Golf is often referred to as a "gentlemen's game" because of its rich traditions and high levels of etiquette/professionalism. Given the lavish traditions of golf, it's important to have customs and traditions passed down from generation to generation. That is part of the purpose of this article; to help express which golf etiquette guidelines are pointless and which ones should never be broken. If you are a newbie to the game of golf, please listen to the information in this article and it will help you fit in more seamlessly when playing with more experienced golfers. If you are an experienced golfer, most of these will likely be pretty familiar to you but it's always nice to have a little refresher.
So what rules of golf etiquette are never to be broken? Many of them revolve around respecting the other golfers in your group and making sure that you do not pose a distraction to them during their shots. Others are broader and fit with a more personal level for each golfer. While golf does have a lot of rules and unspoken guidelines, there are certainly some that have become outdated now and can be viewed as pointless. Which rules come to mind for you when you hear of etiquette guidelines that should never be broken? What about golf rules that seem pointless? There are probably hundreds of rules that you can put into either of those two categories and it would be correct. But this list addresses the most common and critical guidelines that all golfers have to deal with at some point in time. Keep reading below to find out which guidelines/rules are necessary to follow and which ones are more pointless in the big picture.
20 Pointless: Re-teeing Out Of Bounds Drive
Honestly, none of us reading this are on the PGA Tour. Despite our efforts of trying to play the game of golf by the actual tournament rules, this is one that should not be followed on your friendly Sunday game.
The official rules of golf call for a player to actually go back to the tee box and hit again if their drive lands out of bounds.
This is why most people will hit a "provisional" tee shot when it appears their first drive went out of bounds. But sometimes you don't realize your ball is out of bounds until you get up to it and see the white stakes. It's unreasonable to go all the way back to the tee box and hit again for just a normal round. Plus it slows the pace of play for everybody so just take a drop and call it a day.
19 Always Follow: Yelling "Fore"
Errant shots are bound to happen for every golfer, but us amateur players are certainly more prone to spray shots into other fairways from time to time. Whenever you hit an errant shot that you see is heading anywhere near another group of golfers, it's imperative to yell "fore!" This universal golf gesture gives the other golfers a heads-up that a golf ball is heading their way and to take cover from the imminent damage that could occur. This is one area that leads to many on-course disputes between golfers but is easily avoidable if you just yell "fore" and start the unenvious walk to your ball.
18 Pointless: Picking Up A Gimme
Many times when you're out playing with friends and they say "that's a gimme" it means go ahead and pick up your ball because we feel confident that you will drain the putt 99 out of 100 times. Still, many people will putt out quickly anyway because they want the practice or they want to personally finish off the par or birdie. When they end up missing the gimme putt, the other player will say "you should have picked it up."
Instead, the player should go ahead and say "you already gave it to me prior to the putt." The reason I say this is because usually, people don't take their time after being given a putt and instead just hit it without a high level of concentration. If someone says "it's a gimme" then it should be good whether or not you putt out.
17 Always Follow: Repair Ball Marks/Divots
It's one of the oldest rules in the book and it's one that should always be adhered to when possible.
Golf courses require a lot of care and attention in order to remain in good playing shape throughout the year.
Golfers play a strong role in maintaining the quality of the course by simply filling in their fairway divots with seed or sand and repairing all ball marks they make on the green. These two things take very little time and are extremely simple to complete. Don't be that guy that leaves deep ball marks on the green for the next group to repair for you. If you want to play the course, you have to also care for the course as well.
16 Pointless: Not Listening to Music While Playing
Yes, golf is a sport that is based on silence and concentration, especially at the professional level. But when you are at a local municipal course with your friends, you should absolutely be able to bring a small speaker to play music on in your golf cart. As long as your music isn't so loud that it's disrupting other groups, you will be fine. Many players actually play better when there is a little bit of music playing in the background. Plus it just adds another level of fun to the golfing experience. Please, no heavy metal or mumble rap music, though...
15 Always Follow: Not Talking When Someone is Hitting
You're probably thinking, "wait, doesn't this directly contradict the rule above about music that you said was pointless?" The answer is no, it doesn't. Studies have actually shown that the normal, rhythmic sounds of songs are far less distracting than somebody holding a conversation or speaking in your backswing. This is because with music our brains are able to predict the pattern of the music and are able to adjust to it (aka, it's not a sudden random sound that is breaking silence like somebody talking in your swing). The rule of thumb should be that all talking should stop once the player approaches their ball and is ready to swing. Follow it.
14 Pointless: Hole-in-One Tab
If you have ever been fortunate enough to hit a hole-in-one, then you're probably a better golfer than I am because I'm still searching for my first. But the old unspoken golf rule regarding hole-in-ones is that the person who hit the shot is responsible for picking up the entire tab for anybody who is in the clubhouse tavern after the round. This can sometimes lead to a ridiculously large bar tab.
The worry of this rule often causes golfers to want to hide the fact they hit a hole-in-one during their round when they get back to the clubhouse.
The worst part about this tradition is that it lowers the will to celebrate a great achievement by forcing a potentially large payment onto the golfer's post-round expenses.
13 Always Follow: Don't Walk On Someone's Line
Many beginner golfers learn this lesson the hard way. They are on the green and walk directly through the putting line of another golfer who then gets upset and belittles them about not walking in other player's lines. While this may seem like a trivial issue for some golfers, there is some truth to the idea of avoiding someone's line. Golf greens are sensitive patches of turf and can be damaged by our shoes. Walking in someone's line can cause damage to the grass that their ball is about to roll through. Even slight damage can have an effect on the roll and can cause bouncing and lead to missed putts.
12 Pointless: Cart Worker "Tradition"
Some golfers like to think that extensive interaction with the cart/beverage girl is the best part of their rounds like it's a right of passage in golf. We all know at least one friend that goes out of their way to chat up the cart girl every time she comes around. But in reality, that friend is usually just making the girl want to move on to the next group as soon as possible. So instead of focusing on the cart girl, just simply order your drinks and tip well. It's really for the best of all parties to not be distracted while out on the course.
11 Always Follow: Shake Playing Partners Hand After Round
One very important tradition of golf is to shake your opponent's or playing partner's hand after completing the round. If you're a newbie at golf, this may seem kind of odd especially if you are playing with three complete strangers. But this is one of the oldest golf etiquette rules in existence and is a show of sportsmanship and gratitude to your fellow golfers.
Even if you really dislike somebody that you played with, you should still at least offer a handshake at the end of the round.
But this is also something I see less and less of at the end of each round, so do your part and keep the sportsmanship going.
10 Pointless: Removing Hat When Shaking Hands
While it's important to always shake your playing partners' hands, it's not required to remove your hat. I know claiming this rule as pointless will catch a lot of flak from the more traditional golf readers, but the idea of removing your hat when shaking hands at the end of the round really is pointless. While I personally do it most of the time, it's not something I will go out of my way to do if necessary.
Always shake your playing partners hands after each round, but to each their own if they want to remove their hat or not.
9 Always Follow: Watch Shadows
This rule is very similar to the "not walking in someone's line" rule in that it's very easy to follow, yet somehow still gets broken on a frequent basis. What this rule is basically implying is that it's important to watch where you are standing when other players are hitting their shots because you don't want your shadow to be moving in their line of sight.
This becomes especially important during afternoon rounds when the sun is setting because it makes our shadows more elongated.
You could be standing 20 feet away from somebody but have your head shadow be covering somebody else's ball.
8 Pointless: Not Bringing Beverages From Home
Many golf courses have rules that state "no outside food or beverage allowed on the premises." It's true that the food and beverage industry within a golf course brings in a lot of revenue for the course, but it shouldn't stop you from saving a few bucks by bringing waters or other refreshments with you in your bag. I worked at a nice golf course in Scottsdale, Arizona during my college years and I can admit that we never cared if we noticed somebody bringing in their own drinks. If you're bringing in a lot (i.e. 30-pack) you might want to throw the service area boys a few bucks and they will make sure it gets to your cart with your bag.
7 Always Follow: Show Up On Time
It's important to show up at least 10 to 15 minutes before your scheduled tee-time. Many people like to show up an hour or so before and eat, hit some range balls, and roll some putts to warm up, but we all know that guy who shows up at 8:48 for a scheduled 8:50 tee-time. This lack of timeliness pushes the tee-time schedule back and only causes headaches for everybody else. Don't be that guy that everybody in your group has to wait on the first tee. Always show up at least 10 to 15 minutes prior to your tee time... keywords being "at least."
6 Pointless: Turning Phone "Off"
One of the best things about golf is that it allows you to unwind and enjoy being outdoors for a few hours.
Many of us choose to detach from our cell phones during the round of golf, but it's not necessary etiquette to do so.
It's 2018 and life moves a mile a minute. If you need to have your phone on and be able to check your emails, texts, etc., then, of course, you can do so. Just make sure you keep it to yourself and don't let it distract your playing partners. Moreover, if you have to make a phone call, please walk at least 20 yards away from where people are hitting to do so and don't let it disrupt the pace of play.
5 Always Follow: Pace of Play
This is one of the most important rules of the game of golf for us amateur players. We all hate playing five to six-hour rounds because of the pace of play at the course is so dragging. Everybody has had to deal with rounds in which they are waiting at every tee box for the group ahead to finish the hole or get out of the way, so we all know how frustrating it can be. Do yourself a favor and play ready golf and keep up with the group ahead of you. Should you start to fall behind, let groups behind you play through when it's acceptable do so. Ready golf is an important term to live by in the world of golf.
4 Pointless: Teeing Off In-Order
One of the more commonly used ways that "Ready Golf" comes into play is on the tee boxes throughout a round. If you were to follow the actual rules of golf, the player who scored the lowest score on the last hole would have honors and be first to tee off on the following hole.
Most golfers just play ready golf and tee off when they are ready instead of waiting for a specific order.
This usually flows pretty well without the instructions of a required order. If somebody birdies or better, however, allow them to have honors on the following tee box, as it's seen as bad luck to "step on" somebody's birdie like that.
3 Always Follow: Be Patient With The Group Ahead
While pace of play and keeping up with the group ahead of you is very important, never ever should you tee off while the group ahead of you is still in the range of your shot. If you know that you can hit your driver 270 yards and you suspect that the group ahead is 275, it's still best to just wait and play it safe.
The impatience of people teeing off and hitting into the group ahead of them has caused more arguments and near-fights than anything else I've ever seen on a golf course. Do not hit into the group ahead of you unless you're ready to throw fisticuffs.
2 Pointless: Driving Golf Cart Responsibly
Okay, okay I know this another one that can be viewed as a bit questionable, but golf should be fun. If you rent a cart, you should be allowed to drive fast, do donuts, and even bump into your friends as long as you don't (1) damage the golf course; (2) damage the carts, and (3) hurt your friends.
Growing up as a little kid it was always the most exciting part of the round was when my father would let me drive the golf cart. So don't over worry about driving responsibly... and this is coming from a former golf course employee. (Yes, we do crazy tricks with the carts after hours.)
1 Always Follow: Call Penalties Fairly
This is the Golden Rule of the game of golf. It's the one thing that separates golf from almost every sport and provides the moral high ground that the sport was founded on. The fact that the rules of golf are dependent upon golfers calling penalties on themselves when they become aware that they have broken a rule is unprecedented. There have been many times in which PGA players call penalties on themselves, even knowing that the penalty is about to cost them a tournament/lots of money. There is no more important golf etiquette rule out there than this one, so please never be too proud to penalize yourself.