…And a Few Words About Etiquette

            Almost as important as the Rules of Golf to the spirit of the game is its etiquette, the courtesy and treatment a player should show to his fellow golfers and the course.

            Here are some of the things you should always remember and try to do when you are playing:

• Do not move about, make any noise nor stand in the line of play, behind it or beyond when a fellow player is making a stroke.
• Repair any damage caused by your play by replacing and pressing down your divots and smoothing out ball marks on the greens.
• Smooth the irregularities in sand traps where you have stepped and played the shot.
• Be certain that the players immediately ahead are safely out of range before hitting.
• If your shot is headed toward any other person, alert him immediately by shouting: “Fore.”
• Never drop any equipment or take any cart of any kind onto the tees, greens or any other easily-damaged area or into the sand traps.
• If the search for a ball delays a following group, signal those golfers to play through.  Wait, then, until they are out of range.
• Refrain from foul language or throwing of clubs or other equipment that might offend others, cause injury or damage the course.
• Finally, avoid slow play, which seems to have become the bane of the game of late.  Five- and six-hours rounds would not occur if players (1) saved much of their conversations for the clubhouse; (2) thought out their next shot and were prepared to play it when their turn came; (3) cleared their equipment and left the green as soon as the last player holed out, replacing the flagstick immediately and (4) studied their putts as much as possible while awaiting their turn but without interfering with another player.