What are your "unwritten" rules of golf?

[ctmurrray]

One's caddy is part of the players side. The side includes the player, his partner(s) and all of their caddies. There are situations in college and high school tournaments where a coach can be designated as being authorized to give advice to his players. But fellow competitors (stroke play) or opponents (match play) can never give each other advice about how to play a stroke. It's even a penalty to ask what club was used, even if your opponent doesn't answer.

Is is legal though to go over and determine what club they take out of their bag (best done on the tee box vs running across the fairway to figure this out). Some pros seem to cover their bags with towels or use other methods to disguise their club choice. Makes it hard on the commentators

[firstcut]

Watch your ball until it stops or you can't see it any longer. I usually play with my three best friends, and one of them never (and I mean never) watches his ball the whole time. He can be in the middle of the fairway and ask where his ball is. And sometimes, when we are not in the same cart, he will come all the way over to where I am, whether I'm getting ready to hit or not, and ask if I saw his ball.

Oh man.. Both of those piss me off. The guy who NEVER knows where his ball is and the guy who spends 20 minutes looking for his ball when it's 50 yards out. Gack!

[tjy355]

When your first shot doesn't go further than the women's tee box you are supposed to

This is why I always carry SPF 45 sunscreen in my bag!

[Dub]

When someone start their pre-shot routine everyone else shuts-up

Yup.....very good one.

Another thing for me and the groups I generally play is that it's okay to discuss yardages.....even laser or walk off for each other....but do not try to club other players....give the yardage and let them pull their own club. In addition, don't get all chatty about, "What did you hit....I'm hitting_____." The other thing is when there is some $$ at stake....don't ask for gimme's. Putt it out unless someone tells you it's good. Don't whine about it...just do it and move on.

[ctmurrray]

Is is legal though to go over and determine what club they take out of their bag (best done on the tee box vs running across the fairway to figure this out). Some pros seem to cover their bags with towels or use other methods to disguise their club choice. Makes it hard on the commentators

I looked this up further. It is a penalty to move this towel to determine what club was used. You cant do anything physical to determine what club was used.

[RMD]

What about the infamous "Texas Rule"?

[firstcut]

What about the infamous "Texas Rule"?

Which one is that?

I used to live there and they have several of their own rules out there. On the other hand, I sure do miss driving 300 yards+ on Texas fairways...

[mikelz]

Nobody between the markers other than the guy hitting the ball.

Watch the pros. They and there caddies are to the side of the markers (most always).

[bigoak]

my unwritten rules.

do not stand behind the person striking the ball.

do not move while someone is striking the ball

drive the cart to the fellow rider's ball from behind and allow the rider to exit the cart with his/her ball on that side of the cart.

don't carry on a long distance conversation with someone in another group.( if they can hear you so can everyone else)

don't laugh even if the shot is hilarious.

after 6-7 strokes and the green is no where in sight put the ball in your pocket until the next tee.

when you make a great shot or putt, act as if you have done it before.

[chingali]

Mine are all personal ones but they tend to rub off and get taken up by people I play with regularly. They are pretty much based around speeding up play and/or good etiquette.

• If the next tee is clear and you have the honour don't mark the card until after you have played your shot
• When walking up to the green try if possible to leave your bag in line with the direction you will walk to the next tee - saves having to go back 20 yards to get it and then retracing your steps
• If someone plays a greenside bunker shot and they are still away the person closest to the hole hence last to putt rakes the bunker for them
• Always repair your own pitch marks on the green and if you have a few moments to spare try to repair at least 3 others
• If you've played your last full shot on a hole and you still have sand left in your bucket repair as many unfilled divots as you can if it doesn't hold anyone up
• Always pick up any extra clubs someone may have brought up to the green with them if you have the time - saves them forgetting to pick them up and having to go back or even worse losing them

[mellojoe]

Don't think out loud.

I do this, and I think it has hurt the 4-some I've played with in the past. Some asks, "What's the distance on this hole?" and someone else says, "Oh, looks like 180."

And then I start going... "Ok. 180. But its a bit downhill. Lots of green behind the pin. Don't want to miss it short, cause of the bunkers there. Don't go left because the out of bounds runs along that side." etc. etc.

Those are my thoughts for my shot. But, if I say them loud enough, I know it gets into other people's heads. I've seen a guy pull out his 7i and then go back and pull a 6i, only to hit it over the green. I'm sure it had to do with my blabing on about "not wanting to hit it short". I'm training myself to keep my mouth shut. Even if they are good thoughts for MY game, its not fair to confuse others with my drivel.

[kregan]

1) Be polite to young and old, male or female.

2) I refuse to look for my ball for more then 90 -120 seconds if anyone is behind our group or if I am playing with lower handicap players. I just drop another take my penalties and play on.

3) Try and help watch everyones tee shot.

4) Never give advise about swing, club selection, etc.

5) Never talk politics with strangers on the course.

[Smallville]

Simple rules, really:

Have fun, it's just a game;
Keep up and play ready golf;
Don't think you're better than someone else (and that does not mean your playing ability);
Watch your playing partner's shots when possible;
Leave the course in better shape than you found it.

Good etiquette is a given.

[Octuple Bogey]

There is actually an official rule forbidding players from asking other players about club selection, presumably to prevent them from using the information for their own club selection. However, I do find it distinctly annoying when people, particularly strangers, ask what I hit on a par 3. Doesn't happen very often, but it always feels distinctly like they are asking, "So who is more masculine here, you or I?". It just seems kind of low class. Next time somebody does it on a 180 yard par three I'm going to tell them I hit a lob wedge.

My other pet peeve is people picking up putts. A lot of people would probably eviscerate me for this opinion, but I don't like it. I like to play a pure game and if I say, miss a short putt, and I see them pick up a three foot putt it kind of rankles me a little bit because it kind of looks like they've concluded that I've concluded that they are so good they aren't going to miss a putt that I just missed and I haven't concluded that at all. Even Tiger has about a one in a thousand chance of missing a three footer. I presume your weekend hacker has a rather substantially higher probability of missing that same putt. I'd bet it's closer to one in ten among 80s shooters like myself. They aren't fooling me, just making a mockery of the game.

[Lefty731PM]

1) Be polite to young and old, male or female.

And what would these penalties be????

Maybe you ought to familiarise yourself with the writen rules of golf. (I get your drift, though)

[telrod11]

Never question anyone's choice of club on a tee box,whether it be a driver or iron on a short par 4 e.g

Oh, I love to help "encourage" the use of a club! Especially if we are playing for money, and the guy is hitting driver when I'm hitting 5 wood!

[smith5606]

Mine are all personal ones but they tend to rub off and get taken up by people I play with regularly. They are pretty much based around speeding up play and/or good etiquette.

I would be happy to play in your foursom, anytime.

I would only add the following 1. After playing a ball out of sand bunker, clean your shoes before you step on to the green. 2. Congratulate an opponent after a good shot. 3. Don't hustle the cart girl. 4. Act like an adult. I am not interested in how you feel about your shot when I am four holes away and not a part of your foursome. 5. If you hit a shot into another fairway, hit it out quickly and without bothering the group whose fairway you are on. 6. Act like an adult (Wait a minute, I think I already said that.)

[Lemay427]

1. Play ready golf regardless of who got the best score on the previous hole.

2. I agree on the previous post about time limit if people are waiting on the tee or fairway and you cannot find your ball. Take a quick look, if you can't find it, drop a ball and play on. Never go back to the tee and rehit if you can't find it and it is presumed to be O.B.

3. Have fun