Golf Tips - Golf Etiquette

John Norsworthy: Okay, one more week to go, and I think you'll be ready for the golf course. Okay. So what I'd like to do today is to talk about etiquette, because before I let you lose on all these unsuspecting players around you, you must know how to behave, where to drive from, how to putt in terms of who putt first, etcetera, and all these sort of things, okay. But let's deal with the teeing area first, as we're on one right now. Do you remember where we just passed, did you take a look there? In France we use color symbols, we have red and blue, and these denote the teeing area for the girls. So front tee for the women, handicapped, middle handicapped and beginners. Ramey: It's for me. John Norsworthy: Yeah, if you like. we'll put you off there to -- sometimes I do, sometimes I put the beginners always off the front to give them a little encourage. Remembering the philosophy of keeping everything easy. I do in fact, put the beginners sometimes in the front. It depends on how good their practice is going. In the back tee, the blue tee here, that is for the championship girls; that's girls with handicapped 18 and below, in this country anyway. It may different in other countries. This one we're coming to know is the white tee, this is the average men's tee, this would, in fact, be the tee that you'll be going from next week. You will be teeing off from whites, and then just beyond this here, we have the yellow. Ramey: For the champion. John Norsworthy: Yeah, that's right. The yellow tee for most on most courses is way back. Sometimes they have back tees and championship tees, because we can affect at Valbonne lengthen this course right out to a championship standard. We can take that tee for example, back another 50 yards if we want to. Really make it extra long, but we don't use those tees very often. So, men's championship, men's normal, ladies championship and ladies normal. So it's pretty easy. Well, I am going to show you now how and where to stand. We three are going to be playing next week. We all have this game together, so that we can know exactly where you should be, what you should do on the team area, watch me. I am going to be the man who is going to drive out first. So you two would wait over here on this side of the tee and preferably just off the teeing area. You wouldn't bring your equipment on to the tee with you either. If you're pulling a trolley, then that will stay off the tee. I will then come along here; I would take my ball and tee up between these marks, here, not in front, not in front. And I can also tee up to two club lengths from those markers. So in fact if I found a nice place here, I could also do that, beyond that area I may not. So let's keep it simple for you, you will find an area somewhere between those two blocks, that's nice and comfortable for your feet in a good position for the ball, and that's all. It's very, very simply. But you may not move, or you should not move, you may move but it could be considered very bad, not done. You may not move while the player is taking the shot. If I want to make a practice swing, some clubs don't like the players make practice swing on the course, If you want to make a little loosening up movement, do so, but with the club well above the ground, because we don't want to take any big scallop out of the nice tee area which I see. So there like that, little loosening up, then I hit my golf shot, and the way we go, bang. Now when it's your turn to play Ramey, because you will be with me and Ruth will accompany us before she goes down to her teeing area, then you take my place, and I would watch you from here, because this is the safest place. I watch you from here. If you are just behind it, it disturbs the player. So try and watch your partner from in front. So the very simple etiquette for the teeing area is this. You choose, as you are a beginner, the front tee for the ladies, the front tee for the men, and you place yourself when you are watching your partner in front of him, not too close, we could be back even a little bit further, if you wanted to, to give you a plenty of room, and we remain quite until you've played. No noises, and no shouting and no uh-uh in the middle of the person's back swing. It's very simple. So here we have, we have got the imaginary situation, we are having the laws of the golf course and we are rather holding these people up here, can you see? So what we do is instead of keeping those waiting as we must not do, let them go by, you signal like this to call the other people by, most important because this will happen rather a lot at the beginning, you will be slower than they are. When they are back into the stream, like that, and they've passed you then you can follow on, okay. Ramey: Yes. John Norsworthy: Understand? Ramey: Sorry John, but why are you always using this club? John Norsworthy: Do you realize that this has taken you 12 whole lessons and not one of you has said why? Ruth, haven't you ever thought about it? No. well it’s a gimme. It's a thing I just love this old club, it's like my Dog Problem you see. It seems to be part of my teaching act and I usually have problem with me, and they've both been around the world with me teach, when I get my golf weeks and golf clinics and shows and so on. So anyway that's just story of the club. It's rather funny that he it took so long for you to this. Ramey: It's sort of superstition. John Norsworthy: If you like, a little bit, a little bit lucky charm, but you know it was a very, very good club, alright. Ramey: Really? John Norsworthy: Oh yes, I still hit the ball beautifully with this one; oh sure. We have got some more etiquette for you, bunkers now. Okay, look imaginary situation, ball in the bunker, just about there. Now the worst thing that you could possibly do, you come to the ball and to the bunker from here is to do this. Because you are making just a lot of mess in this bunker. So be a little bit more intelligent about it, think out well, the shortest way to get into the sand is around here, good. So we come to our ball this way, and now when I get into the sand to make my banker shot, there is very, very little mark of where I'd be. So we settle into the shot like this, causing a little havoc with the sand. We are now going to play our golf shot nice and neatly, like this causing another big hole because of the explosion. If you can find a nice rack that's usually handy some where around, there isn't this time in Valbonne we don't have a rack here, then you are going to use your club like this, and you are just going to repair neatly your footmarks, so that the people coming behind you are not going to be any up in a hole. There we go, or alternatively, with your feet that's not bad either but not a heavy foot otherwise, you are just going to dig holes too. There you are. No one would know I have been there. So promise me you two and you people at home, repair your pitch marks on the green and please repair your footmarks in the bunker, okay? Ramey: Yeah. John Norsworthy: Very good. Well Laura (ph) once said to Hardy (ph) what a fine mess you got yourself into this time. Can you see where we are in the rough and this really shouldn't be a lesson on etiquette, but I have to throw it in, because all sorts of crazy things happen to begin as when they get into jungle like this. Now two things you must remember, no breaking of branches please to get in there. It may not be done, no trampling down of the grass here, Ramey, no, putting your big heavy foot down that to make a nice, nice easy way out. All that you may do is identify your ball carefully like that making sure not to improve your lie, very good. Come in here now finding your best way in, be careful, you can back up against the trees like this, that's fine. But no treading down behind, remember. Now let's see if we can get out of this fine mess, shall we? So, I'll get myself comfortable. I am getting a little bit of branches rubbing out my back, but that doesn't matter, and out she comes. So this isn't an etiquette and it is very necessary. So no improving of your lie, except by just pushing perhaps the branches of your way, no breaking them and no trampling on the grass behind your ball. Okay, well I must say that this has probably been the most boring of lessons right? Because we haven't to hit any balls, we've done nothing expect talk about what to do, where to stand, who to go first, and let the other people through, etcetera. Now we are on the putting green, but there is a very good reason for all this. We have to behave properly on the golf course, okay? This is the professionals' job to see when he is teaching you that you can also behave well on the course. Ramey: Sure. John Norsworthy: Who goes first, both balls are on the green, who putt first, Ramey? Ramey: Ladies first. John Norsworthy: No, not ladies, who, any idea? Not youngsters either, no it's the farthest from the hole, farthest from the hole. So Ramey image -- Ramey: So, before we are too good. John Norsworthy: Yeah, when they came through a little earlier. You can see that. So let's imagine your putt is there, and Ruth was there ready to putt, okay it's obvious that you are farthest from the hole, so you are going to putt first, okay? If I now, will attend the flag stick, because you said to me, “John, I would like to keep it in the hole.” You may also have it taken out if you wish, but if you had a long putt, you probably wouldn't see the hole, so you would like to have that in the hole correct, you keep it, but your partner will attend it like this and stand to one side. As the putt comes, we will take it out, because if the ball strikes the flag, there is a penalty. We won't go into rules and regulations in this lesson, it's pretty far too long, and on call too boring for you. I know you are getting impatient. Oh gosh, I forgot the most important of all, if you two, and you people at home, want to stay friendly with your golf superintendent, please remember that you must repair your pitch marks. Now pitch mark is that little indentation it's formed when a ball coming fairly high arrives on the green and you really must do something about it, because it can damage the greens and it can also be very, very bad for the people who are coming behind might roll over one and then have their ball deflected. So with the pitch fork which you can get from you are local pro shop, or just a tee if it's in your pocket, please watch this carefully, around the edges, just lift up the indentation until you think it's up enough, then with your putter just tap it neatly down like that, we are just using weight of the putter, no more, that's right, and you'd never know I'd been there. So understand, farthest from the hole, remember to attend the flag stick if your partner wants to.