Golf Etiquette: Course Care

Without the golf course, there could be no golf. A good golf course is a work of art, carefully planned out and maintained to provide you with a great game and some wonderful scenery. With hundreds of golfers playing on it regularly, you can imagine that it takes a lot of work to keep it in good condition! As a golfer, it is good etiquette to do your own small part in making sure that the golf course remains playable. The second entry in our three-part etiquette series explains the golfer’s role in course care when it comes to the teeing grounds, the fairways, and the bunkers.

1. Don’t leave your tee behind. Once you’ve hit your drive, don’t forget to pick up your tee and dispose of it properly, rather than leaving it on the teeing ground. If you’ve broken your tee, make sure to pick up all of the pieces. If you see any other tees nearby, pick them up as well.
2. Fix your divots. For any beginners reading this guide, divots are the chunks of turf that are sometimes torn from the ground by your club when you take your swing. They are a very common occurrence and leaving them behind can cause a lot of damage to the course, so it’s important etiquette for golfers to repair their divots as they happen. Retrieve and replace the sod by pressing them back down into the divot.
3. Beware of wet roads. Don’t drive your golf cart onto soggy fairways – the cart will leave deep grooves on this wet terrain, which can affect the playability of the fairway. The grooves can alter the course of a landing or rolling golf ball.
4. Enter the bunker from the low side. The edges of bunkers can be easily damaged, so always enter from the low side closest to your ball. Never walk on the steep face of the bunker unless it is absolutely necessary.
5. Leave no trace. Bring a rake into the bunker with you, and make sure to rake the area after you’ve taken your shot. You should be aiming to leave no footprints or other marks behind. Leave the rake outside of the bunker when you leave.

Following these simple rules of etiquette is not only great sportsmanship, but helps to keep the game enjoyable for the players following you. We appreciate your efforts!