Golf Etiquette Part 1 | Esquire Recruiting

Hi everyone! After a beautiful weekend, I wanted to discuss a topic that I have had lots of experience with: golf! Summer is always the best time to get back out on the golf course and hopefully you golfers out there can hit the course a couple more times before fall weather is in full swing . If you are not a serious golfer… this post is for you!

I went to a high school of 4,000 students so my parents pressed me to try out for a fall sport in addition to the soccer team in the spring. Showing up without ever swinging a club, I barely got the ball off the ground the entire 9 holes (which felt like 18). Luckily, the team was no cut so over 4 years I learned and grew in the sport. I was also able to get my score down drastically, although I’m not sure it could’ve gotten worse.

On Thursday I will discuss golf etiquette, but today I wanted to talk about some of the most basic golf rules if you have limited previous experience.

Dress appropriately: how you dress is often one of the first things someone will notice about you. For women, a longer skirt or golf pants and a collared shirt are appropriate. For men, nice shorts or pants, and a collared shirt. No backward hats or t-shirts. You want to look sharp the same way you would want to look polished going into work on your first day.
Don’t be late: this rule goes for most things in life, but make sure that you are respecting other people’s time. Be on time for your tee time. You should even go a bit earlier to get some practice in.
Turn off your phone and keep it that way: You should not be using your phone during your time on the course. Make sure that you turn it off or at least turn your ringer off. You do not want your phone going off as your partner is in mid-swing!
Keep your temper under control: Although golf can be a frustrating game, you want to keep your cool. You may be hitting the ball every way except the fairway as a beginner. No matter what happens, you want to keep your composure and keep going. Golf is a great way to see how someone can deal with adversity. So, after a bad shot, pick your head up, laugh it off, and get ready for the next one! Under no circumstance should you throw your club or start yelling and cursing!
Be careful on the green: On the putting green, you don’t want to leave your mark. If you make a mark, do your best to repair it (I’ll get into this more on Thursday). If you’re carrying your bags, place them off of the green. Lastly, when taking out the flag, place it down carefully.
Play farthest from the ball: Once everyone has teed off, whoever is farthest from the hole will hit next. This is a great rule of thumb. You’ll want to stay out of that golfer’s way and stay quiet. During this time, you should be thinking about your next shot.

This is just a beginners’ guide to a golf outing, but I will share more etiquette tips on Thursday. I hope you enjoyed it and come back later this week for more.

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