Golf etiquette for your first round at a club

The one rule behind all of it

Modern etiquette sits inside Rule 1.2a of the Rules of Golf, which asks every player to act with integrity, show consideration to others, and take good care of the course. There is no separate penalty for bad manners: a committee can only disqualify a player for genuinely serious misconduct, so etiquette runs on trust and consideration rather than punishment. That is exactly why it is worth getting right from your first round: it is how the group around you judges whether you know what you are doing.

Pace: keep up with the group in front

Golf is meant to be played continuously and at a prompt pace under Rule 5.6. When it is your turn, the Rules recommend making your stroke within 40 seconds of being ready to play, usually quicker than that. In practice, keeping up with the group ahead of you, rather than the group behind, is the simplest way to judge your own pace. Playing "ready golf", playing out of turn when it is safe and sensible to do so, rather than strictly waiting for whoever is farthest from the hole, is specifically allowed under Rule 6.4b in stroke play and is one of the easiest ways to speed a round up.

Safety: call it before you hit it

If there is any danger your shot could reach someone, on your hole or the one next to it, shout a warning immediately. The traditional word is "fore", expected the moment you realise a ball is heading somewhere it should not. Standing well back and out of the line of play when it is not your turn, and never swinging a club when someone is close enough to be hit, covers most of the rest of on-course safety.

Looking after the course

Taking care of the course means replacing your divots (the turf your club takes with the shot), repairing your pitch marks on the green (the dent a ball leaves when it lands, allowed under Rule 13.1c), and smoothing the sand after you have played from a bunker, allowed under Rule 12.2b. None of these carry a penalty if you forget, but leaving the course scarred for the group behind you is exactly what etiquette exists to prevent.

Photo to followA correctly repaired pitch mark on a putting green, before and after

Photo to followA golfer smoothing sand in a bunker with a rake after playing a shot

Letting faster groups through

If your group is holding up the group behind, the Rules directly encourage you to let them play through rather than have them wait behind you hole after hole. It costs you a couple of minutes and saves everyone else's afternoon. On a busy course, offering it before you are asked is one of the clearest signals that you know the etiquette.

Phones and other distractions

There is no rule that names mobile phones specifically, but Rule 1.2a's call to avoid distracting another player's play covers the same ground: a call, a ringtone or a loud video at the top of someone's swing is exactly the kind of thing consideration for others is meant to rule out. Keep your phone silent, and step away from the group if you need to take a call.

For juniors and first-timers

Nobody expects perfect etiquette on your first round. Watch what the more experienced players in your group do, ask if you are not sure whose turn it is or where to stand, and treat every one of these points as a habit to build rather than a test to pass first time.