Post different course etiquettes please!

[NM Golf 542]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

My etiquette suggestion is simply to ignore all other balls on the golf course but your own.  Avoiding the anxiety of having to race to my ball before some clown in the other fairway picks it up assuming it belongs to nobody might be playing a bigger part in my striving to get better than simply shooting a lower score.

Every time I knock one into an adjacent fairway (currently, average a couple a round) I know there is a good chance that the group coming the other way is going to see it and at the very least linger around it for a bit wondering where it could possibly have come from.  Who gives a damn!  It ain't your ball, leave it alone!

YES! x2 for me. At least wait for the ball to stop rolling before you pick it up and put it in your pocket. "Look a brand new ProV1 in the middle of the fairway, it must be lost!"

[Jimdangles 7]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

My etiquette suggestion is simply to ignore all other balls on the golf course but your own.  Avoiding the anxiety of having to race to my ball before some clown in the other fairway picks it up assuming it belongs to nobody might be playing a bigger part in my striving to get better than simply shooting a lower score.

Every time I knock one into an adjacent fairway (currently, average a couple a round) I know there is a good chance that the group coming the other way is going to see it and at the very least linger around it for a bit wondering where it could possibly have come from.  Who gives a damn!  It ain't your ball, leave it alone!

I couldn't agree with you more. This pisses me off so much. I was playing dad miller once and somebody picked up our balls twice in one day and tried to walk off with them. Nothing in golf makes me madder than having to take a drop because some A-hole had to have my used nxt tour so bad it ruins that hole and at least a hole or two after.

[Beachcomber 204]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

My etiquette suggestion is simply to ignore all other balls on the golf course but your own.  Avoiding the anxiety of having to race to my ball before some clown in the other fairway picks it up assuming it belongs to nobody might be playing a bigger part in my striving to get better than simply shooting a lower score.

Every time I knock one into an adjacent fairway (currently, average a couple a round) I know there is a good chance that the group coming the other way is going to see it and at the very least linger around it for a bit wondering where it could possibly have come from.  Who gives a damn!  It ain't your ball, leave it alone!

We still need to get that round in over at RSJ.

[Golfingdad 2,084]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

We still need to get that round in over at RSJ.

Absolutely!  We can hash out the plans for the first annual TST west coast regional next year.

[ndb8fxe 3]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

On Par 3's... Specifically if it is a slow round and several groups are backing up on the tee box.  Once your foursome gets their balls onto the green - mark them and waive the group behind you to hit their approach shots toward the green.  After they are done hitting their approach shots from the tee box... Finish out and then go to the next hole.  This will significantly help the pace of play.

I've only seen this done at one course in near L.A.  It was a very slow course that I've played maybe 5 times at an average of 5.5hrs.  Having been through this process 5 times, I do not see how this helps anything.  If the object is to get through the par 3 hole as quick as possible, then maybe, but what you save on that hole you wait on the next.  I do think that this is a fast way to let a group(or single) play through, but I don't see how it helps if the group behind is going to stay behind.

[mdl 168]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

So waving the following group up on par 3s can save 2 hours per round? I'm not buying that. But if it's true, we should do it for all the par 4s and 5s too. We can finish 18 holes in about 40 minutes then, right?

Obviously not!  But I maintain it does contribute to slow rounds.

I don't have any experimental data or anything, so I'm not going to claim I have proof it speeds overall pace of play.  But I'm pretty sure it does.  Think about it this way.  If every group on every par 3 waves up the following group after everyone's on the green, then you have at least two groups actively playing on every hole.  If everyone putts out on the par 3s, that means there's 4 holes on the course where only one group is playing at a time.  That's going to add at least 20-30 minutes to your round.

Even if you don't believe that argument, as was replied to you above, it evens out the waiting times if the group in front waves up the following group.

[Beachcomber 204]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Absolutely!  We can hash out the plans for the first annual TST west coast regional next year.

Next week from a work standpoint is going to be a dead week given the Holiday mixed into the middle.  So if you want to get out - lets try and go next week.

[sean_miller 379]

Originally Posted by mdl

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean_miller

So waving the following group up on par 3s can save 2 hours per round? I'm not buying that. But if it's true, we should do it for all the par 4s and 5s too. We can finish 18 holes in about 40 minutes then, right?

Obviously not!  But I maintain it does contribute to slow rounds.

I don't have any experimental data or anything, so I'm not going to claim I have proof it speeds overall pace of play.  But I'm pretty sure it does.  Think about it this way.  If every group on every par 3 waves up the following group after everyone's on the green, then you have at least two groups actively playing on every hole.  If everyone putts out on the par 3s, that means there's 4 holes on the course where only one group is playing at a time.  That's going to add at least 20-30 minutes to your round.

Even if you don't believe that argument, as was replied to you above, it evens out the waiting times if the group in front waves up the following group.

In my experience it causes people to hit poor tee shots and causes people to rush their putts. It's annoying.

[Dan Garcia 0]

What are your opinions on how to properly fix divots?

My buddy that I play with always takes 3-4 practice swings and tries to take the same divot each time, which means after every stroke he leaves behind 2 or 3 divots. Usually identical right next to each other.

[VoidOfEnigmas 3]

Play ready golf, yell fore, and look to your left and right before talking loudly to mess up someone in another fairway. Had to wait 5 minutes to tee off last week after 2 carts came into the edge of our fairway looking for a ball yelling between each other. I wanted to punch them.

[LovinItAll 12]

What are your opinions on how to properly fix [s]divots[/s] idiots ? My buddy that I play with always takes 3-4 practice swings and tries to take the same divot each time, which means after every stroke he leaves behind 2 or 3 divots. Usually identical right next to each other.

With a bullet?

[sacm3bill 77]

Originally Posted by mdl

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean_miller

So waving the following group up on par 3s can save 2 hours per round? I'm not buying that. But if it's true, we should do it for all the par 4s and 5s too. We can finish 18 holes in about 40 minutes then, right?

Obviously not!  But I maintain it does contribute to slow rounds.

I don't have any experimental data or anything, so I'm not going to claim I have proof it speeds overall pace of play.  But I'm pretty sure it does.  Think about it this way.  If every group on every par 3 waves up the following group after everyone's on the green, then you have at least two groups actively playing on every hole.  If everyone putts out on the par 3s, that means there's 4 holes on the course where only one group is playing at a time.  That's going to add at least 20-30 minutes to your round.

If having more groups actively playing each hole helped anything, then it would help to wave groups up on the par 4s and par 5s as well, as Sean suggests. The reason that *doesn't* help is because the duration of the round is always going to be as long as it takes to get to the 18th green and putt out, and the only thing that depends on (assuming you're waiting on groups ahead of you, as is the assumption for the sake of this argument), is the speed of the slowest group in front of you.

Originally Posted by mdl

Even if you don't believe that argument, as was replied to you above, it evens out the waiting times if the group in front waves up the following group.

That may be true, however:

Originally Posted by sean_miller

In my experience it causes people to hit poor tee shots and causes people to rush their putts. It's annoying.

... *that* is definitely true.

[GlobalGolf 4]

1. Help playing partners look for lost ball - speeds up pace of play.
2. I usually stand anywhere the person playing a shot can’t see me – either behind them (out of line of sight) or directly across them.
3. First to putt out puts the flagstick back in.
4. Always rake your bunkers – nothing annoys me more than to be in a footprint.
5. Lowest score on previous hole has honors on next hole.
6. Definitely fix balls marks as well as a couple more – keep the course looking nice.
7. Fill divots with sand if it is provided.
8. Don’t jump in front of groups to the next hole.

[Timothy Voyles 4]

Originally Posted by GlobalGolf

Don’t jump in front of groups to the next hole.

This is will more than likely get you hurt one day. I know guys who take no pity upon those who choose to skip without asking. Usually the skippers are younger guys who just don't respect others and are at a course to get smashed and be at a course or member types who think they own the place. At least that's who I've seen skip around...

[jetsknicks1 89]

Originally Posted by GlobalGolf

Help playing partners look for lost ball - speeds up pace of play.

I usually stand anywhere the person playing a shot can’t see me – either behind them (out of line of sight) or directly across them.

First to putt out puts the flagstick back in.

Always rake your bunkers – nothing annoys me more than to be in a footprint.

Lowest score on previous hole has honors on next hole.

Definitely fix balls marks as well as a couple more – keep the course looking nice.

Fill divots with sand if it is provided.

Don’t jump in front of groups to the next hole.

Bolded^^. Not without asking permission. Played last weekend with a buddy from NY who hardly ever plays (Shot 138 but had a blast) Needless to say we were slow and had a twosome behind us. We motioned them to play thru but they very politely asked if we minded if they just skipped the hole (Par 3) and jumped to the next. Told them no problem, go right ahead.

[John King 0]

Originally Posted by Timothy Voyles

This is will more than likely get you hurt one day. I know guys who take no pity upon those who choose to skip without asking. Usually the skippers are younger guys who just don't respect others and are at a course to get smashed and be at a course or member types who think they own the place. At least that's who I've seen skip around...

Why is skipping a problem if they are catching up to you and the course is open in front of you?  I do not condone it if the course is backed up. I know if I have been stuck behind a group for more than a couple of holes waiting on every shot and they would'nt let me play through and the course is wide open if front of them, I am going to skip a hole.

[Fore Left 2]

Two things:

1)  Rake goes IN the bunker when you're done.... it's part of of the hazard.

2)  Flag-stick goes OFF the green  (or on the fringe) not on the putting surface regardless of how far from anyone's line it may be.

[turtleback 714]

Originally Posted by Fore Left

Two things:

1)  Rake goes IN the bunker when you're done.... it's part of of the hazard.

2)  Flag-stick goes OFF the green  (or on the fringe) not on the putting surface regardless of how far from anyone's line it may be.

The USGA disagrees with your point #1

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Every year questions arise on where to place bunker rakes and never has our course been able to reach a consensus. Should rakes be positioned inside or outside bunkers?

There is no rule on bunker rake placement and both are common. The USGA recommends placing rakes outside the bunker and parallel to the line of play, preferably along the outer edge of the bunker so that it will reduce the overall chance of it coming into play while eliminating its influence of a ball within a hazard. This is the protocol used for all USGA Championships.

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The rake is NOT part of the hazard under the rules.

And no one I know follows your point #2.  There is no problem laying the flagstick on the green carefully, IMO.