Guide for Beginning Golfers

It is an important rule of golf etiquette to dress appropriately and wear the correct golf apparel when on the golf course. It may seem trite but golf had originally started as a gentleman’s game where there was  a strict dress code that was adhered to by all golfers of that era.

In  order to preserve some of the integrity required by the original rules of golf proper golf apparel is required on most golf courses, especially private country clubs. This is a courtesy and a rule of golf etiquette. For the men a proper shirt and  shorts or slacks are required and for the ladies a similar requirement for golf attire would apply. Make sure to follow these guidelines and observe golf etiquette the next time you play golf. Happy Golfing to All!

I’ve always been a practitioner of golf etiquette from my initial introduction  to the game and my first time playing golf. It seems at times that new golfers beginning to play and sometimes even experienced golfers are devoid of the etiquette associated with this challenging sport. One of the many courtesies I observe frequently being overlooked is allowing a single or solo player to play through or asking them to join you if there are only two or three players in your group.

This breach of golf etiquette became more blatantly apparent this past weekend when I was the single and two groups in front of me were ingnoring the common courtesies associated with the game. I played the first six holes alone and finally caught up to a twosome and played behind them for a number of holes. I approached the tee and even thought they were still on the teebox they never asked if I would like to join them or play through until about four holes later. I finally played through and was behind a foursome who was more discourteous than the twosome as they never even acknowledged that I was waiting indefinitely on each hole as they proceeded to hit golf balls, one shot worse than the other. I finally left the course around the 17th hole because I was waiting at least 20 minutes on each hole for them to clear the hitting area. This amount of time was well above the average total of  about 15 minutes normally allotted to play an entire golf hole. If it were a beautiful sunny day like the previous weekend I may have hung in there but the cold blustery conditions made it tough to wait so long for each shot.

Golf Tip for the day {Fore: Observe Golf Etiquette and allow a single to join you if you have three or less golfers in your group. Also let a single player or  twosome play through if you notice them behind your group and waiting on every shot.}

Guide For Beginning Golfers has recently upgraded their website. A new and improved look has been designed and implemented and also another blog site has been added to supplement the increasing demand of customers. The additional Web site www.guideforbeginninggolfersblog.com is where all new posts will be written and distributed. The existing site will be focused more on service and providing shoppers with the latest and greatest in golf equipment products and the newest innovations in golf technology. I urge customers to stop by often as new products will be added frequently.
Be sure to visit both sites, www.guideforbeginninggolfers.com and www.guideforbeginninggolfersblog.com for all the latest news, golf tips, golf equipment, golf travel destinations, and information on golf etiquette, an important but often overlooked fundamental of the game. I hope to see you there and Happy Golfing to All!

A few weeks ago I recounted my experience at Brentwood Country Club on Long Island. My significant other and I had such an enjoyable time we decided to play there again this past weekend. We arrived at the course around 9:00am, checked in and were ready to tee off by 9:30 give or take a few minutes. We were paired with two middle aged gents who were friendly and experienced golfers. The group who teed off right before us consisted of two golfers who knew how to play fairly well and two beginning golfers who were inexperienced and not versed at all in golf “Etiquette”. On the very first tee they took two shots each because they were not satisfied with the result of their first attempt and justifiably so as they did not reach the fairway which was only about 30 yards ahead. In fairness to them many golfers will sometimes play what is called a “Breakfast Mulligan”which is an extra tee shot on the first hole when a player has not had a chance to warm up or hit range balls before his or her round. For comparisons sake an average tee shot, even for an new golfer, can minimally range between a 100 and 150 yards or more which would at least get the ball in play. At that point we knew it was going to be a long day especially after they took about six or seven practice swings on each shot and hit more than one ball for the same stroke on a number of other occasions during the round.

When I first learned to play I was schooled in the courtesies of golf etiquette. The meaning of “etiquette” is “Any SPECIAL code of behavior or courtesy,” similar in some respects to following decorum or protocol, both implying in a more general way the standards to be observed by one who makes claim to good breeding. My emphasis on etiquette may appear to be over the top but you will be there one day and my reasons will become clear as to why. I in turn emphasized the importance of golf etiquette when I undertook the task of teaching my significant other to play. To this day we both observe these courtesies and are not pleased when we observe other golfers on the course devoid of any golf etiquette. With golf there are many courtesies to be extended to your fellow golfers and one of the most important rules of golf etiquette is to manage your pace of play to keep up with the group ahead of you or at least within a reasonable distance behind. By the time we reached the turn or 10th hole there were at least two or three golf holes open in front of the group ahead of us. Golf is meant to be played and enjoyed by all so if you are just learning to play have consideration for the next golfer and maintain a reasonable pace of play by keeping up with the group ahead. On many golf courses, especially at resorts, there are rangers who monitor the course and when the course starts to back up they will courteously ask the players who are causing the hold up to kindly pick up the pace and keep things moving. We were so held up that by the 16th hole we called it a day even though we were playing well to that point.

On our last visit to Brentwood a few weeks before I shot an 85 which is not a particularly good score for me at this golf course. This past weekend on Saturday I made a minor adjustment in my swing path and it meant a world of difference in my game, which consisted of an eagle on the 4th hole par 5 and two birdies on 8 and 16. My front nine total was 38 and at the 16th when we quit on the back I was at 28 which meant if I bogied the last two holes, a par five 17th and par 4 18th I would have scored 39 on the back giving me a total score of 77 which was more in line with my expectations at Brentwood. Cathi also played well  and would have easily been in the mid nineties had we finished play. We had an enjoyable time again and look forward  to our next golf round. Remember to observe Golf Etiquette and enjoy yourself all the  more. Happy Golfing to All!

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In Part 4 of playing your first golf round I touched on the 1st tee jitters and some course courtesies or etiquette. After you have hit your ball on the 1st tee along with your fellow golfers the real game begins. I will continue to elaborate on some of the golf rules and etiquette of the game as we continue down the first fairway. Note : Etiquette is defined as the courtesies extended to your fellow golfers both in your group and on the golf course and to the golf course itself, ie; being quiet and standing to the side while another player is preparing to hit their shot, yelling fore if an errant shot is going off line and maybe toward another golfer, replacing a divot which is displaced during a golf shot, etc.. When all of the players have hit their tee shots you will go to the players ball who is furthest from the green on that particular hole first. The other players in the group or foursome, which is a common name for a group of golfers because the players are normally set up in groups of four, will stand off to the side out of the view of the player who is about to hit or address the ball. This will allow them to attain the maximum concentration without the distraction of someone off to the side talking or moving around , an important rule of golf course etiquette. You will all then proceed to hit your second shots in order of who is furthest from the green or away as referred to in golf lingo, while observing golf etiquette and no longer using a tee. The tee is the wooden or plastic accessory used to raise the ball to a desired height off the ground can only be used on the first shot on each golf hole. The subsequent shots must be played where they lie in adhering to the normal rules of golf. In inclement conditions , after rain or where there is standing water in the fairway or rough, the ball may be lifted, cleaned and placed so that a player is not unfairly penalized for abnormal conditions they may encounter on the course any particular day. There are also winter rules and ground under repair situations whereby you may remove and replace your ball in a new location, no closer to the hole, without penalty. When you become  proficient enough to play competitively or even join a golf club you must be careful to establish the rules and have everyone agree to the rules before you begin play or you may be called and penalized strokes or loss of a match because of an infraction of said rules.

When you approach your ball and prepare to hit your second shot make sure you remember to align your self to the target ahead. When the swing is executed properly many players will take a divot, which is a section of grass or turf and shoot it into the air as they complete their swing. Golf course etiquette dictates that the divot be replaced or a mixture of seed and fertilizer be poured into the spot where the divot was taken. Note: Many players, especially beginners will try to lift the ball with their club instead of hitting the ball with a descending blow which actually will cause the ball to rise up more proficiently, thus the reason the divot is taken. The correct swing for each person will come with practice under the guidance of a golf professional, whenever possible. A pro can help an individual attain a much more proficient swing in a much shorter amount of time than when self taught. You can learn yourself, as I did, but the reading and the experimentation process usually takes much longer than being taught by someone who knows how. After the second shot you will proceed to hit the ball until you reach the green , which is the tightly mowed area of grass around the flag stick or pin ( another name for the flag stick), whichever terminology you prefer. The ball will then be putted into the hole in the least amount of strokes possible, which will be discussed in Part 6.

The key to golf is to allow yourself to have fun and enjoy the game no matter what your skill level. Happy Golfing to all !

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