Whether you're a first-timer astatine your vicinity links aliases readying to sojourn 1 of the world's most prestigious play courses, pursuing due etiquette is imperative.
Business Insider asked PGA pros and people labor astir the biggest mistakes group make astatine play courses — and really they tin be much respectful players.
Here's what they said.
Spending clip watching shots erstwhile you want to support things moving
Justan Johnson, a PGA play coach astatine East Potomac Golf Links and the proprietor of Blue Golf Performance successful Washington, DC, told BI that he doesn't for illustration it erstwhile golfers discarded clip watching different players' shots land.
"Instead, they should beryllium playing 'ready golf' — meaning opinionated astatine their shot quietly, without distraction, preparing for their adjacent changeable while their partner is hitting," he said. "As soon arsenic their partner's changeable lands, they should beryllium hitting their changeable successful the adjacent 20 seconds."
Johnson added that keeping things moving tin prevention astir 30 minutes a game.
Breaking the dress code
Erika Larkin, the head of instruction astatine Creighton Farms play club successful Virginia, told BI that players should ever salary attraction to a play course's dress code.
Wearing things for illustration jeans, vessel tops, and backward hats tin beryllium seen arsenic disrespectful.
"Golf has ever been a crippled astir people and integrity, truthful it's champion to deterioration due attire for illustration a collared garment pinch play shorts aliases a skirt," she said.
Forgetting to repair your marks connected the green
Another classical faux pas is leaving shot marks connected the green, which tin messiness up different players' putts.
"A elemental norm of thumb is 'make one, hole four.' When you attack a green, hole your shot people and different 3 shot marks pinch your divot tool," Johnson said.
Arriving precocious for your tee clip
Jason Crawford, PGA caput play master astatine Massanutten Resort successful Virginia, told BI that being connected clip is important erstwhile heading to the play course.
"Check successful 20 minutes earlier your tee time," Crawford said. "Tee clip intends starting the first spread astatine your time. If you statesman aft your tee time, you propulsion disconnected the hit of the people for everyone."
He added that beginners should take tee times later successful the time to bask a much relaxed gait — golfing down veterans who deed the links early tin consciousness rushed.
Letting your vexation get the champion of you
Crawford said that nary matter really disappointment you are pinch a shot, letting your anger retired successful evident ways disrupts the vibes connected the course.
"Avoid letting vexation return control," he told BI. "Throwing clubs and cursing not only disrupts your crippled but besides affects others' enjoyment."
Dangling your ft extracurricular the play cart while it's successful motion
Don Rasmussen, lead coach astatine Circling Raven Golf Club's academy successful Idaho, said players shouldn't misuse golf carts — particularly while successful motion.
"We person had a mates of golfers that dangled their legs," he told BI. "The consequence ended poorly arsenic they some caught their ft connected a railroad necktie and caused a spiral break successful their little leg."
Like pinch immoderate moving vehicle, support your assemblage parts wrong of it erstwhile it's successful mobility and run it pinch care.
Driving autochthonal writer disconnected the green
People should only thrust play carts connected the paths on the links. Venturing disconnected into native grasses to the sides of the greens isn't a bully idea.
Rasmussen said driving off-path tin origin the carts to unopen down automatically astatine immoderate courses.
"You will look beautiful funny being the personification pushing your cart backmost into the normal people of play," he told BI.
Playing euphony excessively large … aliases astatine all
It mightiness beryllium tempting to bring a Bluetooth speaker retired connected the people for a nosy day, but Johnson advised against it.
"In a business setting, the incorrect opus could destruct a narration aliases moreover a deal," he said. "Keeping your measurement to a level that doesn't distract aliases offend your playing partners but you tin still bask is best."
Placing your play container — aliases thing perchance damaging — connected the putting green
One of the simplest ways to get barred from a play course is to harm the green, sloppy of whether it's intentional.
"If there's immoderate ineffable crushed connected the play course, it's the putting-green surfaces," Johnson told BI. "They're mowed debased and rolled to beryllium arsenic soft arsenic imaginable for maximum enjoyment. One scrape connected a greenish could alteration the guidance of someone's putt, causing it to miss."
One awesome measurement to debar this is by ne'er placing your dense play bags connected the green. It's a awesome faux pas that "can harm the greenish and create a distraction for the players successful the group," Larkin said.
All successful all, beryllium respectful toward your surroundings connected a play people arsenic you would beryllium anyplace else.
This communicative was primitively published connected August 26, 2024, and astir precocious updated connected September 2, 2026.
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Alyssa Towns Swantkoski is simply a contributing writer for Business Insider.
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