Most people that decide to take up golf are casual golfers who simply want to get on the course and enjoy playing for a couple of hours every now and then.  But there are also experienced golfers, male and female, who would rather not suffer through newbie intruders ruining their afternoon on the greens.  There is room for both on the golf course, but respect is key.  Respect for your fellow golfers, respect for the course and respect for the game.  It’s important to keep up with the group in front of you, be courteous to other players and have fun.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) rule book almost 300 pages long!  Unless you are preparing for a career as a golf professional, you probably have more important things going on in your life than learning all of these rules.  As a casual golfer, I can’t think of a good reason why you should.  (If you are playing for money, then you might, but I don’t advocate gambling on the course.  That may change as my game improves.)  However, it is important to understand golf etiquette and a few rules before you step onto the course.  The more you play, the more you will want to learn about the rules.  You don’t want to cheat yourself strokes or frustrate other golfers in your group by trying to figure out what to do.

For information on golf rules and etiquette, visit www.usga.org.  For a fun and useful on-course rules guide, check out http://golfsurvivalguide.com/rules-pocket-guide.html

Now get out there and play!

I don’t play with white golf balls.  I have trouble seeing them.  Even if they land nicely in the fairway.  Especially when they wander off into the bushes or tall grass.  This game is tough enough without wasting extra time and energy looking for the ball in a bush that may or may not have rattlesnakes.  Besides, I don’t want to slow the pace of play by hunting around too long (you only get so many minutes to look before you have to stop anyway), then I rush my shots to make up for lost time.  I’m a fan of bright colors in general, and golf is no different.  Yellow and orange are my favorite golf ball colors.  They are bright and I can easily find them no matter how far right they land.

Once I played with a group of ladies and when we got to the first green, it looked like an Easter egg hunt was underway.  There were fuchsia, yellow, light blue and lavender balls all sitting on green around the flag stick.  There was also one lone white ball (we added a fifth person to our group, a guy).

Some people find colored balls amateurish or childish.  So what?  I’m not going to Q School or playing in the LPGA.  I want to have fun and enjoy myself on the golf course.  So when I can easily find my ball, I spend more time thinking about my club selection and how to approach the shot, which is where my mental energy is best spent while playing. Which translates into more fun.  So ladies, stock your golf bag with balls in every color of the rainbow!  No one will find it amateurish or childish when you sink that that bright pink ball for par.

Now get out there and play!