Your first round of golf, in fact, even your first season on the links can be a little daunting.  Many new golfers feel anxious not only about their own inexperience with the game, but also their unfamiliarity with rules, on-course etiquette, and interactions with other golfers.  Even booking your first tee time can be a little stressful.

I remember during my first year on the course, I had so little idea what I was doing that I was afraid to even drive a golf cart; instead deferring to my playing partner who had only slightly more experience than I did.  More so with golf than any other sport, it’s important that you familiarize yourself with the unwritten rules of the game.  While I certainly wouldn’t discourage you from picking up a USGA rule book, most of what you’ll need to know to survive your first year on the course, and develop a true love and appreciation for the game, cannot be found within its pages.

While there are plenty of lessons you’ll need to learn on your own, simply following these 10 tips will go a long way towards helping you make the most of your time on the golf course.

Arrive at least 15 minutes early for your tee time

15 minutes should give you plenty of time to check in with the pro shop, get your gear ready, change your shoes, and do whatever else you need to do before you tee off.  Whatever you do, don’t show up 30 seconds before your tee time and expect to see shining faces.  As was pointed out to me by an very unhappy starter, “Your tee time is when you hit your first ball, not when pull into the parking lot”.

My personal recommendation is to arrive at least 30 minutes early.  In addition to what’s listed above, you’ll have time to stretch, practice your putting, and even hit some range balls if you choose.

Dress for success

Yeah, I know it sounds more than a little cliché, but golf is a gentleman’s game.  When dressing for your round, think business casual.  Yes, you can wear shorts (Bermuda length), but you shouldn’t look sloppy.  Most courses, even if they don’t always enforce the rules, require collared shirts - and you should always wear one.  Denim and cutoffs are always a no-no.  Just because the course may let you get away with looking like a slob, it doesn’t mean you should.

Apart from taking some basic pride in your appearance, there are other reasons to dress well on the golf course.  First and foremost, you never know who you may get paired up with.  My neighbor hit ball with Bill Parcells.  My buddy, Jon, got paired up with a billionaire.  While playing at one of our local courses, my buddy J was offered a job by the CEO of a local technology company.  Again, you truly never know who you might meet and what might come of it.

On a golf course, you can meet almost anyone.  Dress right, make a good first impression.  While you can never be overdressed, you never want to be underdressed.

Remember, it’s golf, not horseshoes.

Play ready golf

Flying in the face of what you see on TV is the notion of ready golf.  Basically it means hit your ball as soon as you’re ready to do so.  Obviously you shouldn’t hit your ball while someone else is hitting his, but, off of the green, don’t get caught up in who’s away and all of that nonsense.  Get to your ball as quickly as you can (no need to sprint), and hit it as soon as it is reasonable to do so.  Playing ready golf dramatically speeds up the pace of play, which makes golf more fun for everyone.

There is a caveat here that you should be aware of.  On some occasions you may find yourself paired up with someone who demands that honors always be recognized.  He’ll always want to hit first if he won the previous hole (even if it takes him 5 minutes to get ready to hit), and he’ll always expect you to hit first when you’re away.  Ready golf is a foreign concept to him.  Depending on your confidence level you may want to suggest playing ready golf, but in most cases, sadly, it’s best to just play it his way.

Avoid slow play

Playing ready golf is just one way to avoid slow play.  There are several others you should be aware of.  If walking, you should walk to your own ball.  You and your playing partners should never form a conga line that moves from ball to ball.  Golf offers plenty of other social opportunities.

When riding in a cart the rule my partners and I play by is this:

Farthest from the green gets dropped off at his ball, while his partner drives the rest of the way to his own.  Every hole we play has basically become a long drive and accuracy competition.  You lose, you walk.

Being a beginner (or just a bad golfer) doesn’t mean you have to play slow.  You’re not on tour.  Limit your practice swings.  Pre-shot routines should take seconds, not minutes.  Don’t spend 5 minutes trying to read the green before each putt (stop plumb-bobbing).  If you fall too far behind, pick up your ball and join the rest of your group.  You’ll improve quickly enough, and before you know it, you won’t be picking up any more.

Finally, don’t spend too long looking for lost balls.  USGA rules say you have 5 minutes.  Many tournaments, however; will limit that time to 2 minutes.  Personally, I like the 2 minutes rule.  Any more than that and you risk holding up your group, and each and every group behind you.

Slow play is the bane of nearly every golf course in this country, and the single biggest reason why people give up the game.  Don’t be part of the problem.

There is a corollary to slow play, and it’s simply; don’t hit into another group.  Make sure there is plenty of space between you and the group in front of you before hitting your ball.  Occasionally accidents happen (you didn’t see the golfer hiding in the gully like I didn’t a few weeks ago), or you hit the ball a lot further than anticipated.  When accidents occur, go out of your way to apologize.  In most cases, if nobody got hit it won’t be a big deal.

If slow play in front of you gets to be a real problem, don’t hesitate to call the pro shop.  Most golf courses will quickly dispatch a ranger out to get things moving again.

Clean up after yourself

Your greens fee gives you the right to play the course, not to destroy it.  If you take a divot, replace it (bentgrass, bluegrass), or fill it in with seed mixture (Bermuda grass - assuming the mix is provided).  Divots not only make the course look ugly, but they often lead to bad lies.

Learn how to repair ballmarks the right way (push the grass forward, don’t gouge at the roots).  Personally I try and repair one or two others in addition to my own.  Like a Boy Scout, you should make an effort to leave the course in a little better shape than you found it.  Doing so will help make the golf more enjoyable for everyone.

Always rake the bunker after you’ve hit out of the sand.  It’s time consuming, and a bit annoying, but as soon as you land in some degenerate’s footprint, you’ll understand why grooming the bunkers when you’re done is important.

Like many golfers, I enjoy an occasional cigar on the golf course.  If you do smoke cigars on the course, be sure to fully extinguish your exhausted smokes.  A trash can is the idea location for your used up stogie, but even if no can is available, never discard your used up cigars (or the ashes) on the green.

The same holds true for sunflower seeds.  Spitting shells is ok, just not on the green.

Never talk during another golfer’s backswing

Don’t talk when someone is swinging or about to swing (unless it’s my buddy, Clint, then by all means, make as much noise as you can).  It doesn’t matter whether you’re on the tee, the green, or anywhere in between.  When playing among friends you may have your own set of rules - and that’s fine, but sooner or later you will get paired up with strangers, so you need to understand how most of the world plays.

There’s probably no other breach of etiquette quite as severe as making noise during another golfer’s swing.  Granted, most level-headed golfers will probably laugh it off, or let it go with a dirty look, but I’ve heard horror stories of people going absolutely ballistic (screaming, dirt-kicking, club-throwing hissy fits), all because someone made a noise during their swing.  Think Tiger Woods, and keep the noise to a whisper when appropriate.

On a somewhat related note, try and position yourself so that you’re out of sight during the swing.  Stay well to the periphery, and absolutely don’t stand directly behind someone else’s ball while they’re swinging.

Avoid trampling another golfer’s line

Just like with their backswing, you’ll likely encounter the occasional golfer who becomes irate if you trample his putting line (walk between his ball and the hole).  The truth is that most amateurs aren’t skilled enough with the putter to where it actually matters (and today’s soft spikes minimize the damage), but the perception is there, and besides, the etiquette is what it is, and is says you don’t trample the line.

You may have noticed tour players often walk quite a ways out of their way to get to their ball on the green.  It’s all about avoiding another golfer’s line.  When playing with your friends (and most guys you’ll find on the course) it’s perfectly acceptable to take a long step over the putting line, but if you have any doubt at all, or just want to play it safe, make sure you walk well behind the other members of your group to get to your ball.  When playing with golfers you don’t know, it’s the safe thing to do.

Respect the rules of the course

Every course has its own set of rules.  In most cases you’ll find them listed on the scorecard.  While for most people following the rules is no big deal, there are far too many golfers who are of the mindset that their greens fee allows them to do whatever the hell they want (I guess mama didn’t raise them right).  Chances are, however; the rules exist for a reason.

The most common rules you’ll find have to do with use of carts.  If a hole is listed as cart path only, keep your cart on the path.  Keep carts out of the woods, and native grasses (fescue).  Most courses will want you to limit your fairway driving to the 90° rule (cross the fairway at 90° degree angles, while driving primarily through the rough), while others will ask you to keep the carts on the fairway and out of the rough (this is very rare, I’ve only encountered it once).

Many golf courses have environmentally protected areas.  Respect them.  If you hit your ball into one, it’s gone.  If the sign says you must stay out, then stay out.  You’ve lost a ball and a stroke.  It won’t be the last time.  Accept it and move on.

Rules, and indeed, laws regarding alcohol on the course vary from state to state.  Make sure you know what they are and follow them accordingly.  In some cases failure to follow the law can lead to trouble for not only you, but also for the owners of the course itself.

Play later in the day

Most golf courses really start to quiet down by 2:00 PM on weekends.  This is a great time for the beginning golfer to play.  Not only are you less likely to get pushed (or slow other golfers down), but many places offer discounts for twilight play.

Playing afternoon golf is one of the best recommendations I can make for golfers just starting out.  You’ll likely be able to play at slightly more relaxed pace (not slow), and you’ll save money too.  You may even find you have the entire golf course to yourself.

My favorite area course actually offers a weekend twilight special: $25 (cart included) for as many holes as you can play.  Contrast this with their peak time walking rate of almost $40 and you can understand why I prefer to play later in the day.

Have fun

More cliché than dressing for success, the notion of having fun seems obviously, but I include it here, because, remarkably; it’s the lesson that has taken me the longest to learn.

Look, golf is a difficult and frustrating game.  It’s much, much easier to string a few bad shots together and have it ruin your day than it is to string a few good ones together to make your day.  Being able to relish the good shots, while immediately putting the bad ones behind you, all while trying to take in the beauty of your surroundings is no easy task - and perhaps golf’s most difficult lesson.

A couple of years ago I was playing a round at the Cranwell Resort in the Berkshires.  I was making a particular mess of an uphill par 5, and had probably already thrown one club (a nasty habit one should try to avoid).  I was almost to the green, and about 2/3 of the way through what would eventually become a 12, when my cousin said, “Hey Tone, check out it, it’s really beautiful up here”.  He was right.  Somewhere along the way, I had totally lost sight of the fact that I was playing golf, a game I love, on a course carved through the Berkshire mountains, on an early fall day, just as the leaves were turning.  I had a spectacular vista in front of me, and had become too preoccupied with my lousy golf game to even notice.

Your time on a golf course is limited (by age, the seasons, and daily life), so make a real effort to truly enjoy every minute.  I’m not saying you can’t be serious about your game, that you shouldn’t practice, or that golf doesn’t require a certain measure of focus.

Whether it’s golf itself, great views, or well-spent time with friends and family, there’s so much that makes golf a wonderful game that having fun should be easy.  If you can always remember as much, it will be.

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