroke penalty depending on the circumstances.
That means I can now hit Angela’s buggy as often as I like without suffering a penalty!
High standards of conduct
If you have a good reason for lifting a ball, such as to identify it, check for damage or determine if it lies in a condition where relief is permitted (such as checking to see if it’s embedded), you don’t have to announce your intention to another player or the marker. You also don’t have to give that person an opportunity to observe the process. Currently: Before lifting, you must announce your intention to another player or the marker and allow them to observe the process.
A good example of how to speed up play: checking the ball takes a second if you don’t have to involve anyone else.
Pace of play
A new form of stroke play is recognised where your maximum score for a hole is capped (such as double par or triple bogey). That max score is set by the committee. Currently: You must hole out in stroke play.
This is great, as there is nothing more soul-destroying that having to finish a hole when you’re having an absolute nightmare and well into double figures.
Putting green
You can repair almost any damage on the putting green including spike marks and animal damage. You cannot repair natural imperfections. Currently: You can only repair ball marks or old hole plugs.
This makes so much sense, and also probably helps with keeping the greens in a good state.
Ball at rest
You are only considered to have caused your ball to move if it is virtually certain (at least 95 percent likely) that you were the cause. Currently: You are consider to have caused your ball to move if it is more likely than not (50.1 percent) that you were the cause.
That is a blessed relief, as it’s not easy to work out whether you’re 50.1 or 50.0 percent certain that you’re the cause.
Putting green
So long as you don’t improve the conditions for your stroke, you can touch the line of putt to indicate a target. Currently: Penalty of loss of hole (match play) or two penalty shots (stroke play) if you do touch the line.
This rule was always very weird. As if an accidental light touch on the green could change the outcome of a putt!
Bunkers
Time to hack away or take relief?
Removal of special restrictions on moving loose impediments: There is no longer a penalty if you touch or move loose impediments in a bunker.
Relaxed restrictions on touching the sand with your hand or club when your ball is in a bunker: You are now prohibited only from touching the sand (1) with your hand or club to test the condition of the bunker or (2) with your club in the area right behind or in front of the ball, in making apractice swing or in making the backswing for your stroke.
New unplayable ball relief option: For two penalty strokes, you may take relief outside the bunker by dropping a ball back on a line from the hole through where your ball was at rest in the bunker.
Currently: Penalty of loss of hole (match play) or two penalty shots (stroke play) if you touch anything with your club or hand in a bunker.
This is very welcome. Playing out of sand is tough enough without having to deal with branches, stones and other impediments. I also really like the option of taking relief, which can be useful in desperate situations.
And now for my favourite: the new rule on relief. So much more simple and efficient:
Taking relief
Dropping a Ball in a Defined Relief Area
Relaxed dropping procedure: The only requirement is that you hold the ball above the ground without it touching any growing thing or other natural or artificial object, and let it go so that it falls through the air before coming to rest; to avoid any doubt, it is recommended that the ball be dropped from at least one inch above the ground or any growing thing or object.
Fixed measures define the relief area: You use the fixed distance of 20 inches (50 cm) or 80 inches (2 m) to measure the relief area (no longer using one or two club-lengths); this can readily be measured by using markings on the shaft of a club.
Currently: far too complicated.
The following video explains this change of rule:
The one rule that I think will feel “weird” and a bit “wrong” is the one that says that we’ll be able to take a putt with the pin in the hole. There will be no penalty if the ball hits the pin when the putt is taken on the green. This is such a big no no at the moment and I’m so used to taking the pin out that personally, I probably won’t apply it.
Seagulls. If you live in Brighton, you’ve probably been a victim of their appalling behaviour. They go through rubbish bins, they relieve themselves on innocent bystanders, they wake you up at 5am with their endless squawking and they steal your chips. This week, one decided to target golfers by stealing my partner’s ball on the 2nd fairway. I was amused, but she wasn’t, and no amount of running around flapping her arms convinced the bird to drop it.
It’s not just seagulls, of course: once, it was a dog that ran onto the course, snatched my ball and ran away with it. Great. And a couple of years ago, a swan came sniffing around our bags and took great interest in my ball. I was glad he moved on after a short while, because he was MASSIVE and I wasn’t about to take him on.
So what to do in this situation? Apply rule 18-1, of course!
Rule 18-1
If a ball at rest is moved by an outside agency, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced.
As it happens, we found the ball just in front of the 3rd green. Ideal for a chip and a putt. Not bad for a player with no opposable thumbs.
