I’m hesitant to use this stump to complain about things, but I’m going to indulge myself for a few moments. It seems like every time I go to the golf course, I’m reminded that golf course etiquette is becoming extinct. I’m not necessarily talking about how a player interacts with his group. I’m talking about how he interacts with other players and with the course itself.

Maybe I just have expectations that are too high. I got a job at a golf course before I had ever learned the game. Before that, I think I played once and had only been to the driving range with friends here and there.

A salty old pro, Bob, taught me that there was a right way and a wrong way to do things. He let me know that two (or more) people sharing clubs is forbidden because it unduly delays play. He taught me that there was a proper way to dress on the golf course. He explained to me that waving up the next group on a par three before your group putts out speeds up play. I haven’t seen that one in years.

There were many other golf influences on me at that time, as well. I understand that I had an education in golf that a lot of people don’t get, but a lot of these things are well known and yet are still ignored by more people than you can believe.

Carts

During part of my golf course employment, I was a ranger. All I had to do was roam around the course and let people know when they got out of line.

I’ve discovered over the years that cart signs and ropes along cart paths are irrelevant. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen hold ropes down with their foot so they could drive over them. Then, I’d confront them, and invariably the excuse would be, “sorry, I didn’t see the ropes.”

It’s truly amazing that the cart slowed down and their foot flailed out and landed on the ropes in just such a way that let the cart pass right over. Of course, the cart doesn’t always pass right over. Sometimes it gets hooked on the rope and yanks out like 50 yards of stakes and ropes. Or, they don’t bother to hold the ropes down and instead choose to just mow down a stake at full speed.

Ropes are put up at the direction of the maintenance superintendent, not to punish golfers, but to protect sensitive (usually wet) areas.

Then there’s the less common, but exponentially worse offense: riding the carts on tees or greens. I’ve seen this one too much. Many courses have signs directing carts away or notes on the scorecard asking that players stay 30 feet away from greens. When I was a golf course ranger, I’d be showing you the exit if I saw you on a green with a cart.

My current club asks that players ride the carts in the fairway and keep them out of the rough because of the way the rough is maintained. Of course, that rarely deters anyone. Especially the people that bomb a shot onto the next hole. On one particular hole, I see players routinely ride through the rough between holes to get to the adjacent hole and even through a marked hazard that separates them.

Have we in the United States become so lazy that we can’t walk 30 feet to the putting surface, or across a semi-dry hazard? Do we need to avoid ropes or destroy them?

Course

Golf courses are extremely expensive to maintain. By the time you include labor costs, equipment, pesticides, and everything else, it gets into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, even at your local muni.

Even with all that, there are still things that the maintenance crew can’t always deal with and it’s up to us as players to do the things that are expected of us.

The biggest duty players have is repairing ball marks. Ball marks that don’t get repaired will take weeks to heal correctly. And even then, it will lead to a bumpy putting surface that won’t roll true, usually until the next time the greens are top-dressed.

I guess maybe it’s just my course, but sometimes late in the day, I can count a couple dozen unrepaired ball marks on any particular green. Those scars add up over time and lead to bumpy greens. If you don’t fix ball marks, you’re not only making life difficult for other players, but chances are you’re adding to the slow degradation of the greens that will come back to bite you later.

Another big one is dealing with divots properly. Some courses ask that they be replaced. Others want them filled with a sand mixture. You can find out your course’s policy in the pro shop. The important part is that whatever it is, you do it.

Golf course superintendents work hard to keep crab grass and other bad grasses from growing on the course. Consequently, most courses apply a pre-emergent chemical to the turf to prevent the growth of these grasses by creating a chemical barrier in the soil.

When a divot is cut from the turf, that barrier is removed. If the divot isn’t replaced or filled, then crab grass and other weeds will begin to occupy that spot very quickly.

No one wants to play on a fairway that’s covered with weeds. So why are there so many divots that don’t get dealt with? It’s one thing when a divot explodes and can’t be replaced. But if you leave a chunk of sod laying there or an unfilled divot, then you’re not doing your part.

Players

Treatment of the course is one thing, but the treatment that fellow players give to each other is the one that really disappoints me sometimes.

Golf is supposed to be a gentleman’s (and ladies’) game. It seems, however, that players seldom consider each other when on the course. How about some basic courtesy out there?

For instance, when you’re out playing with your buddies, maybe you didn’t stop for a second to think that you’re not the only group on the course? Next time your group lets out a cheer fit for a hockey game after one of you chips in to save double bogey, consider that someone on the adjacent tee is going to be steaming if he’s in the middle of his back swing when the good times start to roll.

If some stranger stood next to you and intentionally shouted during your back swing, you’d be pretty angry. Think about that next time you’re out there.

Along those lines, if you’re using a gas-powered cart, show a little consideration for nearby players. Sometimes it seems like players believe there is some sort of invisible barrier between the holes. If I’m ten yards away from you on an adjacent hole, then believe it or not, when you jump in your cart and speed off, it’s going to be a little distracting if I’m in the middle of my swing.

The same thing goes for when your group putts out and you’re on the way to the next tee. If you’re going to pass close to another tee (or a player on an adjacent hole) that has addressed the ball, then give him a few seconds to hit his shot before continuing on. The next player will wait for you to pass before addressing his shot, but for a player already in the middle of his swing, the results could be disastrous.

In my estimation, many of these breaches are alcohol fueled. Especially improper use of golf carts and excessive noise on the course. It’s disappointing that players can’t save that for the 19th hole, but I guess that’s just the way of things these days.

Thanks for letting me get these things off my chest. This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive guide to etiquette. It’s a few of the most egregious things I see just about every time I set foot on a golf course. Let’s all do our part to maintain the rich tradition of etiquette, sportsmanship, and fellowship that golf has developed over the centuries.

Click here for the USGA guidelines on golf etiquette, for a much more comprehensive guide to proper behavior on the golf course.

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