As per our weekly routine, on Saturday and Sunday my friends and I converged on our home course for a round at golf. Starting at 7:08 am, we enjoy the weather, the friendship and loads of fun as we walk the course. Our 3 hour and 15 minute round is often filled with jokes, jabs, laughs, and the odd barrage of colourful language. It is something that we all look forward too and rarely miss.

We have played together for years and sometimes this familiarity creates certain learning opportunities. Today, for instance, was a lesson on surrounding the player making the shot. I happen to be taking the picture, but I could easily be interchanged with any of my friends.

With a military competition coming up, we will start to tighten the rules, focus on etiquette, and take a bit longer to make our shots. But, for now all is normal. The picture below is definitely something that would not happen during competition. As you can see, all the players have stopped to watch one of the guys take his shot. The sun is still quite low in the horizon, so standing behind the player gives the best opportunity to track the ball.

Can I have a bit of space?

However, as I stated before, our familiarity and comfort of playing together for years does lead to the odd etiquette breach. As you can see, we have the shooter surrounded. Everyone is standing within 10 feet of the player and in his sight line. This type of configuration is not uncommon for us because the fellas were likely talking all the way down the fairway. We would not give it a second thought that something was amiss.

As we inch closer to the competition (in less than 2 weeks) all of us will be more cognizant of where we stand, how close to be to the shooter, and at what angle to stand of the player making the shot. We will focus on proper etiquette and make sure that we are aware of it during the competition.

The point to this diatribe is that etiquette is very important in golf. Understanding the finer points of where to stand, being ready to play when it is your turn, and not interfering with a player’s routine is quite important. The only way to fully understand the proper etiquette in golf is to ask questions and be aware of your surroundings.

Golf is a gentlemen’s game and etiquette is very important. Arnold Palmer has identified 10 important etiquette points that are good to know. If you have any other questions about etiquette, drop me a line. I will find you the answer.

I am a grateful golfer. See you on the links.