Nobody sits you down before your first round and explains the rules of golf society. You're just expected to absorb them through osmosis, like learning to parallel park or knowing when to clap at a concert. Most of us figured it out through a series of increasingly embarrassing moments.
Consider this your cheat sheet. No judgment. We've all been there.
The Stuff That Actually Matters
Let's start with the non-negotiables — the etiquette that exists for real, practical reasons and not just because some country club wrote it in 1923.
Pace of Play
This is the big one. The single greatest etiquette violation in recreational golf isn't wearing jeans or not raking a bunker — it's slow play.
Here's the rule: keep up with the group in front of you. That's it. That's the whole rule. You don't need to rush, you don't need to run, you just need to not fall behind.
Some practical tips:
- Start reading your putt while others are putting (from a respectful distance)
- Walk to your ball while others are hitting (if you're not in their line)
- If you've hit your max on a hole, pick up and move on
- Be ready when it's your turn — "ready golf" should be the default
A five-hour round benefits no one. Not you, not the group behind you, and not the course ranger who has to pretend to be nice about it.
Fix Your Ball Marks
On the green. Every time. No exceptions.
A ball mark that isn't repaired takes two weeks to heal. A ball mark that's fixed properly heals in two days. Every ball mark you fix — yours and the ones left by the person before you — makes the course better for everyone.
Carry a ball mark repair tool. Use it. It takes five seconds and it matters more than any other single thing you can do on a golf course.
Rake Bunkers
If you're in a bunker, rake it when you leave. Smooth out your footprints and your blast crater. Enter and exit from the low side when possible.
If you find a bunker that wasn't raked by the last person — rake it anyway. Golf karma is real and it's the only kind that seems to actually work.
The Stuff That's Nice But Not Critical
Don't Walk in Someone's Line
The "line" is the imaginary path between someone's ball and the hole on the putting green. Walking through it might affect the putt — or it might not — but it's considered disrespectful. Walk around it.
If you accidentally step in someone's line, a simple "sorry, my bad" is all that's needed. No one has ever started a fight over a footprint on the green, but a lot of people have silently seethed about it.
Stand Still and Stay Quiet
When someone is hitting, don't move, don't talk, and don't stand in their peripheral vision. This one is easy, and yet someone in every foursome seems to think whispering counts as being quiet.
It doesn't. Stand still. Be a statue. Channel your inner tree.
Cell Phone Etiquette
Keep it on vibrate. Take calls off to the side. Don't play music unless everyone in the group is okay with it (and even then, keep it low).
One exception: taking a photo of a great shot, a great view, or your buddy's terrible lie in the bushes. That's not just allowed — it's encouraged.
The Stuff People Think Matters (But Mostly Doesn't)
The Dress Code
Here's an honest take: dress codes at public courses are increasingly relaxed, and that's a good thing. Golf's biggest growth opportunity is accessibility, and turning someone away because they're wearing cargo shorts doesn't grow the game.
That said — if you're playing a nicer course, check their dress code before you show up. It takes 30 seconds to Google, and showing up in the right clothes is just basic respect for the venue.
A good rule of thumb: collared shirt, golf shorts or pants, golf shoes. You can look good without spending $200 on a polo.
Honors on the Tee
Traditionally, the person who scored lowest on the previous hole hits first. In practice? Play ready golf. Whoever is ready, hit. Nobody cares about honors at 8am on a Saturday. We're all just trying to finish before the thunderstorm at 2pm.
The Flagstick
You can leave it in or take it out. It doesn't matter. The rules changed. Stop having opinions about this.
The Golden Rule of Golf Etiquette
Here it is, the one rule that supersedes everything else:
Be the playing partner you wish you had.
Fast, friendly, encouraging on good shots, quiet on bad ones. Rake the bunker. Fix the ball mark. Wave the group behind you through if you're looking for a ball.
Golf etiquette isn't about rigidity or tradition for tradition's sake. It's about making four hours on a course enjoyable for everyone. You don't need to be a rules expert. You just need to be a decent human who happens to be holding a 7-iron.
That's it. That's the whole secret.
Now go play — and please, for the love of everything holy, fix your ball marks.