Hobbies & Leisure published by Barnes & Noble Hit the course with confidence. Interested in taking up golf as a serious hobby? Or just want to get through an upcoming business meeting on the golf course? Whatever your goals, get your game up to par with fundamentals on: clubs, gear, rules of play, etiquette, and the layout of the golf course All the essentials of a good golf swing, from the grip to the follow-through Proper technique for putting, chipping, driving, sand shots, and more Basics The origins of golf are disputed. Some historians believe that it originated with a Roman game called paganica, while others attribute its beginnings to the French games of jeu de mail and chole. Still others link it to a Dutch game called kolven. The general consensus, though, is that golf originated in Scotland and that it was well-established there by the mid-15th century; in fact, in 1457, King James II outlawed it, as he preferred that his subjects practice archery. But the king s wishes were to no avail. The first official rules of golf were set down in 1744 by the Honourable Company of Edinburgh ers in Edinburgh, Scotland, and today golf is one of the most popular sports in the world. The Object of is a sport in which a player tries to move a small ball through a golf course by striking it with a club (a rod with a mallet-like head). The golfer s goal is to get the ball through the entire course using as few strokes (strikes with the club) as possible. The Course The golf course is the terrain on which golf is played. A full course consists of 18 holes. The holes are numbered and played in order, from 1 through 18. 14 13 11 12 clubhouse 10 9 18 15 16 Holes Each hole on a golf course is a strip of land that has been carefully landscaped and designed for golf. Every golf hole has a starting place, called a teeing ground, and an ending place, called a cup. The cup is a hole cut into the ground that measures 4 1/4" in diameter and is at least 4" deep. To 1 17 8 7 6 5 2 4 3 complete a hole of golf, you must hit the golf ball with your club until you get the ball from the teeing ground into the cup. In addition to the tee and the cup, golf holes have a number of features designed to aid or impede your effort to get the ball into the cup. Features of a Hole Fairway: Closely cut turf that serves as a kind of pathway between the teeing ground and the green. Green: Extremely closely cut turf surrounding the cup. Flag: A lightweight flag on a pole that fits in the cup so that you can see the cup s location from far away. The flag is removed from the cup once you get the ball onto the green. The flag is also called the pin. Rough: Long, deep grass bordering the fairway, which may also include trees and bushes. Bunker: A depression that usually contains sand. Also called a sand trap. Water hazard: A permanent water feature, such as a stream or pond. Water hazards are to be distinguished from impermanent casual water, such as puddles, which are not a part of the designed course. Fringe: A ribbon of turf around the green that s slightly less closely cut than the green. Also called the collar. green fringe water hazard bunkers fairway teeing ground rough flag cup ers aim to hit the golf ball from tee to fairway to green, since it s easier to hit the ball on the closely cut turf of the fairway and green. Players try to avoid hitting the ball into the rough, bunkers, or water hazards, because those features make it more difficult to hit the ball. Hitting the ball into any of these obstacles generally requires a golfer to use more strokes to finish a hole. But even the top players in the world sometimes hit balls into the rough, a bunker, a water hazard, or a collar during an 18-hole round of golf. Hole Layout Though golf holes share the same core features, no two golf holes on a course are the same in fact, no two holes anywhere in the world are the same. holes vary by: Length: Most holes range from 100 600 yards, though some are even shorter or longer. Layout: Though holes share the same features, these features can be laid out in different ways. For instance, the fairway may curve, the bunkers may be in different locations, the hole may or may not include water hazards, or the green may be different shapes. Tee Locations Most teeing grounds have three sets of color-coded tee markers, which designate three different areas in the ground from which you can tee off. The tees are set at different yardages from the cup, affecting the length of the hole. The colors generally correlate to the following system: Red: Short yardage White: Medium yardage Blue: Long yardage You should select one color of tee markings to use on the first tee, and then use that color tee throughout the course. Scoring is scored in two main ways: stroke play or match play. Stroke Play Stroke play is the most common way of scoring golf. In this method, your score equals the sum of the strokes you use to complete every hole of the course. If you need 4, 5, and 5 strokes to finish the first three holes, your score for those holes is 14. The player with the fewest strokes at the end of the round (usually 18 holes) wins.
Match Play In match play, you play against one opponent and compete hole by hole. For instance, if you shoot a 4 on the first hole and your opponent shoots a 6, you win the hole and are said to be one up. These matches often last fewer than 18 holes, as one player can get ahead by enough holes to make it impossible for the other player to catch up. For instance, if one player is up four holes after 15 holes have been played, there aren t enough holes left for the second player to catch up. In this case, the first player is said to win 4 and 3, because the game ended when the first player was up by four holes with just three holes left to play. Par In addition to stroke play and match play, to understand golf scoring you must be familiar with the concept of par. Par is the standard number of strokes it takes an expert to complete a hole. To complete a par 4 hole, an expert golfer could expect to need 4 strokes: One stroke from teeing ground to fairway One stroke from fairway to green Two strokes to putt the ball into the hole on the green A hole s par is based largely on its length. Women s pars are calculated somewhat differently from men s pars, because men tend to hit the ball farther than women do: Par Men s Par Women s Par Par 3 up to 250 yards up to 210 yards Par 4 251 470 yards 211 400 yards Par 5 471 yards and up 401 575 yards Par 6 n/a 576 yards and up These yardages are simply a guide and don t absolutely determine the par value of a given hole. For example, a 450-yard hole that happens to be very difficult due to its layout might be rated a par 5 for men. Describing Your Score on a Hole in Terms of Par has special terminology to describe how well a player does on a given hole compared to par: Term Strokes Number Double eagle Three strokes under par 3 Eagle Two strokes under par 2 Birdie One stroke under par 1 Par Equal to par 0 Bogey One stroke over par +1 Double bogey Two strokes over par +2 For each additional stroke over par past double bogey, the term is triple bogey, quadruple bogey, and so on. Describing Your Score on a Course in Terms of Par You can also describe your score over an entire golf course in terms of par. If par on a course is a 72, and you shoot an 80, then you ve shot 8 over par. Handicap To level the playing field so that two golfers of different abilities can play a competitive round against each other, the United States Association (USGA) developed a handicapping system. In this system, a player is allowed to remove one or more strokes from his score based on his skill. Generally speaking, a player who regularly shoots 8 over par would have an 8 handicap and would be allowed to subtract 8 strokes from his final score. A golfer who usually shoots par on a course has a zero handicap, which is also called being a scratch golfer. The Rules of is founded on two basic rules that govern all aspects of the game: 1. Play the ball as it lies: Never move your ball from where it has landed on the golf course. 2. Play the course as you find it: Never change any aspect of the course to improve your ability to hit the ball. If your ball lands in high grass, you may not try to flatten the grass to expose the ball, for instance. Exceptions to the Rules A few situations can arise during a round of golf in which it s impossible to follow the two basic rules. The most common of these situations are as follows. Lost Ball If you hit the ball and then can t find it, you must replay the ball from the spot where you hit it and add one stroke to your score. For example, if you hit your first shot from the tee and lose it in the rough, you have to hit your next shot from the tee as well. This would be counted as your third shot, despite the fact that you d only taken two swings. Unplayable Ball If your ball lands in a spot that you can t play from, you may move the ball and incur a penalty of one stroke. It s always up to you to decide if the ball is playable. When moving the ball, you can t simply place it wherever you want on the ground. Instead, you must drop it and let it come to a rest before you hit it. You have three options for moving the ball you can choose whichever gives you the best shot: You can drop the ball anywhere within two club lengths of the spot where the unplayable ball is resting, as long as you don t move the ball closer to the cup. You can drop a new ball behind the spot where the unplayable ball is resting. The new ball can be as far as you like behind the unplayable ball, as long as the unplayable ball is at a point on the line between the new ball and the cup. You can treat the ball as if it were a lost ball and replay it from the spot where you hit it on your previous shot. Water Hazards Water hazards that cut across a hole are marked by yellow stakes. Water hazards parallel to a hole are marked by red stakes. If a ball enters a water hazard with yellow stakes: You can treat it as a lost ball, or you can take a penalty stroke and drop the ball behind the hazard so that the point at which the ball entered the hazard is between you and the cup. If a ball enters a water hazard with red stakes: You can treat it as a lost ball, or you can take a penalty stroke and drop the ball within two club lengths of the spot where the ball crossed into the hazard, as long as you don t move the ball closer to the cup. Alternatively, you can penalize yourself one stroke and drop the ball on the opposite side of the hazard within two club lengths of a point no closer to the hole than the point where the ball originally entered the hazard. Manmade Objects If a manmade object affects your ability to play a ball, you don t get a penalty stroke. If a ball lands in a location blocked by an immovable manmade object, such as a shed, you can drop the ball within one club length of the nearest spot that gives you a clear swing, as long as it isn t closer to the cup. If a ball lands in a location blocked by a movable manmade object, such as a bench, you can move the object in order to be able to hit the ball. Unfair Conditions Some conditions that can occur on a golf course are considered unfair. If you face any of these conditions, drop the ball within one club length of the of the nearest spot that provides relief from the obstruction, but don t move the ball closer to the cup. No penalty applies. Unfair conditions include: An area of the course that the maintenance staff is attending to (a painted white line usually surrounds these areas) A hole made by an animal Casual water (any accumulation of water not designed as part of the course) The USGA Rules Book The official rules of golf include additional, less common scenarios and rules. The entire USGA Rules of is available online at www.usga.org/playing/rules/rules.html. Following the Rules is one of a few sports without a referee or an umpire. For this reason, golf places a profound emphasis on honesty and fair play. Trying to bend the rules of golf in your favor is seen as an major breach of golf etiquette. The information contained in this and every Quamut guide is intended only for the general interest of its readers and should not be used as a basis for making medical, investment, legal or other important decisions. Though Quamut makes efforts to create accurate guides, editorial and research mistakes can occur. Quamut cannot, therefore, guarantee the accuracy of its guides. We disclaim all warranties, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, and must advise you to use our guides at your own risk. Quamut and its employees are not liable for loss of any nature resulting from the use of or reliance upon our charts and the information found therein. Copyright 2008 Quamut All rights reserved. Quamut is a registered trademark of Barnes & Noble, Inc. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States Photo Credits: Page 1: Photography by Stephen Szurlej. model is PGA Professional Brian A. Crowell; Page 3: Alex Melnick/Shutterstock (photo 1), Scott B. Rosen/Bill Smith Studio (photo 2), Courtesy of Callaway (photos 3-4, 7-8 and 10), Sebastian Kaulitzki/Shutterstock (photo 5), HomeStudio/Shutterstock (photo 6), Courtesy of Stealth Club Covers (photo 9), Stephen Szurlej (photos 11-15); Pages 4-6: Stephen Szurlej (all photos). Illustrations by Precision Graphics.
Equipment To play golf you need some equipment, including clubs, shoes, gloves, balls, bags, and tees. Clubs clubs are the most important and expensive pieces of golf equipment. A player may carry up to 14 clubs, though many players carry fewer. There are three main types of clubs, each with different purposes: Woods: Sometimes called metal woods (since they were once made of wood but are now primarily made of metal), these are used when a golfer wants to hit the ball the furthest distance. Woods are usually numbered 1 9. Higher-numbered clubs have shorter shafts and club faces that angle more toward the sky, which cause those clubs to hit the ball higher but not as far. The 1-wood is also called the driver, and most golfers use it to hit the ball off the tee at the beginning of many par 4 and par 5 holes. The other woods are called fairway woods and are typically used when the ball is on the fairway but there is still a long distance to the green. Irons: Irons provide less distance than woods, but more accuracy. The irons are numbered from 1 9, though the 1- and 2-irons are rarely used. As with woods, the larger the number, the shorter the distance the club will hit the ball. There are also irons called wedges that have broad faces angled so that they cut under the ball, popping it high into the air. The pitching wedge is designed to hit high, soft shots off of grass, while the sand wedge is designed for hitting even higher shots and also for freeing the ball from bunkers near the green. Putter: The putter is used almost exclusively on the green. It has a flat head that is perpendicular to the ground so that it causes the ball to roll along the green. Buying Clubs As a novice golfer, buy a starter set of about 10 golf clubs. Most starter sets include a driver, one or two fairway woods, three irons, one or two wedges, and a putter. It s generally best to buy new clubs club technology is always improving, making it much easier for beginners to learn the game. Inexpensive starter sets cost about $250, while higher-quality sets from better-quality brands can cost considerably more. When getting your first clubs, it s best to buy from a pro shop with a knowledgeable staff that can help you pick clubs of the right length and grip width. Other Equipment In addition to golf clubs, you should get the following: bag: To carry your clubs and other equipment, you ll need a golf bag. It s worth it to pay a little more to get a bag that s comfortable and that has a built-in stand. A goodquality bag may cost $100 or more. Some starter sets come with bags. balls: You ll need a number of golf balls so that you can still continue to play even if you lose one on the course. There are a wide variety of brands on the market. It s best to find one type and stick with it, so that you have a feel for how it moves and so you ll always be able to recognize your own ball on the course. Inexpensive golf balls cost about $10 per dozen, while top-of-the-line balls can cost as much as $50 60 per dozen. tees: tees are little wooden supports that you use to hold up your golf ball when teeing off. They cost only about $1 5 for a pack of 100. glove: Many players prefer to play with a golf glove on their nondominant hand (i.e., a righty would wear the glove on her left hand). Though not essential, a glove provides extra grip on the club and protects the hand from blistering or chafing against the club grip. Most golf gloves range from $10 20. shoes: You can play golf in any rubber-soled shoes, though if you get serious about the game, you may prefer the traction and support provided by golf shoes, which have soles studded with short rubber spikes. Good shoes tend to cost at least $100. Club covers: Padded covers protect your clubs from nicks or scratches. They usually come in sets of three or more, at a price of about $5 10 per cover. Ball mark repair tool: This small tool helps you fix ball marks that your ball makes when it lands on the green. Though some players use golf tees to fix ball marks, a repair tool works better and typically costs only $5 10. How to Swing a Club A golf swing is a complex motion that must be smooth and seamless to produce accuracy and power. To develop a good swing, you must master the grip, address, backswing, and downswing. The Grip Follow the guidelines below to grip a golf club correctly. (Left-handers should reverse these instructions.) 1. Hold the club in your left hand so that the shaft meets the fingers (not the palm) of your left hand. The back of the handle of the club should extend past the end of your left hand just beneath your pinkie. 2. Bring the fingers of your left hand around the grip and your thumb against the right center of the grip. The V-shaped crease between your thumb and forefinger should point to your right shoulder. 3. Place your right hand in front of your left on the club so that your right pinkie fits firmly on top of the line between your left index finger and middle finger. Your right ring finger should be pressed up against the side of the left index finger. The right thumb should wrap on top of the left thumb and be placed against the left center of the club. The V formed by your right thumb and forefinger should also point to your right shoulder. Hold the grip with medium to light pressure, softly enough that you feel the weight of the club head, but firmly enough to keep the club from twisting. The Address The address the posture in which you stand is crucial to establishing a good starting position from which to make your swing. 1. Holding the club in a proper grip, tilt forward from the hips until the club head reaches the ground just behind the ball. The distance you stand from the ball and the space between your feet depends on the length of the club. For shorter clubs, stand closer to the ball and with your feet slightly narrower than your shoulders. For the driver, the longest club, stand a bit farther away and with your feet shoulder-width apart. Your back foot should be perpendicular to the direction you want to hit the ball, while your front foot should be flared open just a bit. To achieve a balanced stance, push your hips back a 2. little so that some of your weight rests on your heels. You should be able to wiggle your toes. If you can t, you re leaning too far forward. A line drawn across the front of your shoulders should point toward the target, your right shoulder should be lower than your left shoulder, your right arm should be relaxed, and your right elbow should be pointing toward your right thigh. For shorter clubs, the ball should be approximately in 3. the middle of your stance. For longer clubs, such as a driver, it should be farther forward in your stance so that it s in line with the heel of your front foot. To stay relaxed as you stand over the ball, you can take 4. small preswings, moving the club head back and forth. This is called the waggle.
The Swing A full golf swing involves a backswing, in which you pull the club back and away from the ball; a downswing, in which you bring the club forward and hit the ball; and a balanced follow-through. Backswing 1. From a balanced address, swing the club back by using the triangle formed by your two arms and an imaginary line across your shoulders. Downswing 1. The change of direction from backswing to downswing is a natural unwinding and release of the power you have created in the backswing. It begins with the shift of weight forward from the back foot to the front foot. putting, you first need to read the slopes of the green and aim your putt so that the break of the green takes the ball toward the cup. How to Square the Putter to the Line To hit the ball along the line, or path, you want, your putter must be square (perpendicular) to the line: 1. Stand behind the ball and pick out a spot (a discolored bit of grass, a ball mark, etc.) that s a foot or two in front of your ball along the line you want to putt. 2. Holding the putter behind the ball, square it to the spot. The Putting Grip The putting grip is similar, but not identical, to the grip for a full swing. There are two key differences between the fullswing grip and the putting grip. When putting, you should: 2. The center of your chest swings with the club, while your left knee begins to break toward your right knee and your body weight shifts to your back foot. 2. Allow the club to swing freely toward the target and through the ball, not at the ball. The ball should merely get in the way of a good swinging motion that continues into a follow-through. Swinging freely results in the right forearm crossing over the left forearm. Hold the club grip in the palms of both hands, as opposed to in the fingers Place your thumbs directly on top of the grip, as opposed to slightly to the left or right 3. Your wrists begin to hinge. This is not a conscious move but rather the natural result of a proper golf grip. 3. In a proper follow-through, almost all the weight is on your front foot, your chest is facing the target, your arms are relaxed, and the club is held relaxed over your left shoulder. The Putting Motion A good putting stroke is a pendulum-like action, in which you swing from the triangle formed by the arms and a line across the shoulders. Don t hinge your wrists at any time during the movement, and keep your head motionless. 4. At the top of the swing, the center of your chest should be facing directly away from the target (the spot where you want the ball to land) and your weight shifted onto your back foot. The club is now behind your shoulders and nearly parallel to the ground. Your eyes should never leave the ball at any point during this portion of the swing. Swing Distance and Speed In general, swinging harder doesn t necessarily help you hit the ball farther. Instead, use the same swing and hit the ball farther or shorter by using different clubs. To choose the right club for the distance you need to reach, practice with all your clubs at a driving range to gauge how far you tend to hit the ball using each club. How to Putt a Ball Putting is the process of hitting the golf ball on the green so that it rolls across the green and into the cup. How to Determine the Line of the Putt Putting greens are almost never perfectly flat. The natural slopes on the green cause the ball to curve, or break, downhill. The steeper the slope, the greater the break. When
Putting Distance and Speed When putting, try to strike the ball so that, if the cup weren t in the way, the ball would roll about a foot past where the cup lies. Hitting the ball firmly helps to: 1. Eliminate or lessen the amount of break 2. Minimize the influence of small imperfections, such as pebbles or sand, on the roll of the putt 3. Reduce the chance of leaving the putt short (hitting your putt without enough power to reach the cup) The distance and speed of your putt depend on the size of the stroke. A bigger backswing and follow-through will produce a stronger putt. How to Hit a Chip Shot ers use chip shots when the ball is off the green but within about 100 feet of the cup. The chip shot lifts the ball into the air so it can fly over the collar around the green, land on the green, and roll toward the cup. When planning a chip shot, take into account how the ball will roll and break once it hits the green. How to Choose a Club for a Chip Shot Chip shots are typically made with the 6-, 7-, 8-, or 9-iron, or the pitching wedge. The higher the number of the club, the more lofted, or angled, the club is. A higher angle lofts the ball higher into the air. Consider the following when choosing a club for a chip shot: 2. Hold the club as you would during a normal swing, but choke down on it hold the club closer to the shaft. Your hands should reach almost to the bottom of the grip. Also, your hands should be closer to the target than the ball is, so that the shaft of the club leans forward a bit. 3. The chip shot is similar to a putting stroke. There is no wrist hinge or weight transfer the weight should favor your front foot throughout the stroke. The size of the stroke is determined by the distance you want to hit the ball a bigger stroke will hit the ball farther. How to Use the Pitching Wedge The pitching wedge is used for many shots that are longer than 30 feet from the green but shorter than a full swing with a 9-iron (which can be up to 100 yards). The Pitching Motion Hitting with a pitching wedge is like doing a miniature version of a full golf swing: There s just a slight hinging of the wrists. The weight transfer between feet is less extreme. The backswing and follow-through are lower. Your feet should be in a narrower stance. The ball should be just back of center in the stance. How to Hit a Flop Shot The flop shot is a short, high shot that lands softly on the green and has very little roll. It s played over bunkers and hazards, using a sand wedge, and should not be used for shots of more than 25 30 yards. The Flop Shot Motion The flop shot uses the same grip as a full golf swing. To play this shot: 1. Open up your stance so that your feet, hips, and shoulders are aimed to the left of your target. 2. The ball should be positioned a bit forward in your stance, so that it s closer to your front foot. 3. Make a big, slow swing along your body angle. It can be helpful to imagine yourself keeping the club face parallel to the sky through the swing. Distance: Clubs with lower numbers have less loft and will cause the ball to roll farther. Speed of the green: Putting greens have grass of different lengths and textures, so the ball rolls at varying speeds on different greens. For fast greens, use a more lofted club. For slow greens, use a lowernumber club than you normally would. The Chip Shot Motion To execute a chip shot, follow these steps: Flop Shot Distance The size of your swing on a flop shot determines how far you will hit the ball. A slightly higher backswing will produce a more powerful shot. Pitching Distance The size of your swing determines the distance you can hit with a pitching wedge. In a short shot of 30 yards or so, you should swing the club head a little short of waist-high on the backswing, then waist-high on the follow through. A longer shot should have a slightly longer backswing, and the follow-through should be slightly longer as well. When pitching into the wind, use a less lofted club so that the ball won t rise as high and be blown back by the wind. If the wind is at your back, use a club with a little more loft than you normally would. How to Hit Sand Shots On golf courses, sand bunkers may be placed near the green to create challenges for approach shots (shots onto the green), or alongside the fairway to challenge the accuracy of a player teeing off. You ll need to use different techniques to get the ball out of a bunker, depending on whether your ball falls into a greenside bunker or a fairway bunker. How to Hit a Greenside Bunker Shot If your ball falls into a bunker alongside the green, your goal should be to pop the ball softly up out of the bunker and onto the green. The proper club for this sort of shot is a sand wedge. The grip and posture is the same as for a full swing from grass. To make a greenside bunker shot: 1. Stand with your feet just a few inches apart. A line across your feet should point at your target. The ball should be just back of center, in line with the big toe of your back foot. 1. Take an open stance, so that a line across your feet points to the left of the target. Dig your feet slightly into the sand to give yourself a firm foundation. 2. The ball should be just forward of the middle of your stance, and your club face should be slightly open.
3. Swing the club so that it enters and skims through the sand about 1.5 2" behind the ball. Because the sand acts like a cushion, you must make a fairly full swing. 2. Swing as you would on a full swing. Don t try to force or scoop the ball over the lip of the bunker. Swing through the ball as you normally would and trust the loft of your club to lift the ball out of the bunker. Your lower body shouldn t move much, and you should feel centered over the ball throughout the swing. Order of Play Order of play on the first tee is determined by draw. On subsequent tees, the player with the best score on the previous hole plays first, then the player with the next best score, and so on. If the prior hole was tied, the order of play on the prior tee is used. After the tee shot, the person whose ball is farthest from the cup plays first. When it s not your turn to hit, stand to the side and slightly behind the person whose turn it is to avoid distracting them. If the sun is low, be sure that your shadow doesn t fall across the tee when someone else is teeing off. Pace of Play A round of 18 holes of golf should take about four hours to play. This allows for a reasonable pace, but you should be careful to keep the game moving: Be ready to hit when it s your turn. Keep up with the group ahead of you on the course. If any player in your group reaches double par (twice the par of the hole), that player should stop playing the hole and move onto the next one. The player should score the hole at the value of double par. Caring for the Course Always try to leave the course behind you in better shape than you found it. To vary the distance of the shot, vary how hard you swing, though the club should always enter the sand 1.5 2" behind the ball. How to Hit a Fairway Bunker Shot The fairway bunker shot differs from the greenside bunker shot in that, rather than just popping the ball up out of the bunker, you re trying to hit it a distance down the fairway, and possibly even onto the green. The object is to hit the ball first and disrupt very little sand. Even so, you should play these sorts of shots conservatively though you shouldn t use a sand wedge for this shot, you should select an iron that gives enough loft to get the ball up and out of the bunker. Use the same grip and posture that you use for a full swing. To make a fairway bunker shot: 1. Take a somewhat open stance, with the ball toward the middle of your stance. Dig your feet slightly into the sand. Etiquette etiquette governs the way that golfers dress and act on the golf course. Though good golf etiquette won t improve your score, it will ensure that you make a good impression on your playing partners. Dress Code Many golf courses have dress codes, and even for those that don t, it s often considered impolite to wear clothes that are too casual. Dress Code for Men and Boys Collared shirt (no tanktops or T-shirts) Pants (no jeans), or shorts cut to within 3" of the knee Rubber-spiked golf shoes or any rubber-soled shoes Dress Code for Women and Girls Collared shirt or dressy T-shirt (no tank or halter tops) Pants (no jeans), skirts, or shorts within 3" of the knee Rubber-spiked golf shoes or any rubber-soled shoes Arrive Early At most courses, you or your partner will have to reserve a tee time (starting time) in advance. Arrive with plenty of time to pay greens fees (the fee for using the course), to check in with the starter (the person overseeing the course tee times for the day), and to warm up on the practice range. Arriving late will delay the groups behind you. General Course Etiquette Be sure to follow these basic etiquette guidelines when on the golf course. Identify the Ball You re Playing To avoid confusion on the course, make sure you can identify the ball that you ll be playing from the ball(s) that your partner(s) will play. Ideally, make an identifying mark on your ball beforehand with a permanent marker. You can also identify a ball by its brand and by a number printed on the ball. Fix any divots by physically replacing them or by filling them with divot mix, which some courses (typically in the South) provide in a canister on your golf cart. Fix any ball marks by prying up the indentation with a ball mark repair tool and then tapping it into place with the bottom of your putter. If you enter a bunker, rake it after use so that the sand is smooth there should be a rake near each bunker. Safety Always make sure that no one is your vicinity when you take practice swings, and never take a swing if there is anyone in range in front of you. If there s even the slightest chance that a ball you ve hit might hit someone else, yell fore loudly and as quickly as possible. On-the-Green Etiquette When you and your partners are on the green, follow these etiquette guidelines in addition to the general etiquette: When it s not your turn, lift your ball off the green and mark its place by placing a coin or ball marker behind the ball. This will ensure that your ball neither dis tracts the other players nor gets in the way of another player s ball. Avoid walking in your own line or the line of your playing partners. The line is the path between the ball and the cup. If the sun is low, make sure that your shadow doesn t fall across the hole or across another player s line when that player is putting. Leave the green immediately after you and your partner(s) have played the hole. By not lingering, you allow the group behind you to progress to the green.