For a relaxing day of sport with some healthy competition and strategy, you can’t beat golf. Whether playing with friends or with your work colleagues there are still a number of rules that need to be followed if you wish to be invited back for another game. Not the actual rules of play you understand, but rather informal rules of etiquette that keep the game moving, pleasant and enjoyable. What follows are a number of examples that, if followed, will keep the invites coming.

Punctuality

Golf can be a leisurely activity, but being late and keeping people waiting is still undesirable amongst friends and almost unforgivable when playing your boss. A full round can take long enough out of your day without unnecessary waiting around, so why not give yourself plenty of time to warm up and maybe even get in a few practice swings beforehand, but, be careful not to get carried away and leave your best game at the practice tee.

Order of play

It is generally accepted that the player with the lowest handicap is the first to tee off on the first hole After teeing off, the player whose ball lands the farthest from the green is next and on all subsequent holes the person who won the last hole is allowed to tee off first.

Only one practice shot

Ideally you will have warmed up beforehand and had the chance to take a few practice shots, if you arrived late (tut tut) and absolutely must practice, just take a single practice shot so as to avoid delaying play, even when putting. Even then this should ideally be avoided and developing a good pre shot routine will help you avoid the needless worrying and over thinking.

Be prepared

When you approach the ball to take the shot, be ready, have your chosen club ready and the head cover removed. Avoid wandering too far away from your ball but consider safety when others are playing, remember other groups are following you and waiting to play. If you are not ready to play it is polite to offer the chance to another player instead to keep up the pace of play.

Caring for the course

Always repair any damage you do to the course and any you find along the way, this can be done either by retrieving and replacing the divot and stepping upon it to press it back into place or using the seed mixtures commonly stored nearby for just such an occasion. If you are unfortunate enough to end up in a sand bunker, take the rake provided with you and rake over your footprints after your shot as other player will have to play the ball, from wherever it lands, even from your footprints.

Everyone loves to crush their drive off the tee. However, it’s really the short game that matters most.

Improving your shots from 100 yards and in will do a lot more for your game than hitting your drive twenty or thirty yards further.

You’ll shoot much lower scores with an improved short game and better chip shots than you will with a pumped up drive.

So if you want to lower your score instead of satisfy your ego, check out these five chipping tips and watch your golf score plummet.

Chipping is an extremely important part of your golf game. And yet it’s not practiced all that much. Most weekend golf warriors spend a lot of time hitting their driver when they go to the driving range.

Let’s face it, it’s a lot more fun to blast long drives than to practice your chipping, right?

But if you really do want to lower your score, you should focus on improving your short game (the area within 100 yards of the green) and that includes your chipping.

Let’s take a look at the basic chipping techniques and ball address so you can be sure your hitting your chip shots properly.

1) Your stance should be rather narrow.

2) Use a slightly open stance. This allows you to see the hole and your target line more clearly. It also helps to prevent you from taking the club head low and too far inside.

3) Your shoulders should be pretty close to parallel to your target line. If they aren’t, you may find yourself pulling the club across the ball during impact. This will cause you to pull the chip shot to the left of the target.

4) You should play the ball further back in your stance. This means playing it closer to your back foot. This allows your hands to start a few inches in front of the ball, which will help you to make a descending hit on the ball.

5) Play the ball close to your body.

If you practice these basic golf chipping techniques with consistency while at the driving range you’ll find your chip shots improving rather quickly. And a better short game leads to a lower golf score.