Golf etiquette for beginners

Golf etiquette is the set of unwritten (and some written) habits that keep the game safe, quick and pleasant for everyone on the course. None of it is complicated. Most of it comes down to three things: safety, pace and care for the course, plus a little courtesy toward the people you're playing with.

Safety first

• Never swing when someone is close. Check around you before a practice swing, too.
• Wait until the group ahead is out of range before you hit.
• Shout "Fore!" loudly if your ball is heading toward anyone. If you hear it, cover your head and turn away.
• Stand out of the line of fire: level with or behind the player who's hitting, never ahead.

Keep up the pace

Slow play is the most common complaint in golf. You don't need to rush; you just need to be ready.

• Be ready when it's your turn. Choose your club and plan your shot while others play.
• Play "ready golf" in friendly rounds: whoever is ready hits, safely, rather than strictly the farthest from the hole.
• Limit searching. The rules allow three minutes to look for a lost ball.
• Keep up with the group ahead, not just ahead of the group behind. If you've fallen a hole behind, let faster groups play through.
• Pick up when it's hopeless in a casual game. Writing down a sensible maximum and moving on is better than holding everyone up.
• Leave the green promptly after putting out, and fill in your scorecard at the next tee.

Care for the course

• Repair your pitch mark (the dent your ball makes landing on the green).
• Replace or fill divots (the turf a full swing takes out of the fairway).
• Rake the bunker after you play out of it, smoothing your footprints too.
• Keep golf carts on the paths where signs ask, and away from greens and tees.
• Don't drop or lean on the flagstick or your bag on the green.

Courtesy on the green

• Don't walk on someone's putting line, the path their ball will take to the hole.
• Stand still and quiet while others putt, and keep your shadow off their line.
• Mark your ball with a coin or marker if it's in someone's way, and replace it exactly.
• Gimmes are given, not taken. In match play a short putt may be conceded, but wait to be told. Gimme rules and etiquette.

Being good company

• Stay quiet and still while others swing.
• Be honest about your score, including penalty strokes.
• Keep your temper. Every golfer hits bad shots. Throwing clubs or sulking spoils the round for everyone.
• Compliment good shots and shake hands (or say "well played") at the end of the round, win or lose.

Etiquette in One Fairway

The same spirit applies when you play golf online with friends in One Fairway:

• Keep the pace. In a match, each shot has a 60-second turn clock. Plan while others play, so you're ready when it's your turn.
• Cheer the good ones. Quick reactions (Applause, Tip of the cap, Great shot, Unlucky) and preset messages work for everyone, in any language.
• Typed chat is between friends by default: strangers only see presets and reactions. You can mute any player, and they aren't told.
• Give the short ones. In match play you can offer a gimme on a short putt, or ask for one, once.
• Concede when it's gone wrong. If a hole is beyond saving, you can concede it or pick up rather than keep everyone waiting.
• Finish what you start. Leaving a match early counts as a loss (in a 1v1 it forfeits the match), and before your next ranked match it brings a short wait. After every match, the 19th hole is the moment for "Well played" and "Thanks for the game".

Questions

Why do golfers shout "Fore"?
To warn anyone a ball might hit. If you hear it, cover your head and turn away.

What is ready golf?
In friendly rounds, whoever is ready plays, safely, rather than strictly the player farthest from the hole. It keeps the pace up.

How long can you look for a lost ball?
Three minutes under the Rules of Golf.

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