The Tee Time is when your first stroke or drive is made from the Tee Box, so make sure you phone ahead to reserve your tee time and get to the golf course a good half hour early. Reserving the tee time a day ahead or even a few days ahead will assure you of getting the time you want, it all depends on which day and what time you choose.
If a tee time is missed, your group might have to wait around for another opening, which can take hours on a busy day. Tee times are not always required but having one is a good idea. Getting to the course early is an advantage for you; spend the time wisely by hitting a few balls on the driving range and putting on the practice putting green.
Know the Dress Code
Many golf courses have dress codes so you should inquire at the club house and dress appropriately. A pair of dress shorts or slacks and a collared golf shirt will almost always meet the requirements, but it is a good idea to check ahead of time. Golf shoes are usually not required depending on how private and upscale the golf course is. Golf gloves are up to the golfer, both golf shoes and gloves are an advantage to any golfer no matter how much experience they have.
Is Tipping required?
If you are just starting out you will most likely be playing at a municipal golf course where tipping is almost never an issue. If playing a private, semiprivate or upscale public course, you may have to tip the cart jockeys who carry your equipment for you to your vehicle or to your cart. You may also have to tip the beverage cart driver who brings you that cold beer or ice water, the tip amount depends on you or how classy the course is relative to the green fees.
Equipment Rules and Etiquette
There are some rules regarding golf equipment, the most obvious one is a limit of 14 clubs in each bag of each player. There is no minimum number of clubs which may lead a player to borrow a club, this is considered poor etiquette and golf rules dictate this unless there are acceptable circumstances. The best rule of thumb is when buying clubs get a complete set of 14 clubs, you will be very glad you did.
Your first time out you want to have lots of extra golf balls and tees, it is almost guaranteed you will be losing a lot of balls. Proper golf etiquette also includes repairing the course surface caused by you or any golfer for that matter. Ballmarks must be repaired using a ballmark repair tool and repairing the divot or chunk of sod you sliced out of the ground. Ballmark tools are small devices that can be found for a couple of bucks at most pro shops and are usually used on the greens.
So there you have it, some basic golf rules and etiquette you need to know before venturing out to the local golf course. The rules are usually posted in and outside of the clubhouse and involve using some common sense, dress respectably and leave the course the way you found it. The main rule is to have some fun!
Some golfers might think they got a good deal on golfing equipment when they found someone selling off a collection of drivers and some odd balls at a flea market. They though they got a heck of a deal when the person included a golf bag. This golf equipment might have been a deal if the golfer was going to use it for amateurish games in the backyard but the equipment did not conform to golf rules for play on a professional golf course and was useless to the golfer for serious practice.
Most people are not aware that there are various lists of equipment that does conform to professional golf rules. These rules pertain to the golf balls, golf bags, drivers, woods and tees. This list ensures that every golfer is playing by the same standards and is well equipped for a professional golf competition at any time. These rules also save people a lot of time because they are not out buying golf equipment that they can not use everyday to improve a golf average.
As long as drivers meet the standards of coefficient of restitution, they can be used for a professional golf competition. Some golfers make sure that they have the right equipment by buying equipment that meets this standard exactly. The custom made clubs meets the limits of the coefficient of restitution by making sure the driver head does not cause any type of spring to emerge when the ball is hit.
The limits of the of the coefficient of restitution will be changing soon and most golfers will find it very beneficial to their golf game if they ensure that all drivers and club do not exceed a limit of .830. This is a new standard that will apply to every golfer in 2008 and if golfers find some non-conforming clubs in their golf bag, it would be a good idea to beat the rush and order replacements as soon as possible.
The United States Golf Association maintains a list of all clubs that do not fall within the new specifications for coefficient of restitution. There is also a listing for golf balls that do not meet the standard and golfers should give these items some stern attention to detail because no golfer wants to be banned from a competition because they have illegal equipment in their golf bag.
Every golfer should be familiar with the way that a driver responds because this golfing tool is used most often on a golf course. The driver will know if a particular brand of golf ball has a lot of spin to it and some might prefer to keep that spin. Any equipment that causes a spin is likely to be a non-conforming piece of golfing equipment and should be inspected to ensure that it conforms to the rules that the USGA has defined.
Both John Whelan & James Brown are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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