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. That's fair to say the word
00:08etiquette is fairly old-fashioned. What we're really talking about here are the things you
00:12need to do and things you need to avoid in order to be considerate of those around you. Now we're
00:18going to list out some of the mistakes and these are all things I think it's fair to say that
00:20myself included many golfers have made but if you're new to the game you're definitely more
00:25likely to make them. So let's head out to the golf course here at the London Club, 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, all of
00:52those things you should be making those calculations while others are playing so that when it's your
00:56turn to go, club in hand, ready to go. It's those simple things that can really help speed up the
01:01game 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 flying
01:14through the air. So it's important just to give a little bit of consideration to where your playing
01:18companions are going to be putting from. And do not walk across their line because yes, this time
01:23of year, firm surfaces, it's probably not going to make a lot of difference. I would say what happened
01:28just in this video, no difference whatsoever. But in wetter conditions it could make a bit of a
01:33difference. And it's one of those things that over time you just learn not to walk along the line of
01:37your playing partner's putts. Yeah or across it even. So you're unlikely to walk straight up and down
01:41it but you might just absent-mindedly wander across. So just be aware of where the other people in your group
01:46are going to be putting from and 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. But you'll
02:05see that there is one bag on the left of the green, my bag over by the camera. The green to next T route
02:12is that way. If I'd left my bag where Neil's is, we'd be leaving this green a lot quicker and the
02:17people up on the hill there waiting to play in would be able to do so much more quickly as it is
02:21I've now got to walk an extra 30 yards twice and then all the way back across the green. And that can
02:27be infuriating to watch from up on the hill there. If you know the course reasonably well, you know where
02:31you're going to need to leave your bag, try and leave it at the point where you're going to be exiting that
02:35green. So once you've tapped in, you can be away as quickly as possible. And one other thing,
02:41you'll see this quite a lot with relatively new golfers, they'll have a chip shot from over
02:46there, they'll have their bag over there, they're obviously going to have to have a putt after the
02:50chip shot, almost certainly, but they will go over there with the wedge, they won't take the putter
02:55with them. So then they'll have to go all the way back to the bag to get the putter to then make the
02:59putt. As long as it's not tipping it down, there's absolutely no reason why you can't take both clubs
03:04over there with you, rest one gently down, play the chip, and then you haven't got to do another 70 yard
03:10round trip to get the putter.
03:17Okay, so this is one that I'd say used to happen an awful lot when I was a junior golfer,
03:20but 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.
03:32Definitely, especially if the course ahead is clear, and you've effectively lost ground on
03:36the other players ahead of you, just move aside, let them through. And I think a lot of newer
03:42golfers are actually quite good at this because the thought of having people behind them fills
03:46them with some sort of dread. They don't want people to see them while they're not that proficient
03:51at the game yet, so they're happy to let people through. Others are maybe not quite aware of what's
03:55going on behind them. Exactly. So always a good idea to try and keep play moving as quickly as you
03:59can, but if you are a bit slower than the group behind, think about letting them go.
04:11That, I reckon, that's wet. That's wet. Now, halfway across.
04:18I think it's the wrong club.
04:38Oh, sorry, Jez. Sorry, sorry, sorry.
04:41It's all right.
04:42So as golfers, I think at times we can be a little bit oversensitive to noise, Jez. What would you say?
04:48I think that's true. I think people would say, you know, footballers play in a cauldron of noise
04:53all the time. But in football, you're reacting to where the ball's going. In golf, you're trying to
04:57get yourself in the right mindset to hit the shot. So it's up to you when you start and it's stuff
05:03that's distracting you. It's also a constant noise in a football stadium. Well, that's true.
05:07On a golf course, it's quiet. And then if suddenly, I'm thinking if you jangle your clubs or you're
05:11rummaging around looking for a ball or a tee in your golf bag at the wrong moment, it can really be
05:16off-putting. So it's just a word of advice. If you're a beginner looking to get into the game,
05:20just be careful about the noise that you're making. Make sure you don't do it when somebody's
05:25just tasking to take the club back. It could really put them off.
05:28Oh, stay there. Stay there.
05:41I lost it. You see it in the sun.
05:44Sorry.
05:44See where that went?
05:45I was just sorting the scorecard out. I wasn't really watching.
05:50Yeah. Sorry. Sorry.
05:53So here's a scenario where you just need to be aware of what's going on around you. We're playing
05:58into the sun. It's never easy to follow the ball into the sun. Even harder when you've just hit it
06:03and your head is still coming up after the shot. So you're hoping that someone in your group is going
06:08to be, everyone in your group, is going to be following that ball as closely as they can. So if
06:13one or two people are not watching and you've hit it a little bit wide, your chances of finding it are
06:18going 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. So it's only right that you should
06:30also try and follow the flight of your playing companion's balls.
06:38Okay. 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 is 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. And you know, not just on the
06:58green, it might be the end of the day, the shadows are getting long and you're all around the tea area
07:02and you're just completely aware of where your shadow is. Because again, you know, you might say
07:07we're being oversensitive, but just that little visual distraction can be enough to just throw someone.
07:11Bad 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
07:20at the 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 just
07:29started out. Hopefully this video will highlight what they are and help you avoid them next time you're
07:34out on the golf course and ensure that you're a real joy to play with. But that's it for now from
07:38the London Club. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.