There are an awful lot of written rules in golf, but there are also a number of unwritten rules that golfers adhere to to ensure that they and those around them have an enjoyable round. I recently teamed up with my fellow equipment writer Dan Parker to point some of those out, and more importantly, explain how to avoid them!
WATCH: Joe Ferguson and Dan Parker demonstrating some of the unwritten rules of golf
1. Talk during other people's shots
One of the most inconsiderate things you can do on a golf course is to be talking during someone's shot, or even just their setup. Constant noise in golf, such as nearby traffic, greens mowers, etc doesn’t tend to be a problem, but when things are generally quiet, any slight noise at an inopportune moment can be seriously off-putting. Golf is hard enough without having to listen to someone else's conversations while standing over a tricky chip shot!
2. Forget to rake a bunker
There is not much more annoying in golf than heading up to a bunker shot and seeing your ball in the middle of someone's great big footprint. I think the most annoying part is that it is so easily avoidable with proper etiquette. Once you have hit your shot, reach for that rake and smooth out any impressions you may have made in the sand, including your footprints en route out of that bunker. A good rule of thumb is to leave a bunker smoother than you found it yourself.
3. Not shout fore!
Not only is it hugely inconsiderate, it is downright dangerous not to warn people that a golf ball may be heading their way. Golf balls are extremely hard, and can be traveling at serious speed so if you see your golf ball heading in the general vicinity of any other person, vehicle or even building, it is imperative to shout Fore as loudly and clearly as possible. Unfortunately, there have been some high-profile examples of people not doing so at the highest level, with Bryson DeChambeau being widely criticised for repeatedly not shouting when his ball was heading toward the gallery. Keep everyone safe, and let them know a ball is incoming.
4. Step on someone else’s line
I don’t know about you, but I find putting tricky enough without having to negotiate a huge spike mark or depression in the green. Even with the best spikeless shoes in the game, you will likely cause some form of disruption to a smooth surface even if you are the leanest of gym goers, let alone if you are carrying a little middle-age spread like myself.
When you are walking around the putting green, just be mindful of where everyone else’s balls or markers are, and be sure to avoid walking on their intended line. Don't forget about a golfer's through line either, which is the line the ball will be travelling on should it miss and slide past the hole.
5. Never assume a putt has been given
In a matchplay scenario, golfers will generally operate on a ‘gimmie’ understanding, whereby, if a putt is so short that your opponent feels it is unmissable, they can concede that putt in a gesture of goodwill. The key here is that you must wait for your opponent to verbally confirm that a putt is conceded before picking it up, you absolutely cannot just make that decision yourself.
This has led to controversies in the past in some high-profile events such as the Solheim Cup, where 2024 European Captain Suzann Pettersen was embroiled in a row dubbed ‘gimmie gate’ when US player Alison Lee picked up a putt that Pettersen claims she had not conceded. Avoid any such controversy and just wait until it has been clearly confirmed by your opponent before you accept a gimmie.
6. Waste time
Golf notoriously can take a long time, so adding to that with unnecessary time-wasting can be extremely frustrating for those around you. Things such as not being ready when it is your time to play, leaving your bag on the opposite side of the green to where you will be exiting and just general slow play are all sure-fire ways to annoy your playing partners. No one is asking you to sprint around the course, we all want to embrace and enjoy our time out on the links, but just saving a few minutes here and there will help everyone to enjoy their golf a little more.
7. ‘Early walk’ your putts in
Kevin Na made the early walk famous by nearly beating his ball to the hole on occasion, but even when a seasoned PGA Tour pro does it, it can come across as cocky and annoying. Even worse is watching someone ‘early walk’ a putt only to see it miss and the protagonist is left with egg on their face. The most prudent strategy here is probably to just maintain your viewpoint until the putt has concluded its journey.
8. Choose Not to play a provisional ball
It is extremely annoying in a competition round to be held up on a tee box by someone walking back to the tee to play a second ball after an unsuccessful search for their original, and in fact it is even more annoying when you are the person taking that walk of shame. It is even more prevalent now that the permitted search time has dropped from 5 minutes to 3 minutes. This is a very avoidable circumstance, however. If you are in any doubt about being able to find your original shot whatsoever, just drop another ball down, declare a provisional, and move on to look for the original. The extra 20 seconds or so it will take to do this could save you upwards of 10 minutes if you don’t find the original ball.
9. Tell someone they have a good round going
If I am playing well and on for a good score, trust me, I know! I absolutely do not need to be reminded of that fact by my playing partners. The extra pressure of verbalizing your score is rarely beneficial to your performance, let alone when it comes from someone else. The best thing to do in this situation is simply keep your comments to yourself. There is plenty of time to de-brief after the round in the bar, the golf course is not the place for that discussion.
