Golf etiquette comes down to four habits: be safe, be ready, look after the course and treat everyone with consideration. The Rules of Golf set the standard in Rule 1.2a: play with integrity, show consideration for others and take good care of the course. Clubs add their own dress codes and customs on top.
This page paraphrases the 2023 Rules of Golf, published jointly by The R&A and the USGA. It is not their text and it is not an official interpretation. Read the Rules at randa.org. Nothing here is the code of any particular club, and clubs differ.
Safety first
- Check before you swing. Make sure nobody is within range, in front of or beside you, before a practice swing or a stroke.
- Call "fore". If your ball is heading towards anyone, shout loudly and at once. Rule 1.2a names this warning itself.
- Stop for lightning. When the organisers suspend play immediately, for example for lightning, nobody may make another stroke until play resumes (Rule 5.7b(1)). If you reasonably believe there is danger from lightning, you may stop on your own and report it to the organisers (Rule 5.7a). Do not finish the hole.
- Stay out of the line. Do not stand close to a player making a stroke, or where they could hit you.
Pace of play
- Be ready. Choose your club and take your practice swing while others play, as long as you do not disturb them.
- Ready golf. In stroke play, a player who is ready and can safely play may go ahead out of turn (Rule 6.4b(2)). Otherwise, once everyone has teed off, the ball farthest from the hole is played first (Rule 6.4b(1)).
- About 40 seconds. The Rules recommend a stroke take no more than about 40 seconds once it is your turn and nothing prevents you (Rule 5.6b(1)).
- Three minutes to search. After that, the ball is lost (Rule 18.2a(1)). If it might be lost outside a penalty area or be out of bounds, play a provisional ball, telling someone first that it is a provisional (Rule 18.3b).
- Keep up. The aim is to stay close behind the group in front. If you lose a clear hole, or are searching, invite faster players through; the Rules encourage it (Rule 5.6b).
- Leave the green promptly. Put your bag beside the green on the way to the next tee, and write the scores at the next tee.
Care of the course
- Replace divots and press them down, or use the sand and seed mix if the club provides it.
- Repair ball marks on the green, yours and any you notice. The Rules allow repair without penalty (Rule 13.1c(2)).
- Rake bunkers. Smooth the sand, including your footprints, and leave the rake where the club asks. A rake is a movable obstruction you may move without penalty (Rule 15.2a).
- Keep wheeled equipment off tees, collars and greens, and follow signs.
- Do not damage the ground with practice swings or by throwing clubs.
- Walk lightly on the green. Lift your feet and keep off other players' lines.
Conduct
- Quiet and still when another player is about to play.
- Phones on silent, and no calls on the tee or the green. Many clubs limit phone use more strictly.
- Honest scoring. You are responsible for the score on each hole and for applying the Rules to yourself (Rules 1.3b and 3.3b). Your marker certifies it too.
- Do not agree to ignore a Rule. Players who knowingly agree to ignore a Rule or penalty, once any of them has started the round, are disqualified (Rule 1.3b(1)).
- Temper. Swearing and club-throwing show poor consideration for others. The organisers may disqualify a player for serious misconduct, and may set lesser penalties in a Code of Conduct (Rules 1.2a and 1.2b).
Dress codes
Dress codes belong to each club, and the safe habit is to check the published code before you go. Commonly asked for:
| Item | What clubs commonly ask for |
|---|---|
| Shirt | collared, or a smart collarless top where permitted |
| Trousers and shorts | tailored golf trousers or shorts; denim, cargo styles and athletic wear are often excluded |
| Shoes | golf shoes, usually soft spikes; many clubs ban metal spikes; changed in the locker room |
| Hats | cap or visor outside; traditionally removed indoors |
| Weather | waterproofs and layers in poor conditions |
If you are not sure, dress a notch smarter than you think you need. You can remove a layer, but you cannot add one you did not bring.
What to wear to a country club
The same list applies. Ask the club or your host, and ask in writing if you want a record. Do not rely on what a club in another town expects. For a first visit, a plain collared shirt, tailored trousers or shorts of a conservative colour, golf shoes, a belt and a rain jacket cover most codes.
If you are a guest
- Ask your host about the tee time, fees, dress and rules, in advance.
- Arrive early enough to check in, change and warm up.
- Introduce yourself at reception and say whose guest you are.
- Follow the club's rules as if they were your own club's.
- Thank your host and the staff afterwards.
If you are the host
- Tell your guest the code in advance.
- Settle fees privately.
- Introduce your guest to the group.
- Watch the pace: your guest's round is your group's round.
In the clubhouse
- Change shoes in the locker room.
- Keep voices low and phones silent in dining areas.
- Follow the club's rules on jackets, hats and the bar.
- Thank the staff.
Marking a card
In stroke play, the marker records your score on each hole and certifies the card. You check each hole's score, then certify (sign) the card and return it promptly. A hole score lower than the one you took means disqualification; a higher one stands (Rule 3.3b). The best moment to settle a disagreement is on the green, before anyone writes it down.
Where to practise it
Elected Golf's Club Book walks through pace, the course, guests and dress, and marking a card in four short chapters, with a Rules and etiquette paper (25 questions drawn from a bank of 60) to test them. The 28-day golf practice plan builds the habits in on the course.