For the past few years golf has seen a growing number of new players. Unfortunately, most are not being taught the rules and etiquette of the game. In this week’s article I’m going to go over a few things’ players should be doing before heading out to play golf.

1.Call the golf course pro shop for a tee time. Golf courses take reservations just like restaurants. A tee time is the time that you start your round. Not show up. Always arrive at least 15 minutes before your time.  You might want to purchase a drink to take with you or practice putting before you go out to play. If you want to hit the driving range to loosen up I would recommend arriving 30 minutes ahead of your tee time. Golf courses take tee times seriously and, if you arrive late, you will be asked to wait for the next opening. 

2. When you arrive at the course there is usually a bag drop-off area for your clubs to be taken to the starting area. A “starter” will tell you when to go to the first tee and begin your round. They also will tell you the golf cart rules of the day. 

Most days it’s what’s called the 90-degree rule. If your ball is 200 yards from the tee in the fairway you can drive down the cart path for 200 yards then at a 90 degree angle cross into the fairway. If the course had a lot of rain, the rule of the day would be CART PATH ONLY. That means the carts MUST stay on the paths as to not make tires and mud tracks on the fairways.

3. During a round of golf, you may see the golf course “RANGER”. The ranger is there to assist golfers during their round. Their job is to make sure players follow the rules of the day, assist if someone is injured, and make sure your group is keeping up with the pace required. If your group is slow and holding up players behind, you will be asked to speed up or let the group behind pass through.

 Asking questions about etiquette on the course will make your golfing experience more enjoyable.

Sale of the week in the Villa Roma Golf Shop 

FootJoy Tradition Golf shoes $150 now $129.