WHITELEAF GOLF CLUB

Basics

There is much written about golf etiquette, but if we could distil that literature into 5 key headlines for the well being of our course and membership, they would be as follows:

Avoid slow play
Keep to your booked tee times and keep up with the group ahead
Repair pitch marks on the green
Replace divots in the fairway or rough, use sand/seed from the boxes to repair tees
Rake the bunker after your shot

Avoid Slow Play

It’s important to note that many of the guidelines below have nothing to do with rushing your play, but rather with simply being ready to play, and with using common sense and good etiquette on the course On The Green

Leave your clubs convenient for collecting on the way to the next tee – not at the front or ‘wrong’ side of the green.
Clean your ball and look for the ‘line’ of the putt as your partners do the same. Be ready to putt as soon as it is your turn.
Leave the green immediately without marking your cards.
If you are closest to the hole it is your responsibility to tend the flag.

On The Tee

If it is your Honour, make sure you are first to the tee and play as soon as it is safe to do so.
Complete your scorecard for the previous hole while your partners are teeing off.
Leave the tee as soon as the last player has played.
When waiting on the tee for the group in front to clear the fairway, don’t be so strict about order of play. Let the shorter hitter – who can’t reach the group ahead anyway – go ahead and hit.
If your ball looks difficult to find, or may be out of bounds, play a provisional.

On The Fairway

If it will be you to play first. Make every effort to reach your ball first.
Walk down the fairway to YOUR ball briskly – ambling along is unfair to your partners, and every player behind you.
If your partner is to play first, then select your club, and be ready to play as soon as he/she has played his/her shot.
If your ball looks difficult to find, or may be out of bounds, play a provisional

General – All Play

Remain still, and keep silent when your partners are taking their shots.
Try to be out of the vision of your partners when they are taking their shots – in particular do not stand directly behind their swing.
In sunny conditions, be aware of the effect of your shadow, especially around the greens.
Work on building a concise pre-shot routine. If your pre-shot routine is a lengthy one, it’s probably in your best interests to shorten it anyway. Limit practice strokes to one or two at the most.
If you are playing in a three ball, and you all save 15 seconds on the tee, fairway and green, then you will reduce the time for a round by 40 minutes.

Remember, your speed determines the speed of every group behind you for the rest of the day.

Priority On The First Tee

Being a 9 hole course, priority on the first goes to players who are playing the 9th and about to continue their round from the tenth. In practical terms this means that if you see a group on, or approaching, the 9th / 18th green you should enquire if they are playing on, or finishing their round. Thereafter players take it in turns to tee off the 1st / 10th.Should there be a number of players looking to tee off from the first at the same time, then when the whole group (usually 3 players for a medal or stableford) is on the tee, one member can insert a ball in the ball chute and priority for teeing is set by the order in the chute.

Some other snippets

Medal / Stableford:

On the first tee the player with the lower/ lowest handicap plays first. Thereafter in medal the player with the lowest gross score on the previous hole will have the honour, and in stableford it will be the player with the most stableford points from the previous hole.For medal or stableford competitions you can only play as a 2 ball or 3 ball, for speed of play reasons. You will be disqualified if you try to submit a medal or stableford competition card having played as a 4 ball.

Matchplay:

On the first tee the player at the top of the draw has the honour. A visiting team to the club usually takes the honour also. Thereafter the player/pair who wins the hole takes the honour on the next tee.