Are you the golfer who races to the first tee, screeching on the brakes of the golf cart, bending over to tie your shoes, and then saying “anybody have a ball I can use?” Ever heard of golf protocol or etiquette? Reminds me of Rodney Dangerfield in the film, Caddyshack. If you are this type of player, let me tell you, you will not win friends on the golf course with that kind of behavior! In fact, you’re lucky if anyone will ever play golf with you!

How you behave on the golf course is a direct reflection on YOU. Golf is not just a sport where you knock a little white ball around and count how many times you contact it before it goes into the hole on the green. It is FAR bigger than that! Etiquette of the game is a HUGE part of playing the game.

Knowing where to stand when someone is hitting, knowing when to talk and when to “zip up your yakker,” knowing where to park your pull cart or golf cart when it’s your turn to play, and how to control your disappointment when you’ve hit a shot not to your liking are just a few rules of etiquette that people often ignore. By the way, if you’re a smoker, do NOT throw your butts on the golf course, thank you very much! Nasty!

Is it because golfers are ignorant of these rules of etiquette? Or is it they just don’t care? Maybe it’s because people have gotten so complacent about social, everyday manners in general that they just are not aware of their own behavior? What do you think? Have you played with a bumbling golfer who has no regard for anyone else but themselves on the golf course? What’s your opinion of them? Do you try to help them learn or do you find it awkward to tell a playing partner how to behave? What do you say to them?

I personally think that unless a person grows up around golf either by playing with their family or friends who know the game, etiquette is the most ignored aspect of the game. When I was a child learning to play the game, I went out with my parents and they taught me all the etiquette and I learned something new each time I went out to play. But how does an adult who is just taking up the game learn these important lessons?

Golfers in Europe and other countries have to take a test of playability and etiquette before they can even go on the golf course! When I took a group on a golf trip to Scotland, I had to certify that my students had a certain handicap and they were proficient in the rules and etiquette of golf - or they couldn’t play. Bravo!

The game teaches us so much about life, how to manage ourselves and how to have respect for others. Let’s keep it that way and protect this great game from the irreverence that our society shows in other areas of life! If you think you don’t know enough about the etiquette of golf, go to the Internet or library and look for information about golf etiquette, it’s out there. Learn and practice proper golf etiquette and you’ll (as we say in the Girl Scouts) “make new friends and keep the old.”

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