Etiquette

Etiquette is an integral part of the game, defining golf’s core values . It describes the manner in which the game of golf should be played to ensure all players gain maximum enjoyment.

In short, it’s about “respect”:

• Respect for the course – leave the course as you would like to find it by repairing pitch-marks, replacing divots and raking bunkers
• Respect for your fellow players – be sportsmanlike and polite, stay by the green to watch them hole out, and avoid distracting them
• Respect for the game – by knowing the Rules and etiquette of golf

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Bathgate Supports Ready Golf

Did you know? If each player in a four-ball takes 5 seconds less to play each shot, the round time can be improved by over 25 minutes.

“Ready golf” is a commonly used term which indicates that players should play when they are ready to do so, rather than adhering strictly to the “farthest from the hole plays first” stipulation in the Rules of Golf. The term “ready golf” has been adopted by many as a catch-all phrase for a number of actions that separately and collectively can improve pace of play. There is no official definition of the term, but examples of “ready golf” in action are:

• Hitting a shot when safe to do so if a player farther away faces a challenging shot and is taking time to assess their options
• Shorter hitters playing first from the tee or fairway if longer hitters have to wait
• Hitting a tee shot if the person with the honour is delayed in being ready to play
• Hitting a shot before helping someone to look for a lost ball
• Putting out even if it means standing close to someone else’s line
• Hitting a shot if a person who has just played from a greenside bunker is still farthest from the hole but is delayed due to raking the bunker
• When a player’s ball has gone over the back of a green, any player closer to the hole but chipping from the front of the green should play while the other player is having to walk to their ball and assess their shot
• Marking scores upon immediate arrival at the next tee, except that the first player to tee off marks their card immediately after teeing off

Note: “Ready golf” is not appropriate for match play.