With nearly 26 million avid golfers throughout the country, there are plenty of different styles and levels of comfort that golfers have when they play.
Some like to play for the exercise they get. While others like to relax and drive around in a golf cart. If you’re a fan of riding in a golf cart, you should know some golf cart etiquette to ensure that you’re using yours with respect for other players.
Let’s look at five tips that you should keep in mind when you’re playing next.
1. Let Other Golfers Through
Whether you’re on the road or on the course, cutting people off is rude. This is an especially egregious move if you’re rushing another squad. When another team is on the hole in front of you, it’s polite to let them finish their hole before you start playing.
If you come up on them in your golf cart, not only could you disturb their swing, but you could put them in the way of danger. Even if you’re more than 200 yards away, you could potentially hit a ball that could injure them.
People in your cart could be injured if you’re not careful. If you cut off another squad, they might not realize you’re ahead of them and they could drive a ball right into your cart.
Getting hit by a golf ball isn’t a common occurrence. But if you cut in front of other golfers, you endanger your party and raise your risk of getting hit.
2. Joy Riding Is Rude
While riding around in a golf cart is fun, if you really want to go wild, go to a go-kart track. Riding around and causing chaos in golf carts is for Johnny Knoxville and for people who want to show disrespect to the golf course they play on.
Also, golf carts can cause injuries. Not only can you hit people, but going too fast in one, as most don’t have seatbelts, can cause you to get thrown out. Being thrown from a golf cart could lead to broken bones and serious injuries.
Using a cart to get from hole to hole is fun and easy. But in the absence of a race track, there’s no point in going full throttle. While it might remind you of biking it’s not intended to be anything like that.
You should also be respectful of the golf carts. No matter how much you’re paying for a membership to the course, riding a cart disrespectfully could ruin the equipment. Part of being a member of a course is to treat the equipment well.
3. Follow the Signs
On most courses, there are posted signs to let you know about the rules regarding carts and cart etiquette. When you don’t know what to expect, look around you and you’ll probably see a sign.
If you’re unclear about what’s expected of you, check with the staff before you hit your first hole. They can let you know everything that you need to be aware of before you go out on the links.
Every course has its own rules and standards of what’s expected. Check ahead of time to figure out what is allowed and what is not.
4. Don’t Be Unreasonably Loud
If you’ve ever tried to nail a tough putt and someone made a loud sound off in the distance, you know how distracting that can be. While some golfers can play under any conditions, most require a whole lot of concentration. The slightest hiccup can throw off even the best player.
Be kind and keep your noise down in your golf cart. Some carts have a radio, so make sure that’s down before you pull up on anyone. If you want other golfers to respect you, respect them by keeping it quiet.
Many golfers like to mess around, tease one another, and tell jokes. If you’re too loud while another squad is playing, you could throw them off. If you want them to hurry up, making loud sounds could have them pulling mulligans left and right.
Be respectful and courteous by keeping quiet while others are playing.
5. Watch for Wet Turf
When you’re driving around the course, especially a lush and green one that gets watered often, you’re going to come upon patches of moisture. If you notice that a particular area seems especially wet, you should go out of your way to avoid that area.
Deep puddles could lead you to get your cart stuck in the mud. Moist and soggy courses are sensitive to being damaged. If you’re not careful, you could tear up a newly repaired areas.
When a course is too wet, the ground beneath the grass will be weak and a golf cart could do serious damage to the turf. Since you want to play again soon and want to leave things in good condition for other golfers, drive on wet terrain with care.
Golf carts are heavy and can tear through the turf if you’re not careful. If you think you’re stuck, don’t put the pedal to the metal to try to tear out, as you could do more damage to the cart and to the turf. Call someone to get help so that you can push the cart out of harm’s way and keep the turf safe.
Golf Cart Etiquette Ensures Safe Play
When everyone is abiding by simple golf cart etiquette, you can make sure that everyone feels safe and comfortable while they’re playing. Golf carts can make playing more fun. And if you use them correctly, you can ensure they don’t interfere with other golfers.
If you want to achieve your ideal handicap, check out our guide for tips.
