After reading another topic about etiquette I realized that I am quite ignorant about the whole topic. Or at least I think I am ignorant on the topic. So here's the crux of the question, what is good etiquette? I know that I should:

1) Be quiet while someone is swinging or putting. But shouldn't I be able to talk when we are in the cart moving to the next hole or next shot?
2) Be careful to not walk in someone's putting line. Or even a few feet after the hole.
3) Not take the glove off during someone's swing or putt.
4) Replace the divot. Especially if I took too much Mother Earth.
5) Fix my ballmark on the green.
6) Rake the bunker.

But I don't know where to stand so that I am not distracting someone AND I can help them find their ball. Do I stand on the side? Behind them? Currently I try and stay 15 feet behind them on the tee box (we are not playing from the tips) so I can still watch their ball for them.

So, can you all help me?

Official USGA guide on etiquette.
http://www.usga.org/playing/etiquette/etiquette.html

Thanks for taking the time to think about etiquette.
Playing with someone who is ignorant to the rules of etiquette can ruin an enjoyable round for your own flight and others.

You also might run into a few guys that have a "thing" about where you stand while they putt or swing. It gets annoying but most of the time they're the same guys that never hit a abd shot-something or someone always messes them up.

I would never stand directly behind them, even if it is 15ft. I can tell you this is distracting to me to see someone in the corner of my eye while I am hitting or putting. You should stand to the side of them. The part about walking in someones line, even on the other side of the cup is about the through line. If the person misses the putt, it will go past the hole. They don't want you walking in that area. This will not always be directly behind the hole. You should just try to stay a good 5-10 ft away from the cup whenever possible. If you're not sure about where the the persons line or through line is, ask them.

Basically, etiquette is just about being considerate of your playing partners and other golfers that come after you. Anything else that bothers people is usually just a personal thing.

For any golf shot , including putts, you will always be fine when facing the player striking the shot.
The player cannot see you when you stand in this position.

I think a good rule of thumb is either be able to see a persons back or chest. Stay 45 degrees withing that and you should be fine. The easiest thing to do is pay attention and everything is good. If something bothers you just politely ask the person to stop. Thats how I would want to be told. Don't let somebody keep doing something that is questionable against etipuete because you wouldn't want to be that guy and nobody wants to tell you or alteast thats how I have alwasys felt about telling something they might change this or that.

i know it can sometimes help to speed play, but i hate, HATE, it when any member of a foursome walks away from the green to a cart or elsewhere before i or anyone else has finished putting out, even if my 6 footer is gonna leave me a gimmee at worst, when you walk away it tells me you dont care about my or anyone elses play or that you think my strokes dont matter/count which is disrespectful to the spirit of the game, imho, plus it makes me feel rushed which does nothing for my putt

I agree. There are very few more disrespectful things you can do.

-mini

Don't talk to my ball

Could it be that they are walking away because you are playing too slow? The best way to lead is by example.

no, when it happens its not just to me usually and is irregardless of when its my turn to put, 2nd or last, just usually sort of an "im done, off to the cart to wait" type thing or so, i always have my line decided and ready to go at the drop of the previous players ball...

Thanks for the tips guys.

Nice post....

Here are the ones that come to mind for me.

Don'ts -

1. Spitting on the tee box or green. Especially sunflower seeds or tobacco.
2. Smoking on the tee box or green - burn marks on either.....Bad!!!
3. Casting a shadow on my line while I putt, watch where you are standing please.
4. Practicing your swing while I'm swinging.
5. Clanking clubs around in your bag while I'm teeing off.
6. Asking me " is that good?"
7. Not repairing pitch marks.

Please do -

1. Repair your pitch mark and one other on the green.
2. Rake the bunker with style.....its not a pile of dead leaves!
3. Show me your ball prior to teeing off.
4. Acknowledge a great shot.
5. Introduce yourself and your playing partner.
6. Have nice conversation while we play the game we love for 4.5 hours together.
7. After putting out on 18, remove your hat and sunglasses, shake my hand and say" Thanks for the nice round..." (and mean it.) Extra points if you suggest we go to the pub and have a pint together.

Cheers.

What SpinMill 75 said was perfect.........make mine a cold lager please.....

Point to point......and very much old school.........just my two cents....

1) Be quiet while someone is swinging or putting. Yes.....Once they address the ball....till they follow through....
2) But shouldn't I be able to talk when we are in the cart moving to the next hole or next shot? Talk as you will....
3) Be careful to not walk in someone's putting line. Or even a few feet after the hole. Good practice is to stay 2m off there line and a minimum distance from the hole...standing on someone's line to get a read of the putt..is considered by many to be a bit of a cheat....or not good sportsmanship.....standing at 45 degrees from them away from the hole will usually give you a good read anyway......
4) Not take the glove off during someone's swing or putt. Certainly dont rip the velcro....but not fidgeting during the swing in any way is often appreciated.
5) Replace the divot. Especially if I took too much Mother Earth. Leaving the course in as good as original condition as essential.
6) Fix my ball mark on the green. Absolutely...and others as well if in proximity....
7) Rake the bunker. Also a must..

Will also add being ready to play when its your turn by doing all your pre shot thinking beforehand makes for good time and rhythm.

Leaving the green before everyone has putted out is deliberately done to distract/annoy in most situations.....here in Asia...it is the norm because of gambling.....my response is to pick the ball up as soon as there back is turned and say i made the putt.... they don't do it again.....

What about someone practice swinging towards you on the tee box. I had a buddy of mine do this one time, he was swinging his driver towards me (opposite direction of the hole). I asked him not to do this as he could gouge up a divot and put my eye out or his clubhead could come off. He just kinda mumbled something and acted like I was some kind of a-hole the rest of the day. Haven't seen much of him since. Has anybody ever had someone do this and what did you say to 'em?

Watch your shadows so they don't get over people's balls or putting lines. And turn off or silence the cell phones. Better yet, leave them in the car.

From the USGA site, this is one of my pet peeves: "On the teeing ground, a player should not tee his ball until it is his turn to play."

I've never understood why people would tee their ball then walk away while others hit first.

I also dislike it when people walk away after they putt but others still have to putt. But what about if you pick up on a hole? I was in a tournament the other day with a triple-bogey limit. I hit one in a hazard and my next OB, so I picked up. Once my group got to the green, I went over to the restroom/water fountain at the next tee, then walked back to the green while the group putted. Should I have stayed at the green?

Here's a few I try to adhere to:

Fix your ball mark, and at least one other

Replace your divot, and at least one other

Don't fire up and/or move your golf cart when someone
is set up over their shot.

One hole is fine, especially if you're taking care of business. However, there are plenty of jerks on the golf courses who on most every hole putt out and then leave the green while the balance of their group is still playing.

If that's the case, I agree with you. But I walk when I play. Sometimes I play in a group where the other players are very slow. I will mention that we need to speed up a couple of times. But if that does not happen, I typically will walk towards the green before others have hit. Just to try and pull the people with me to get them moving. That's the only way I have been able to actually speed people up.

Thanks for the nice compliment Bee-man......If you ever make it to my neck of the woods, the lagers are on me.

Cheers.

This is a tough one for me! When I walk I am always trying to get a head start,I walk slow enough that I need to get a little advantage. I walk slow but like to finish in under three and half hours.So what is worse leaving the green early or slowing everbody down? When I ride I have no issues,I even tend the flag when I have to pick up on the triple bogey rule! Todd

i think its fine to start making your way up the fairway to the green as others continue to hit, just when consistently leaving the green early it irritates me...another poster mentionned it was common in asia, and its funny b/c i just recently played in asia (philippenes) and this is where i noticed it most and prolly struck a nerve, whats odd is the pace of play over ther seemed so much slower and less rushed to begin with...

In general, cheating is considered bad etiquette, even if it's in response to someone else's bad etiquette.

Definite DO.

I fix as many as I can, as long as its not slowing up play. My home course over-books big time on the weekends and the greens get trashed. I would say that 70-75% of the players don't fix their marks and another 10% don't do it properly. They guys in my group feel the same way - so we get 8-10 marks repaired every green and it doesn't bother us one bit.

+1 picked this tip up on this forum and it helped me figure out where to stand.

Can't argue with much that has been said, but I did want to add one thing: flag placement when you are on the green.

I'm not sure what makes them do it, but guys who drop the flag either 3 feet from the hole, or tight along someone's putting line, or somewhere where if someone cooks their putt a little it might hit it. Some of us do play under that thing called the rules, where it's a two-stroke penalty for hitting the flagstick with a putt. When you grab it, place it somehere that no ones putt could possibly find it(it sometimes seems hard but here is always a spot), and is not in view where the person might be thinking about it.

I always feel like a prick asking someone to move the flagstick, bu frankly, it shouldn't even come to that. Sometimes it even needs to be set down off the green.

Oh, and drop it softly, don't let it fall from anything more than a foot.

You shouldn't be standing anywhere in which they can see you with their peripheral vision. You shouldn't stand directly behind them (to the right of them, that is) either. You can easily follow the ball if you're off to the side.

Sure, you can talk during the round. Just be aware of when the person is in "shot mode", and stop talking at that point. One of my main annoyances is when someone is talking when I'm lining up my shot, and when I'm getting over the ball. At that point I'm in my preshot routine and I'm trying to concentrate. If you're in a cart, figure when you're in the cart you can talk, but when the player pulls their club, stop talking (unless you're standing around waiting for the group in front of you).

Fix your ballmark, and while you're at it, fix another.

One other thing that you might not be aware of is when someone is hitting a chip or bunker shot, don't stand directly in line with the pin. I don't mind when I'm chipping, but if I'm hitting a bunker shot, I'll ask the person to move. I don't want to blade one over and hit anyone, and with that thought it mind, it may screw me up.

Finally, don't worry about making mistakes. Everyone does once in a while, and if you're a newbie, you'll make them more often than not. As someone who plays with a lot of strangers, it's really the effort that I care about. If someone walks in my line, but realizes they screwed up, it's no big deal. But if someone is basically tap dancing in it, and doesn't CARE, then it's annoying.

Amen. I understand that you're probably trying to be a good sport when you say "get left, get left" on a drive that starts to the right but looks like it might draw back to the middle of the fairway, or "run, run," on a thin shot that needs to keep rolling to get up to the green. But there's a fine line - when I hit a miserably bad shot (i.e. - blade a pitch or chip that goes sailing across the green) and you say "bite, bite", you're just patronizing me. We both know it was a bad shot, we both know the ball doesn't have a chance in hades of "biting" or "checking", so just let the ball roll and be quiet while I go to my next shot. Talking to my ball for a little extra encouragement on a shot that has a chance to be a good shot is fine. But talking to it when we both know it was a miserable shot isn't any good for anybody.

Don't forget about spitting in the cup either. I hear even some pros have a hard time with that.

Oh man, I'm so guilty of talking to golf balls. I know it's a problem, and I try not to do it, but this is one habit I cannot break myself of! Sorry guys!

But think of this: At least it doesn't actually AFFECT the ball.

This has probably been mentioned, but it irks me to no end when someone else gives me a gimme 3-4 foot putt and picks my ball up and tosses it to me! I know it's done in good faith, but still, I like to putt my balls out! lol.

This is hardly a matter of etiquette, but rather your personal pet peeve. There is a big difference.

Secondly on where to stand. I noticed at the tournament I went to this year that the pro's almost always stand directly in front of the player, about 4-8 ft away depending on the size of the tee box. (likewise with the caddies) But the biggest item here is to not fidget or move around. Some guys just can't seem to hold still! In any case, the safest place is in front of the player, so he can't see you when he addresses his ball.

Interesting point.

I always wait for other to put out, before I go on towards the next tee box - but if I happen to be playing an awfull hole and have to pick up, the hole is FINISHED BUSINESS for me - and I walk as fas t as I can, without bothering the other players, DIRECTLY towards the nesxt tee box.

It's a psychological thing for me. Once I pick up on a hole, the hole is finished busines for me. I need to move on to forget it, otherwise it will haunt me for the rest of the round.

This is the only situation in golf, where I leave the group I'm playing with and join them again on the next tee box. I use the mean time to clean my ball, focus on the next hole, practice a few swings and loosen up, so my mind is cleared and fresh.

On the tee, unless there is nowhere to stand, the correct position is in front of the player but far enough away so you will not distract. That means moving if a lefty is second to tee up.

Another piece of etiquette often overlooked is that first player in the hole replaces the flagstick.

It's been twice at my new club in two days. I don't want to start something, but, seriously, when did it become ok to touch another player's golf ball? unless we're playing match play, I don't care how far away the putt is, you're not in a position to "give me one." The putt isn't good, it is x distance away and needs me to roll it in to finish the hole.

People who take their hats off playing 18 are watching too much television. I agree with shaking hands, but lets not get carried away.

Taking hat and sunglasses off shows a sincere respect for the other player. Old school? yes, but Tiger still hand writes thank you notes as well. We need to carry these important traditions forward to the next generation or they will get lost. This is how societies denegrate into wearing loose pants showing their boxers, pre-teenage girls wearing thongs (and their Mom's think its "cute") ... don't get me started.

Second. Walking from green, I agree with the guy who "picked up", or if you are behind the group ahead of you, head to the next tee and prepare to hit your tee shot so you can get caught up.

I posted that piece of advice which many consider to be "old school".....it was just the way I was taught the game.

PS- I guess I'm an old school golfer at 33!

It might be different in other places around the US, I've always experienced this. I don't think I've ever played with anyone who didn't take their hat off after a round and shake my hand.

One other thing I have noticed that has irked me: when you ask someone to move their mark so it does not interfere with your putt, remind them to move it back as well. I can only think of one time I've seen someone remind the people to put their mark back. Remind them, because once in a while people forget. I believe that ends up being 2 strokes of penalties(one for not replacing, and one for hitting from thewrong spot? Maybe it's one. It's early in the morning..lol..).

Remind people to put their mark back after you've asked them to move it for you.