by Golf Buddy

Those of us who play and love the game of golf know there’s nothing like it. You go to the course with friends on a nice and clear day, and no matter what’s going on at home or school, business or personal life, there’s nothing better than a round of golf to get away. Golf as we know is a known as gentleman’s game. A little common courtesy to keep the golf course in good shape can go a long way toward allowing everyone to enjoy the trip to the links. When you go to a golf course, think of the Golden Rule as one of many golf tips and apply it to the course: Do unto others!

Common courtesy is a big part of the game and players new and old to the game can either learn or remember simple things to keep the course and the game enjoyable to play for everyone. I played golf for fours years on my high school team and played in many games against other schools. The courses were often difficult and the players provided tough competition, and the last thing you needed was little things like you ball in a divot, or a shot in the sand that someone forgot to rake, or having to putt through unfixed greens, to add up against you and maybe affect the outcome.

We’ve all been to a course and have had it happen to us, when we’ve hit a good shot right down the middle of the fairway with our Nike golf club or our Cobra golf driver, and you’re thinking that it can’t get any better, but as you approach your ball, you see that its landed right in a big divot in the grass. You can’t possibly hit a good shot now. Replacing divots is so easy to do, yet I think it is the least done of the many things players can do to keep the golf course in good condition. The last thing you want is for your ball to land in a divot, thereby messing up your next shot.

Always remember that there are other golfers at the course. I often reflect on taking a divot in the grass after my shot on whether I’d enjoy taking a shot from where I just swung. To say I’d be irritated is an understatement. If the divot is pretty much intact, and which is probably a couple of feet away, if not closer, I pick it up and tap it back in with my foot. You don’t find people doing it, though it’s so simple to do this.

Another big thing is the sand. I always rake the sand after I take a shot out from the bunker. The only thing that can make an already bad situation worse is when you’ve hit a shot into the bunker, and the sand is all messed up. Some people excel at sand shots and are really good at getting the ball out, but that all goes away when the sand isn’t raked. Again, common courtesy goes along way here. Sometimes it can be a bit of extra work, to go find the rake, and physically go over all the sand to make sure its smooth again, but just think about it. You’ve just hit a shot from there, so have some sympathy for the next poor soul, who finds their ball in the bunker.

Littering is yet another problem for no one likes to play in a course that’s messed up. Not only do I throw trash, food wrappers, bottles etc in the garbage bin, I even pick up trash that doesn’t belong to me. This particularly applies to all of us is it’s quite effortless and something everyone can participate in. How would you feel if you had to take your shot on top of a plastic bag or with a can of soda blocking your shot?

Another of my golf tips is to watch out for is keeping the green in good shape. Don’t drive the golf cart on the green, leaving track indentations and misshaping the green. When you putt from the green, see if your ball made a dent in the green when it landed. I repair the little dents with my putter or a putting tool. Putting is tough enough as it is without those dents or tracks messing you up.

These are the things I follow when on the course. Considering that there are other players on the course, and the importance of courtesy and keeping the course in good shape is always on my mind. Applying the Golden Rule is treat others the way you want to be treated is on the links goes a long way in keeping golf a gentleman’s game.

About the Author:

Whether it’s the [1] Aliso Viejo Country Club (a private course) or the San Clemente Golf Course (a public one), [2] OC Golf Course has you covered with an in-depth look at how these courses look in reality.

Source: [3] Golf