Golf Etiquette

Golf has always been regarded as a gentleman’s game. Golf etiquette is the manner, honesty, and sense of politeness with which you play your game.

Here are some of the most basic examples of good golf etiquette on the green, and most of them reflect courtesy and your personality:

Golf etiquette requires you to be properly attired. Clothes may not make the man, but they certainly make the golfer, and no well-established player would come to the links improperly dressed.

Golf etiquette tells you not to bring a cell phone onto a golf course for the obvious reason that it may be disturbing to other players.

Walking on another golfer’s line (the route which the ball will travel from where it stopped to the hole) is not golf etiquette. Don’t step on it. Step over it. Better, walk around it. And that is golf etiquette.

Golf etiquette is not dragging your feet on the green, especially when wearing metal spikes.

Golf etiquette requires you always to keep a ball marker or coin in your pocket to mark (putting behind your ball) your ball’s spot on the green.

According to golf etiquette, you should pay careful attention to local rules, local notices regulating the movement of golf carts, and you adhere to local dress codes.

You must ensure that no one could be injured by the club, ball or any other object prior to playing a stroke or making a practice swing. Do not play until players in front are out of range. You must always shout “Fore!” when you hit a ball towards other golfers. This is golf etiquette!

You must always play, without delay, by keeping up with the group in front, not just ahead of the group behind. You must allow faster players to play through. If you believe your ball may be lost, to save time, you should play a provisional ball. When searching for a ball, you should signal the players behind to pass as soon as it becomes apparent to you that the ball will not be found easily. This is part of golf etiquette.

You must place your trolley or bag at a point off the green, near to your route to the next tee - before you put. This is another example of golf etiquette.

Golf etiquette requires you not to damage the putting green by putting down objects such as bags, or the flag-stick. You don’t damage the putting green by leaning on your putter. You don’t damage a hole by standing too close to it, when handling the flag-stick or when removing a ball from the hole. These are not examples of golf etiquette.

You must leave the putting green as soon as the play of a hole has been completed. You fill your score when you get to the next tee, not whilst standing on the green. This thoughtful consideration is golf etiquette.

You must properly re-place the flags-tick in the hole before leaving the putting green. This also is golf etiquette.

You don’t talk or move whilst your partners are playing. Stand well back.

You must always rake bunkers after use, repair pitch marks, divots, ball marks and spike damage.

In taking your practice swings, you must avoid causing damage to the course, in particular the tees. This is another example of golf etiquette.

Win or loose, golf etiquette says you must shake hands on the 18th hole, and then head for the 19th hole.

Always be aware of golf etiquette on the course. Golfers are good people, but even good people can have problem behavior at times. If you see flagrant disregard of golf etiquette, the issue become what to say and how to say it. Judgment and tact then become part of golf etiquette too. Remember, golf etiquette is golfing success. Golf etiquette makes the game enjoyable for everyone. 

Stephen Lau

Copyright © by Stephen Lau 

Golf Injuries (5)

Thumb Problems

The thumb of your lead hand is most prone to golf injuries during the golf swing.

If your hand is weak, you tend to grip the golf club harder.

Rest is the best treatment for most thumb injuries. Bandage your thumb to your hand for complete immobility.

Knee Injuries and Problems

Injuries to knees often result from the following:

    locking your knees during the golf swing

     over-active sliding knees during the golf swing

In addition, locking and sliding knees foul up your swings.

Maintain your knee health by keeping an eye on your knees during the golf swing.

In summary, increasing strength in your lower body and keeping your lower body limber establish the firm foundation on which the golf swing is developed, thereby instrumental in initiating the power and speed in the downswing. More importantly, strengthening your lower body and keeping it flexible is the key to preventing golf injuries.

Stephen Lau

Golf Injuries (4)

Handling Back Injuries

Prevent back injuries as much as possible. Once they occur, you may become more prone to their future recurrence. So take care of your back now!

Once you have sustained back pain, you cannot improve it by simply working through the pain. Consider the following:

Bed rest helps the recovery process. Trying to come back too soon to the golf course can aggravate the problem.

Immediately after a back injury, apply ice to reduce swelling and inflammation. Afterwards, apply heat therapy (a hot bath or shower).

See a physician.

Wear a brace for temporary support of your back.

The bottom line: ease yourself back into action with daily walking and other stretch exercises.

Neck Injuries

Neck problems related to golf injuries are often related to the spine. More than 90 percent of neck problems are due to:

     your poor posture

     unnatural bending in the cervical curve of your spine

Neck injuries occur when the following happens:

     head down to focus on the ball (pay extra attention to the setup)

     head up to enable the shoulders to turn during the swing

Neck problems may adversely affect other muscle groups in the upper part of your body.

Stephen Lau

Golf Injuries (3)

Hand and Elbow Injuries

Golf injuries in the hands and elbows are common, ranging from soreness in the thumb to swelling and pain in the fingers and wrists. Golf injuries in the hands and wrists may even lead to surgery. These golf injuries are commonplace because the hands are the only link between the golfer and the golf club.

Golf injuries in the hands and elbows are due to the repetitive use of muscles in your forearms, your elbows, your wrists, and your arms.

Causes of elbow problems due to golf injuries

The golf elbow syndrome occurs more frequently among senior golfers and occasional golfers due to the following:

weaker forearm muscles and tighter tendons as a result of age or infrequent use

tighter grip with more increased pressure on the golf club

higher frequency of swing mistakes, such as overcocking the wrists and lifting the golf club

Handling of your elbow problems

Let your elbows rest for a couple of days with no lifting and little bending of your elbows.

Apply ice to your elbows several times a day to relieve the inflamed tendons.

Use forearm braces, if necessary.

Preventing golf injuries in your elbows

With proper exercise and technique, you can avoid elbow problems due to golf injuries.

Reduce your grip pressure. A sound grip, which is a relaxed grip, is a healthy grip to avoid golf injuries. Tension in your hands often extends up our arms, to your chest and back, leading to potential golf injuries throughout your body. Lighten up in your grip!

Regularly change the grips on your golf clubs. Do not let your grips get dirty and become worn-out: regularly replace your grips; clean your grips as often as possible; wipe your grips with a damp towel before every round.

Regularly stretch your forearms to maintain the flexibility of the tendons in your elbow and wrists.

Stretch out and extend one arm in front of you chest as far as possible.

Flex your wrist as far back as possible.

Use your other hand to extend the stretch by applying pressure to your fingers.

 Hold for 30 seconds.

 Repeat with the other hand.

 The forearm stretch exercise can be performed anywhere and anytime, even during a round of golf. This exercise repeated regularly will significantly avoid elbow problems due to golf injuries.

Thumb problems

The thumb of your lead hand is most prone to golf injuries during the golf swing.

If your hand is weak, you tend to grip the golf club harder.

Rest is the best treatment for most thumb injuries. Bandage your thumb to your hand for complete immobility.

Stephen Lau