Beginners Should Avoid These Common Etiquette Mistakes In Golf
In this video, Neil Tappin and Jezz Ellwood take a look at the topic of etiquette on the golf course. Whilst the term itself might seem a little old-fashioned, this is about making sure that you are considerate of your playing partners and the course. These are mistakes that most experienced golfers make from time-to-time but if you're new to the game, there will be a chance you don't know some of these.
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00:00Hello everyone, welcome to the London Club and this video in which we're going to take a look
00:03at the etiquette mistakes that tend to be made by new golfers.
00:07Now it's fair to say the word etiquette is fairly old-fashioned. What we're really talking about here
00:12are the things you need to do and things you need to avoid in order to be considerate
00:15of those around you. Now we're going to list out some of the mistakes and these are all things,
00:19I think it's fair to say, that myself included many golfers have made but if you're new to the
00:24game you are definitely more likely to make them. So let's head out to the golf course here at the
00:29London Club and get started.
00:39Being ready to play when it's your turn is absolutely crucial. It's one of those things
00:43that help keep the pace of play going so make sure that you've done all of your prep to play
00:48while somebody else is hitting. So understanding what the wind's doing, how far you've got,
00:51all of those things you should be making those calculations while others are playing so that
00:55when it's your turn to go, club in hand, ready to go. It's those simple things that can really
01:01help speed up the game of golf and everyone will be grateful for that.
01:10So we're on the putting green and this is where the ball is rolling on the ground rather than
01:13flying through the air so it's important just to give a little bit of consideration to where your
01:18playing companions are going to be putting from and do not walk across their line because
01:23yes this time of year, firm surfaces, it's probably not going to make a lot of difference.
01:27I would say what happened just in this video, no difference whatsoever but in wetter conditions it
01:32could make a bit of a difference and it's one of those things that over time you just learn
01:36not to walk along the line of your playing partners putts. Yeah or across it even so you're
01:40unlikely to walk straight up and down it but you might just absent-mindedly wander across so
01:44just be aware of where the other people in your group are going to be putting from
01:47and stay well clear of that line.
01:59Okay so I've tapped in, we've finished the hole, we're now ready to go to the next hole
02:04but you'll see that there is one bag on the left of the green, my bag over by the camera,
02:09the green to next tee route is that way. If I'd left my bag where Neil's is we'd be leaving this
02:16green a lot quicker and the people up on the hill they're waiting to play in would be able to do so
02:20much more quickly as it is I've now got to walk an extra 30 yards twice and then all the way back
02:25across the green and that can be infuriating to watch from up on the hill there. If you know the
02:30course reasonably well, you know where you're going to need to leave your bag, try and leave
02:33it at the point where you're going to be exiting that green so once you've tapped in you can be
02:38away as quickly as possible. And one other thing you'll see this quite a lot with relatively new
02:43golfers, they'll have a chip shot from over there, they'll have their bag over there, they're obviously
02:48going to have to have a putt after the chip shot almost certainly but they will go over there with
02:53the wedge, they won't take the putter with them so then they'll have to go all the way back to
02:57the bag to get the putter to then make the putt. As long as it's not tipping it down there's
03:02absolutely no reason why you can't take both clubs over there with you, rest one gently down,
03:06play the chip and then you haven't got to do another 70 yard round trip to get the putter.
03:14Okay so this is one that I'd say used to happen an awful lot when I was a junior golfer
03:21but happens a bit less now but is well worth knowing and that is that if you are a group on
03:26the golf course that's a little bit slower and you've got a faster group behind you, you should
03:30let them through Jez. Definitely especially if the course ahead is clear and you know you've
03:35effectively lost ground on the other players ahead of you, just move aside let them through
03:40and I think a lot of newer golfers are actually quite good at this because the thought of having
03:45people behind them fills them with some sort of dread, they don't want people to see them
03:50while they're not that proficient at the game yet so they're happy to let people through,
03:53others are maybe not quite aware of what's going on behind them. Exactly so always a good idea to
03:57try and keep play moving as quickly as you can but if you are a bit slower than the group behind,
04:02think about letting them go.
04:11That I reckon, get over, get over, that's wet, that's wet, no halfway across.
04:24I think that's the wrong club.
04:32Oh sorry Jez, sorry, sorry, sorry. So as golfers I think at times we can be a little bit over
04:45sensitive to noise Jez, what would you say? I think that's true, I think people would say
04:50you know footballers play in a cauldron of noise all the time but in football you're reacting
04:55to where the ball's going, in golf you're trying to get yourself in the right mindset to hit the
05:00shot so it's up to you when you start and if there's stuff that's distracting you. It's also
05:04a constant noise in a football stadium, well that's true, on a golf course it's quiet and
05:08then if suddenly I'm thinking if you jangle your clubs or you're rummaging around looking for a
05:12ball or a tee in your golf bag at the wrong moment it can really be off-putting so it's
05:18just a word of advice if you're a beginner looking to get into the game just be careful
05:21about the noise that you're making, make sure you don't do it when somebody's
05:25just tossing to take the club back it could really put them off.
05:36Oh stay there, stay there!
05:41I lost it, see it in the sun? Sorry, I was um I was just sorting the scorecard out I wasn't
05:49really watching, yeah sorry, sorry. So here's a scenario where you just need to be aware of what's
05:57going on around you we're playing into the sun it's never easy to follow the ball into the sun
06:02even harder when you've just hit it and your head is still coming up after the shot so you're hoping
06:06that someone in your group is going to be, everyone in your group is going to be following that ball
06:11as closely as they can so if one or two people are not watching and you've hit it a little bit
06:16wide your chances of finding it are going to be greatly reduced. It's very demoralizing that.
06:20Yeah it is it can be very demoralizing so just a little bit of courtesy and consideration
06:25you'd want someone to try and follow the flight of your ball
06:28so it's only right that you should also try and follow the flight of your playing companion's balls.
06:39Okay so playing golf outside you're often going to have shadows and this is about being aware of
06:44where your shadow is and what it's doing just as somebody's about to play so even if your shadow
06:48isn't over the ball of your playing partner if it's somewhere near and then you go and scratch
06:53your head that can be really off-putting. Yeah it can definitely you know not just on the green
06:58it might be the end of the day the shadows are getting long and you're all around the tee area
07:03and you've just be aware of where your shadow is because again you know you might say we're
07:07being oversensitive but just that little visual distraction can be enough to just throw someone.
07:12Bad shot at the wrong time and suddenly you're not talking to each other which is a little bit
07:15unnecessary so just be aware of what your shadow is doing. So there you have it that's our look at
07:20the most common etiquette mistakes. Now these are all things that as golfers we all make these
07:25mistakes from time to time but it's fair to say that you are more likely to make them if you've
07:29just started out. Hopefully this video will highlight what they are and help you avoid them
07:33next time you're out on the golf course and ensure that you're real joy to play with. But that's it
07:38for now from the London Club thanks for watching we'll see you next time.