Golf is a carefully balanced game of rules and etiquette, and it’s quite important to know the basics of golfing etiquette before you go on the course to play your first game of golf.

It doesn’t matter whether you are playing alone, in a twosome or in a foursome, golfing etiquette demands that you must always wait your turn. You must remain aware of the group on the next hole and wait until they are well ahead of you before you hit your ball.

Golfing etiquette also means that it is never cool to “push” the group in front of you. If you are playing with others, wait for your turn to hit the ball; never hit at the same time as another player.

While you wait for your turn to play, go to your ball and determine what golf club you will select and how you are going to hit the golf ball with it. This is called “ready golf” and keeps the game moving along. Don’t rush anybody, just be ready for your turn.

Another useful piece of golfing etiquette, especially for novices is ‘playing through’. For example, if your team is holding up the players behind you, perhaps because you are playing consistently over par or taking a long time to choose your club, let them play through. You would simply wave them through, or if they are near enough to you, just ask them if they would like to play through. You will never make enemies by doing this!

When someone is taking a shot, you should be standing behind them and you shouldn’t make any noise! It is very distracting to be about to to tee off and just as you pull back, someone decides to jingle loose change in their pocket or noisily unwrap a bar of chocolate.

Replacing divots. Let’s say you are on the fairway and you hit the ball a bit thick and a clod of earth and grass goes flying, no problem, but golfing etiquette says that you ought to replace it. On some courses you just put the turf back into the hole and step on it to press it down, but on most courses, there is a sand/seed mixture on the course to put into the divot. Also, if your ball makes a deep impression when it lands on the green, you ought to use your divot tool to repair it.

As soon as you have completed a hole, replace the flag and leave the green as quickly and quietly as possible there may be another team teeing off at the next hole) so that the next players can play that hole. Count your score and write it on the scorecard as soon as you get back to your cart.

For sure, there is much more to golfing etiquette than this, but these basic rules of golfing etiquette will enable you to get around the course without upsetting anyone. If we all uphold golfing etiquette we will keep the game nice and friendly, or not?

If you are want to find out more about golfing etiquette, go along to our website on Golfing Tips for Beginners for stacks of free advice. Don’t reprint this exact article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.