Table Of Contentp l a y i n g
t h r o u g h
A Guide to the Unwritten Rules of Golf
Peter Post
c o n t e n t s
Acknowledgments: A Heartfelt Thank You . . . v
Introduction: “Have I Got a Story for You!” vii
1. We’re All in This Together 1
2. Manners Matter 12
3. “You’re Out!” and Other Intricacies of Golf Attire 25
4. Respect the Course 36
5. Carts and Greens and Traps and Water 47
6. Where to Stand: The Theory of the “X” 57
7. The Biggest Frustration by Far: Slow Play 63
8. “Fore!” Doesn’t Excuse You 82
9. Around the Hole: “Piniquette” and the
Art of Watching Your Step 92
10. A Time to Talk and a Time to Keep Quiet 106
11. The Cheat and the Sandbagger 112
12. “Son, You’re Not Good Enough to Throw Clubs” 122
13. To Coach or Not to Coach? 132
14. At a Tournament: The Good Spectator 140
15. In a Tournament: When Everything Really Counts 148
16. Playing for “A Little Something” 157
17. Don’t We All Wish That Practice Made Perfect? 171
18. The Nineteenth Hole 177
19. “Fun” Golf vs. “Serious” Golf: When to Cut Some Slack 182
Afterword: Golf Etiquette for Golf Success 191
Index 193
About the Author
Other Books by Peter Post
Credits
Cover
Copyright
About the Publisher
ack nowledgme nts
A Heartfelt Thank You . . .
First to my brothers, Allen and Bill, and to Doug, who I met on the golf
course and who I play with on Thursdays and lots of other days as well.
They all spent countless hours reading the manuscript, keeping me on
the right path when I strayed, and honing the advice in this book. It lit-
erally could not have been done without their efforts.
To John, the professional at the Burlington Country Club (Bur-
lington, Vermont), and to Mark, the general manager at the Edgartown
Golf Club (Edgartown, Massachusetts), who responded to my ques-
tions, talked with me whenever I asked, and provided expert advice
whenever I needed it.
To Katherine, our agent, for helping to make this book possible.
To Royce, who edits every piece I write, for his willingness, as a
very occasional golfer, to learn the nuances of golf etiquette and to pro-
vide the beginning golfer’s perspective to the advice.
To Toni at Collins for all her counsel and editing of the manu-
script.
To Andy Pazder at the PGA Tour, who helped me understand the
intricacies of spectator etiquette.
To the people at The Emily Post Institute for all they did to make
it possible for me to concentrate on writing this book.
To Peter and Dave, who round out my regular Thursday four-
acknowledgments vi
some, and who have been ever so patient with me when etiquette dis-
cussions have intruded on our games. Without all those Thursdays, plus
the golf outings and trips we have enjoyed over the years, this book
would not have been possible.
To Bernard Magdelain for using his golf knowledge to carefully
review and edit the manuscript.
To all the respondents to the Post Golf Survey. Your opinions and
your stories provide the backbone of the advice here. Thank you for
taking the time to respond.
To all the people, golfers and nongolfers alike, who, when they
heard I was writing a book about golf etiquette, couldn’t help them-
selves and regaled me with stories they’d heard or situations they had
observed.
To Tricia, my wife, for her patience on weekends and Thursdays
when I’m playing golf with the boys and for playing those wonderful,
relaxing nine-hole rounds that may well be the best moments I have on
the course.
i n t r o d u c t i o n
“Have I Got a Story for You!”
Whenever I explain to golfers (or to nongolfers, for that matter)
that I’m writing a book about golf etiquette, invariably they reply,
“Have I got a story for you!” Numerous golfers have regaled me
with tales of clubs broken, or tossed into trees never to come out,
or vanished to the bottom of a pond. One told me of her experi-
ence driving a cart through a bunker, while another recounted
the marvelous story of two eagles being scored on the same hole
by people playing in the same group. Still another described a
similar situation that occurred during a tournament, when two
competitors each had a hole in one on the same hole.
In order to write this book, however, I had to go outside my
own experience and the stories shared by friends and acquain-
tances (as great as they all were), and find out exactly what it is
ix playing through
that really frustrates golfers. To accomplish this, I posted a survey
on The Emily Post Institute Web site explaining my project and
asking golfers for their input. As it turned out, the survey respon-
dents were no different than the people I’d been talking with in
person. They offered a rich variety of both negative and positive
stories about experiences they’d had and situations they’d ob-
served on the golf course. Those stories make up much of the
advice in this book. The anecdotes are all real, and they describe
the actual behaviors that both impress and annoy golfers across
the country on a daily basis.
The game of golf is unique, because it includes a social aspect
that’s found in no other sport. Before, during, and after the four-
odd hours it takes to play eighteen holes, golfers are constantly
interacting with their partners, their opponents, and other golfers
on the course. They also rub elbows with golf course employees
and other staff and members at the clubs where they play, and
regularly run into other golfers in business and social settings to-
tally apart from the course as well.
These interactions are all an integral part of the game, but
they aren’t codified in the USGA’s The Rules of Golf. In other
sports, the focus is clearly on the competition—not on building
a relationship with your opponent at the very moment you’re
trying to whip him. In golf, however, the competition is only part
of the story. You’re certainly trying to play your best and win, but
at the same time there’s an equal focus on building a good rela-
tionship with the people you’re playing with. In golf, how you
handle yourself as you try to beat the other guy actually matters.
Over the centuries that the game of golf has been played,
a number of conventions have sprung up to help guide golfers
Description:There's a social aspect to golf that's unique to the sport. It's the only sport where you're building relationships at the same time that you're trying to play your best and win—and maybe close a business deal. While the rules of golf are clearly defined, the etiquette of golf is less codified. Ma
