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Q: Dear Mr. Golf Etiquette,
My 13-year old son has a junior pass at our local public course. As part of the junior program there, a questionnaire was sent to each junior pass holder, which included an quiz covering rules of play and etiquette. A perfect score on the quiz entitles the pass holder to a $25 refund on the pass fee.
A question was asked regarding etiquette on the green, which I felt was subject to various interpretations. The true/false question states that, “a player must wait for his opponent or partner who is “out” to putt before he can line up his putt.” I feel the answer is false, as long as you are not in the line of sight or impeding the opponent in his effort to make his putt.
My son was also instructed by the Illinois Junior Golf Association, which he joined recently, that players should save time and speed the pace of play by lining up their putts while others were putting, as long as they were not interfering with the one actively putting. What is the official standard of etiquette in this situation???
Thank you in advance for your reply.
—Tom B.
A: Dear Tom,
Thanks for sending your question. The rule about who putts first, and the etiquette displayed to that golfer can sometimes come into conflict with the issues of pace of play. Certainly, as you say, as long as you are not interfering with a golfer who is lining up a putt, or actually putting, there is nothing wrong with lining up your putt in a way that saves time.
I think the real problem is that a question such as that should not be presented in a true/false fashion. It is open to interpretation and variation according to circumstances, as you have indicated.
This is a good opportunity to show your son how in real life, grown-ups can sometimes get it wrong, even when they are trying really hard. But even leaving real life aside for a moment, it’s especially true in golf!
Q: Dear Mr. Golf Etiquette,
Is it a breach of etiquette to remove your ball from the hole with head of your putter?
—Dave
A: Dear Mr. 4Words,
Yes, it is definitely a breach of etiquette to pull the ball from the hole using the head of your putter. There is a high likelihood that you will damage the hole and make it more difficult for those behind you to putt. That is one of those practices that looks cool when it is being done, but it is very bad form.
The only exception to the rule is if you are over 90 years old and you have one of those suction things on the end of your grip to take the ball out because you cannot bend over and pick it up – and everyone in your group is older than you so they can’t get it for you.
Q: Dear Mr. Golf Etiquette,
I am trying to discover the technical rules of playing honors golf. As in, who goes first off the tee, what happens when there is a tie, etc.
Can you help? Thanks.
—jon u.
A: Dear Jon,
This is an easy one. Under the most recent revisions of the Rules of Golf, Rule 6.4 determines the Order of Play. It isn’t too technical. On the first tee the first player is drawn by lots, from then on, the farthest from the hole hits, on subsequent tees the one with the lowest gross score hits first. If there is a tie on a hole, you go back to the one who had honors on the previous hole.
It is a good idea to review the rules at the beginning of each season – it’s amazing what you’ll find in there!
Q: Dear Mr. Golf Etiquette,
Player A’s ball is just outside of player B’s ball on the putting surface, basically right next to each other. When player A addresses his ball, he is standing on the spot (marker) of player B. How do you proceed? It is not fair for player A to stand awkward to avoid player B’s spot. It is not fair to give player B the honor because he (B) has earned the position to watch how player A’s put breaks (which actually is against the rules).
—T. J. B.
A: Dear T. J. B.,
The situation you describe is pretty easy to resolve. Basically, the Rules of Golf allow you to play out of turn to accommodate a situation like you describe, but you may not play out of turn in order to get a strategic advantage.
Q: Dear Mr. Golf Etiquette,
Where is the best place to stand on the tee box w/o distracting the player ready to hit? I have never been criticized for this, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been in the wrong.
Rule question: Isn’t an alignment aid a violation of the rules, so long as you consciously know you are doing it? Example: Casually dropping a club near your address position. Sure it’s just a club on the ground, no violation, but because it was strategically put there to assist you in bettering your next shot…. Rule violation! CORRECT?????
A:
The first part of your question is, the best place to stand during a shot (tee shot or elsewhere) is out of peripheral vision of the hitter. If you stand directly behind the hitter, make sure you are far enough back that the hitter will not be concerned about you on the backswing. If you stand directly in front of the hitter, or to the front/right (assuming a right-handed hitter), then be sure you are out of the sight range of the hitter and be perfectly still.
Sometimes, depending on the pace of play, you may be approaching the tee when someone is hitting and you may be out of the proper position. If that happens, just be sure that you STOP where you are and become “invisible.”
The second part of your question, about some ‘swing aid’ for aligning your shot or for any other benefit you might derive (such as a towel tucked under your arm to help with your swing path), is that Rule 4.3(a) prohibits those training devices. But if you casually throw something onto the ground to make it look like that is NOT a training aid, then you are not only violating the Rule, you are violating th3e Spirit of the Rule – which seems to Mr. Golf Etiquette to be a much greater infraction. So don’t do that!
Q: Dear Mr. Golf Etiquette,
I am seeking the correct definition of the term “Links” when applied to a traditional seaside golf course. I have read that it may refer to the area of land between the beach and cultivated land. Any ideas as to the origin?
I was attracted to your site by a web search looking for ‘links’ and stumbled across you site concerning the origin of Fore’.
Look forward to hearing from you,
—P. Martin
A: Dear Martin,
Thanks for stopping by the site and for bringing your question. Yes, the term links is an old one that derives from “links land” which is a description of the land that “links” the sea to the terra firma.
If you look in the Oxford English Dictionary you will see that one of the very first definitions of “links” that they give is: “Rising ground; comparatively level, or gently undulating sandy ground, near the seashore covered with turf and coarse grass.” The OED documents the first written use of the term in that context in the year 931.
So the origin of the term links probably pre-dates its association with golf, and was merely used to describe the land. The game came along later and was played out on the links.
Mr. Golf Etiquette loves the origins of words – especially those related to golf. He hopes that helps with your query and, once again, appreciates you stopping by with your question.
Q: Dear Mr. Golf Etiquette,
I have tried to find rules/etiquette relating to the ‘right of way’ for golfers from other groups hitting a ball into the fairway that you are playing on when the ball is not OB.
It was my understanding that, if this is done by the group ahead, then you should yield and allow them to play.
If this was done by the group behind you, they should yield right of way and wait for your shot. Is there an official and/or accepted practice for these situations?
—Bob
A: Dear Bob,
Mr. Golf Etiquette is not aware of an official rule on the topic that you have addressed, but he has always approached it the way you have described. It is sometimes hard to communicate with people far down a fairway, so using hand gestures can be helpful, provided the hand gestures are not the kind that start fights.
The important thing is to use common sense and be sure you are not going to do anything that injures a golfer down the line.
If someone in a group ahead of yours hits into your fairway (presuming the fairways are parallel), it makes sense to let them hit first so they can maintain a reasonable spread between the groups. If someone behind your group hits into your fairway, it makes sense for you to hit first for the same reason.
However, there could be so many variations and circumstances that could affect the situation, that there could be no hard and fast rule other than to use good judgment and let safety dictate.