Those who play golf agree on one point iia nothing quite compares to this sport. A round of golf on a clear and nice day with friends on the course is the best escape from any and all issues be it personal at home or school or business that’s troubling you. Golf, the gentleman’s game, can be enjoyed best if courtesy to maintain the course in good shape is followed by everyone. Remember and apply this Golden Rule as one of the golf tips when stepping on to a golf course!

A simple though important aspect of the game, which players of all experience can learn or remember to keep the course and the game enjoyable, is common courtesy. In the four years of playing golf on my high school team, I played many games against other schools. If the courses and the competition weren’t difficult enough, things like balling into a divot, taking a shot in sand that wasn’t raked, or putting through unfixed greens would certainly add up to work against you.

Allow me to recreate an often played out scenario. You’ve hit a great shot right down the middle of the fairway with your Nike golf club or your Cobra golf driver, absolutely certain that it’s your best possible shot, only to realize in horror that the ball has landed plum in a big divot in the grass. The possibility of hitting a good shot now has crumbled to dust. It’s easy to replace divots, yet one of the least done activities by golfers in keeping the course in good condition. You really don’t want your ball to land in a divot and ruin your shot.

One thing to remember amongst other golf tips is that there are other players at the course. When I take a divot in the grass after a shot, I often think about if I would enjoy taking a shot from where I just swung. I know I’d be angry if my shot landed in a hole like that, so if the divot, which is probably a couple feet away, if not closer, is still pretty much intact, I just pick it up, and tap it back in with my foot. So easy to do, and yet not enough people do it.

Another big thing is the sand. I always rake the sand after I take a shot out from the bunker. The only thing that can make an already bad situation worse is when you’ve hit a shot into the bunker, and the sand is all messed up. Some people excel at sand shots and are really good at getting the ball out, but that all goes away when the sand isn’t raked. Again, common courtesy goes along way here. Sometimes it can be a bit of extra work, to go find the rake, and physically go over all the sand to make sure its smooth again, but just think about it. You’ve just hit a shot from there, so have some sympathy for the next poor soul, who finds their ball in the bunker.

Littering is yet another problem for no one likes to play in a course that’s messed up. Not only do I throw trash, food wrappers, bottles etc in the garbage bin, I even pick up trash that doesn’t belong to me. This particularly applies to all of us is it’s quite effortless and something everyone can participate in. How would you feel if you had to take your shot on top of a plastic bag or with a can of soda blocking your shot?

Always watch out for keeping the green in good shape. Be careful when you drive your golf cart; avoid misshaping the green by leaving track indentations on it. Watch out for dents in the green that your ball made when landing as you putted. Putting can be quite trying with tracks messing up the shot or dents in the green. I always make it a point to repair dents with my putter or a putting tool.

I like to follow these things when out on the course; for I believe that it’s important to be courteous to other players by keeping the course in good shape. Remember the Golden Rule iia treat others the way you want to be treated. Applying this philosophy to the links is a good way in maintaining golf as a gentleman’s game.